The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-25

President, and apparently no news | paper man was ever put to the test heretofore. You have been saying a | lot about the failure of Congress, the executive and Congress, and many of you have deplored that some strong man is not in the White House to make Congress do his bidding.
 Parties Growing Impotent.
 But great change has taken place. vitally influencing the work ! of administrative and legislative full | fillment This effectiveness is no | longer influenced by war stress or presidential personality. The great change has come about unawares, and as holders of public opinion you have ignored the fundamental req son. It is the change in our politi- cal system the rule of the primary, the drift toward pure democracy and the growing importance of po- litical parties. We have gotten away from the representative system; we have reached a point where the lack of party loyalty has made party ! sponsorship in government less eff fective than 1t was We have come to the time when party platform | is regarded by too many men in pub 1 lie life as even less important than scrap of paper, and groups or l blccs are turned to serve group in- | terests. and many of the individuals serve their own, while contempt for party conference or caucus has sent party loyalty pretty much to the discard.
 Believes In Parties.
 T believe in political parties. They were the necessary evidences of the popular government which made us what we are. We were never per | feet, but under our party system we wrought development under representative democracy unmatched | in all proclaimed liberty and attend ing human advancement We achieved under the party system, where parties were committed 10 politics and party loyalty was a ward accomplishment. Nowadays, in many states party inference Is flouted, loyalty is held to be con- temptible. nominatio--s for office are | often accomplished by voters en- rolled under an opposing party ban ner. and platforms are the insincere utterances of expediency, influenced | by nominees, rather than by advo- cates of principle.
 Let no one misconstrue me. l am not advocating the abandonment | of the primary which gives to every | voter a NOlCe III n f1lldtlIS HIGH loI l office and determining party policy. I would carefully preserve and safe guard it against the old time abuses which impelled it's adoption, but l would make 1t an agent of indisput- able party expression rather than a means of party confusion or de- , struction. I like the medication of loyalty. the pride of association and the inspiration to accomplishment. l like the party government where purposes are reached in the reason of honest representation and l like party which Is commissioned to govern. strive in good conscience and all loyalty to keep the pledges
 which brought it popular approval
 Our drift today is toward pure democracy. and no pure democracy
 ever long survived. We talk solemn
 ly and earnestly about preserving our world civilization. I have every confidence in it's survival but 1t may
 be assured only by human kind
 reaching the proper appraisal of the
 secure avenues of twenty centuries | of progress. In our America we
 have the freest and best press in
 the world. In its power Of today
 only the press can sound the warn
 ing and reason to that conviction
 which will enable us to play our
 full part in the work of preserva-
 tion."