The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-17
JUDGE PARKER
 MAKES ADDRESS
ReafirmS His Allegiance To
 MT, Bryan
ASSAlLS THE REPUBLICAN, }
Ex-candidate Declares That John ,. Sherman Raided Wall Street for Campaign Slush Funds In
 Campaign of 1906.

Rochester, N. Y, September 16-In &C., eepting the permanent chairmanship of the democratic convention of New York today, Judge Alton B. Parker made a ringing address in which he reaffirmed his allegiance to Mr. Bryan and strongly assailed the position of the republican party.
 Not the least striking feature of Judge Parker's address was a declaration that James S. Sherman, the companion of MT. Taft on the republican ticket, invaded Wall street for political contributions in 1906, when MT. Sherman was chairman of the congressional committee.
 "Evdence is not wanted of the set pur- pose of the leaders of that (the repub- lican) party" he said, ito continue their plan of securing funds from those who are interested either in Legislation or in enforcement of law. Smarting under the exposure of the insurance tnvestiga- tions of l9i5, and subsequent disclosures not under oath, it's congressional commit tee in 1906 called for dollar contributions from individuals to aid Tn the election of republican members of Congress. The President himself subscribed dollar, and a few others whose names were duly ad- vertsed, and then the publication of con- trbutions ceased. and the chairman of the congressional committee now the re- publican candidate for vice president, went down, as had his predecessors of old into Wall street to get the money with which to influence the doubtful dis tricts."
 In opening his address, Judge Parker said:
 A Personal Pride.
 "One may be pardoned something of a feeling of personal pride in being request ed to preside over the deliberations or this convention convention which we may well anticipate, if temperate wisdom shall rule its actions, will be one to pc remembered as important for the welfare both of this state and the union as also in the history of the democratic party.
 .,Grave responsibility rests upon us Re sponsfbility only to be met by intelligent unselish and patriotic effort My share of that responsibility will not be per formed if there be on my part failure to counsel and exhort you to that mouera- tion care and deliberation which should ever rule in the councils or a great party
 For some years the party through ont the country has suffered from fac tjonal disputes based largely on honest misunderstandlngs of conflicting views. The situation at the outset demanded careful treatment and judicial temper It required recognition of the eternal truth that honest differences must arise and necessarily be pressed on either side py men equally honest and equally patriotic Had the truth always been recognlzeu' nisiudgment of motive could not have arisen Tactful. considerate although earnest. debate would have followed and A wise and statesmanlike solution Of the problems presented would have ensued.
 "Irnfortunately impatience, most hu- man. though regrettable, If not indeed an intolerance of antagonistic view was allowed full reign. The conservative grew to be regarded by one wing of the party as affiliated with the so-called interests while he in turn looked upon the radical virp as one who sought but to use the machinery of government to despoll the savings of others
 Unnecessary Defeats.
 ..Nothing was ever further from the truth; and this the people are fast coming to know. Nevertheless, and from the mere existence of these misunderstand- [ ings the party torn asunder, has met unnecessary defeats, to the detriment, as we believe of the best interests or the neople for these defeats have not bv any means measured the loss either in the national or in mere party sense.
 "One necessary outcome has been the party's deprivation of representation Tn the Senate of the United States so Tar as eastern and middle and the western states are concerned, together With the loss of all but a comparatively few or the congressmen from them, While in all that vast territory we have no gov ernors except in Montana and Minnesota, in Oregon and Rhode Island. The re- publican party in a majority of those democratic states in which 1t has been temporarily placed in power, has with accustomed partisanship taken advantage of the opportunity offered it by demo- cratic voters to so gerrymander both congressional and legislative districts that many years may elapse before an equilibrium will be restored
 Most serious still, has been the de- structlon of that approximate balancing of the power of great parties, which is ever the best guarantee of liberty in democratic countries. It is public, as well as a party misfortune that dem ocrats should have been so largely eX- cluded from the necessary training for public station throughout this vast ter ritory.
 ''Rendered insensate by the exercise of power, republican legislatures, both state and federal, have riotously wasted the
 
 devised, one upon the other, to create and provide for an army of party work CTS at the public expense. Since MT. Roosevelt became President the country has been burdened by an addition of over 990O0 federal officehouders at an annual charge upon the general treasury of nearly s7O,000,000.
 Increased Officials.
 "Consder that during the eight years preceding MT. Roosevelt's incumbency, during the terms of MT. Cleveland and MT. Mckinley, the percentage of increase in the country's population was about the same as during the past eight years, and yet during that earlier period but 10000 additional officials were found nec- essary to meet the just demands of an increased population, while the additional expense was but a little over S6,000, 00o a year. In other words, ten times as many places have been created under MT. Roosevelt as were created during a slightly longer period under MT. Cleve- land and MT. Mckinley. and at a greater excess of cost of some s64000,000 a year.
 ''The item I mentioned but Illustrates that extravagances and waste which per- meate the federal government of today