The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-15

been an economic administration of pub lie affairs. Rottenness and corruption have not stalked behind the sceptre of power when it was wielded by Grover Cleye- land and his great predecessors of the democratic faith in the White House.
 No matter what other criticisms may be made of the democratic control of ..4e country no man yet has been able to say that a democratic administration was not economically and honestly ad- ministered The administration of pub lie affairs by the republican party has reeked with fraud. corruption and em- bezzlement since the Civil war. The coun- try has not yet forgotten the star routes scandal and whisky frauds connected with the Grant administration. The padded contracts and selling of bad meat for the use of the soldiers In the Mckinley administration is remembered by all.
 'The frauds and stealing in the post office department followed by the convic- tion of Machen and Beavers, are matters of recent occurrence in the Roosevelt administration and today we find our selves confronted by the exploitation of the public domain by a cabinet officer, but recently in the employ of a great interest whose purposes he seems to de- sire to carry out rather than to protect the property of the government.
 Systimatic Stealing
 "The country was amazed less than a system of stealing had been inaugurated in the New York custom house for the benefit of the sugar trust and that with in the last decade $60, 000,0 900 had been stolen by means of short weights by the employees of the custom house for the American Sugar Refinery company. Some 1~.Iz -r A xxntA house have been convicted, ,Gbut the re- publican President and the republican Congress have refused to authorize a congressional investigation and expose to the public the real men in the govern ment and in the sugar trust who have been guilty of these frauds, There can be no doubt that there must have been collision between some of the higher of ficiais in the treasury department and high officers in the sugar trust organi- zation, or these frauds could not have existed so many years without detection.
 "The republican party goes to the coun- try with a record of broken promises to the country as to a revision of the tariff downward-a revision in the interest of the consumer. They go to the country with a record of the most reckless ex- penditure of public moneys in the Roose- welt and Taft administrations that have ever taken place in this country. They go to the country with the admission that vast economy could be attained in the administration of public affairs with out the accomplishment of any result in that direction. They go to the country and ask to be returned to power with their administrations placarded with the stealing of public moneys and the cor ruption of governmental officials.
 Economy in Government
 'The people of the United States are entitled to an administration of public affairs that will not collect more taxes than are absolutely necessary to an eco nomic administration of the government They are entitled to a careful expendi ture of the public moneys and honest ad ninstration of the public affairs. If w are to judge by the past 1t is impossible to attain these ends as long as the re publican party Is retained in power. Tt the accomplishment of these purposes thu democratic party stands pledged. The, are fairly entitled to an opportunity be | fore the country to make good, and, il my judgment, the voters of the United States. realizing these facts, will elect { democratic House of Reresentatives oi the 9th day of next November"