The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-06
OLD PARTIES SCORED.
IN KEYNOTE SPEECH.
Beveridge Tells Purpose of
the New Party
FOR NOBLER AMERICA
Declares Progressive Party Will Ac-
eomplish Reforms Vital to Ameri-
can Business-Speaks on the
Tariff and Sherman Law

Chicago, August 5.-The first words of
the constitution are I'VE are tie people,
and they declare that the constructors
| purpose is to form a perfect union and
to promote the general welfare
ITO do just what is the very heart of
the progression cause Albert J. Bev-
eridge, temporary chairman of the ma
tional progressive convention said in cal
ing that body to order today.
Mr.. Beveridge told in detail the purpose
and programme of the progressive party.
Abuse" said he, will only strengthen
it; ridicule. only hasten its growth; false
hood only speed its victory. Knowing
the price we must pay; the sacrifice we
must make, the burdens we must carry,
the assaults we must endure-knowng
enlist for the WARRIOR we know the
Justice of our cause and we know too
its certain triumph
Mr. Beveridge spoke in part as follows.
We stand for a nobler America. We
stand for an undivided nation. We stand
for "a broader liberty a fuller justice. We
stand for social brotherhood as against
savage individualism. We stand for an
intelligent cooperation instead of reck-
helpfulness instead of mutual hatred. We
stand for equal rights as fact of life
instead of eatchword of politics.
We stand for the rule of the people as
practical truth instead of q meaning
less pretense. We stand for a repre-
sentative government that represents the
people.
I'VE mean to make laws fit conditions
as they are and meet the needs of the
people who are on earth today. That we
may do this, we found a party through
which all who believe with us can work
with us. or rather we declare our allegi-
ance to the party which the people them
selves have founded. For this party has
grown from the soil Of the peoples hard
Necessities. II has the vitality OF The peo-
pies strong convictions. The people have
work to be done and our Delegates are
here to do that work"
Speaks of Bosses
| Mr.. Beveridge said that notorious bosses
are in the saddle of both old parties, and
that under this boss system no matter
which party wins the people seldom win,
but the bosses almost always win.
The south has men and women as
genuinely progressive, and others as gem
| timely reactionary as those in other parts
of our country. Yet for well known rea-
sons these sincere and honest southern
progressives and reaotionariss vote to-
gether in a single party which is neither
progressive nor reactionary. They vote a
/ dead tradition and a local fear not a
living conviction and a national faith
They vote not for the democratic party,
but against the republican party. They
want to be free from this condition. They
can be free from it through the national
progressive party"
Mr.. Beveridge said American business
is uncertain and unsteady compared
with the business of other nations.
To Better Business
what them" he said must we do
tc make American business better? We
must do what poorer nations have
done. We must end the abuse of busi-
ness by striking down those abuses in
stead of striking down business itself.
We must try to make little business
big. and all business honest. instead OF
striving TO make big business little and
yet letting 1t remain dishonest AS the
ness men can arrange their mutual af-
fairs and be sure that they are not
lawbreakers This is the main hind =
| rance TO the immediate and permanent
revival of American business. Under
the DEGREES of the court the oil and to-
bacco trusts still can raise prices un-
Justly and already have done so.
"Such business chaos and legal para
doxes as American business suffers
| from can be found nowhere else in the
world"
| The speaker declared the progressive
| party will accomplish reforms vital 10
| American business.
| I'VE mean to put new business laws
on our statute books which will tell
American business men what they can
| do and what they cannot do. The next
great business reforms we must have
| is to steadily increase American
prosperity. 1t will change the meth
Cd of building our tariffs. The tariff
must he taken out of politics and
treated as a business question instead
of a political question. The great
! est need of business is certainty but
the only thing certain about our tariff
| is uncertainty. Next to our need to
make the Sherman law modern. un-
derstandable and just, our greatest
fiscal need is a genuine permanent
| nom artisan tariff commission" the
! SpPak ker Sdl0. Inere ndS not been and
will not be any sincere and honest ef-
| fort by the old parties to get a tariff
commission: nor to fake the tariff out
of politics
Touches the Tariff
"a tariff high enough 10 give Amerl-
can producers the American market
when they make honest goods and sell
them al honest prices but low enough
| that wnen they sell dishonest goods at
dishonest prices, foreign competition
can correct both evils; tariff high
enough TO enable American producers
! to pay our workingmen American
| wages and so arranged that the work
ingnen will get such wages: busi-
ness tariff whose changes viii be 50
made as to reassure business instead
of disturbing it--this Is the tariff--and
/ the method Of its making in which the
progressive party believes. for which
| it does battle, and which 1t proposes TO
1 write into laws of the land.
| Abolition of child labor in mills.
mires and In sweatshops and plan
for old age pensions were included in
the progressive party by the speaker
who incidentally favored woman suf-
frage.
Accepts Hanford Resignation
Washington August 5-President Tai,