The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-30
A New Vision

A lNcW isiuH
 By imperceptible and very happy changes of temper and point of view, we have come out of that state of mind, that perturbed view of our lifc. and have begun to get something like a complete vision of our problems and of the policies that must sol7e them. Programmes are taking the place of philippics, ana pf.ogra-~s-aes- can be soberiy examined and assessed and un- qualified criticisms and denunciations cannot be. We are not all of one mind. But we have ceased to be divided into work able groups It 'is customary to speak Of this new classification as a division into progressives and reac- tionaries but. after all, it Is the old division between liberals and tories. There have always, fortunately, for the stability of society, been tories who stood for the existing order and feared nothing so much as change and there have always, fortunately, for human progress and for human liberty, been liberals who pushed or from hopeful change to change in the slow proces 5 of altering things as they are into things as they ought to be. There are tories still in abundance in both parties but there are also liberals in still great CT numbers. We look beneath the bel to the man and his thoughts. Whichever party proves most fit to con- ceive and put through a wise progress sive programme will become the liberal party of the nation. Tories will be well come to resort to the other and enjoy the privileges of a minority.
 "The liberal programme (which I con- ceive to be the democratic programme IS growing clear enough. item by item. It does not represent a revolutionary temper | or state of mind. It's purpose Is not 10 upset things, but to set them right. It is not impatient of existing constitutional | safeguards. It holds no brief against any essential institution. On the contrary, it's | object is to restore them to their first pur- | pose and simplicity. to purify them to re- cover their spirit and to nfuse into them the spirit of a new age of human life and endeavor. The patriotism of the progress sive, the liberal. Is the patriotism that re- stores, reconstructs, revives
 Ut Is clear-clear, at any rate, to every genuine liberal-that many of the old | formulas of our business and of our poli- l cies have been outgrown. Our law was developed in day of free and various in- | to our present-day of alliance and combi- | nations Many of the very terms of our | laws seem antiquated and meaningless as applied to modern transactions, and the | liberal would make the punishment fiji | the crime.
 Similarly, in politics, law and fact theory and practice do not Jibe. We still
 revere representative government but
 we are forced to admit. when we scrutin-
 ize 1t closely, that by one means or an. | other. the governments we actually havs | have been deprived of their representative | character They do not represent us | They are filtered too fine through the sieve | of secret caucuses and other machine pro | cesses: there are too many conventions | preceded by too many private conferences tetween us and tho persons through whom we legislate and conduct our govern | n,ents. We, the people, have not free | sccess enough to our own agents or di
 rect enough control over them. There are barriers to break down and processes to simplify which we liberals believe WI know how to get at. We mean by ont change or another to make our govern
 ments genuinely popular and representa- | flee again. We are cutting away ano
 naljes. not institutions We are clearing
 away the jungle and letting in the puf' light and alr-not destroying the whole
 some forest or crea ting waste place
 where there was productive growth.
 
 ton. chief counsel of the Western Fed
 eration of Miners that Ortie E. McMan
 igal had discussed his al eged confession
 with District Attorney Fredericks, wa
 eniphaticaily denied by the prisoner whe
 he was apprised of the lawyers state ment. as we'll as by Jailer Gallagher an Turnkey Norell. of the county jail, wh
 accompanied Hilton in the jail.
 Hilton said McManigal had freely ad
 mitted a statement had been made b
 him to the district attorney and that tn . accused man has stated his re asons fo l giving it--reasons eminentlY satisfactor to the defense'
 l McManigal hatly denied that he had interview with Hilton and over his ow signature sent the following note in re sponse to a query by representative c l the Associated Press:
 ''T refuse to talk to anyone, Judge Hi : ton and all. O. P. MMAN4GAL.