The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-03

intelligent attention was paid to the army, and not enough to the navy. The other republics of America dis trusted us, because they found that we thought first of the profits of Amer
 ican investors and only as an after thought of impartial justice and help
 full friendship. It's policy was pro- vincial in all things; it's purposes were out of harmony with the temper and purpose of the people and the timely development of the nations interests
 DEMOCRATIC ACCOMPLISHMENT
 So things stood when the democratic
 party came into power. How do they stand now? Alike in the domestic field and in the wide field of the commerce of the world American business and life and industry have been set free to move as they never moved before
 The tariff has been revised, not on the
 principle of repelling foreign trade, but 1 upon the principle of encouraging it, upon something like footing of equality with our own in respect of the terms of com | petition, and a tariff board has been created whose function 1t will be to keep the relations of America with foreign l business and industry under constant ob- servation, for the guidance alike of our business men and of our Congress. American energies are now directed to- ward the markets of the world.
 The laws against trusts have been clari- fled by definition, with a view to making | 1t plain that they were not directed against big business, but only against
 unfair business and the pretense of com petition where there was none; and trade commission has been created with powers of guidance and accommodation ,, which has relieved business men of un- founded fears and set them upon the road of hopeful and confident enterprise. By the federal reserve act the supply of currency at the disposal of active hllsl-
 ness has been rendered elastic, taking it's volume, not from fixed body of m vestment securities, but from the liquid assets of daily trade; and these assets are assessed and accepted, not by dis tant groups of bankers in control of un- available reserves, but by bankers at the many centers of local exchange who are in touch with local conditions everywhere. Effective measures have been taken for the recreation of an American mer- chant marine and the revival of the American carrying trade indispensable to our emancipation from the control
 which foreigners have so long exercised over the opportunities, the routes, ana the methods of our commerce with other countries.
 The interstate commerce commission is about to be reorganiZed to enable IL to perform it's great and important func- tions more promptly and more efficiently. We have created, extended and improved the service of the parcel post.
 NO OTHER ATTEMPT
 So much we have done for business. What other party has understood the
 task so well or executed it so intell1- gently and energetically? What other
 party has attempted it at all? The re-
 1aol lx
 no means of assisting business but pros
 tection." How to stimulate it and put it upon new footing of energy and en-.
 terprise they have not suggested For the farmers of the country we have virtually created commercial credit by means of the federal reserve act ana
 the rural credits act. They now have
 the standing of other business men in the money market We have success fully regulated speculation in futures and established standards in the market ing of grains. By an intelligent ware house act we have assisted to make the standard crops available as never pe- fore both for systematic marketing ana as security for loans from the banks. We have greatly added to the work or neighborhood demonstration on the farm itself of improved methods of culttva- tion, and through the intelligent exten- sion of the functions of the department of agriculture have made it possible TOT the farmer to learn systematically where his best markets are and how to get 10 them.
 LABOR EMANCIPATED The workingmen of America have been given a veritable emancipation, by the legal recognition of mans labor as part of his life, and not mere market
 able commodity; by exempting labor or
 ganizations from processes of the courts
 which treated their members like 1rac-
 tional parts of mobs and not like accessl-
 ble and responsible individuals; by releas
 ing our seamen from involuntary serVl-
 tude; by making adequate provision TOT
 compensation for industrial accidents os
 providing suitable machinery for medla-
 ton and conciliation in industrial dls-
 putes. and by putting the federal depart
 ment of labor at the disposal or the
 workingman when in search of work.
 We have effected the emancipation or
 the children of the country by releasing
 them from hurtful labor. We have lnsti-
 tutet1 system Of national aid Tn the
 building of highroads such as the coun-
 try has been feeling after for century.
 We have sought to equalize taxation by
 means of an equitable income tax. We
 have taken the steps that ought to have
 been taken at the outset to open up the
 resources of Alaska. We have provided
 for national defense upon scale never
 before seriously proposed upon the re-
 sponsibility of an entire political party
 We have driven the tariff lobby from
 cover and obliged it to substitute solid
 argument for private influence.
 IF Extraordinary recital must sound
 Ekt ,tform, list of sanguine prom 1, o it is not. It is a record of
 <, t;ade four years ago and now /. ,aeemed in constructive legis-
 l.
 4 ,nu~t profoundly disturb the a 4onfound the plans of
 thoSt~, He themselves believe that sNs, ',arty neither under
 stood nos +,l assist the busi- ness of tnt. ! the great enter