The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-29
THE REPUBLICAN REVOLT.

The people of this country should not overlook the fact that the most impress sive revolt against the Republican party has been from within. Even a great part of it's own membership was unable to countenance the Republican record. Roosevelt in that it is protest against Republican tolerance of those who be- tray high official trust, who seek to con- trol the party and the government for private advantage, who subordinate gov ernment to privilege, and who defend the practice of handing over the taxing privilege to private business under the guise of protecting industry. It is time the American people were given protec- tion against the party that subverts gov ernment to favoritism.
 It has long been said that house di- vided against itself shall fall. That means not only that such a house will fall, but also that it ought to fall. A house divided by schism among its own members has something vitally and funda- mentally wrong with it. In the case of the Republican party it is easy to discern what is wrong. It has no constructive foreign policy, except that of disclaiming responsibility before the act, and after the event claiming the credit for sue cesses won by American citizens. The government took pains to announce be- forehand that such citizens were acting on their own responsibility, but since their efforts in behalf of European re- covery appear successful, the administra- tion has the brazenness to claim virtue for the outcome. The administration has no constructive domestic policy, unless the people are willing to take the word for the deed in regard to various things the party spokesmen have prom ised, but which the party has failed to do in four years of opportunity.
 There is a sentiment among many peo- pie that change in the administration at this iuncture would unsettle our pres ent era of magnificent prosperity. Is our prosperity so fragile a thing, and does it rest upon a foundation so insubstan- tial as politics? Does our iron and steel find its way into all the markets Of the world because Calvin Coolidge is presi- dent? Is the overwhelming foreign demand for our products of every kind due to the fact that the Republican party is sprawling over the official chairs and tables in Washington? Are our mills running to capacity, our railroads utilized to their limit, our merchant ships serving a constantly widening commerce, our cities growing and our fields fructifying, because the Republican party is in power? The commonsense of the average person will immediately inform them that our prosperity is far more basic and un' shakable than that. It is founded upon the very bedrock of productive Activity to supply an corresponding market throughout the world.
 In fact, there is strong reason to be- lieve that the commercial policy of the United States as applied by the Republic ans actually diminishes our world op portunity and curtails the possible limits of our commercial development. We have set up wall against foreign trade although our own industrial leaders boast that the superiority of American mer chandise wins them a market anywhere in conn petition with other nations. If oul merchandise can compete with foreign merchandise in foreign competitive ports why does it need such topheavy "protec' ton" in the United States? The answer is that it does not need 1t, but that the tariff goves certain manufacturers ar opportunity to exact from American con sumers an extra price which they cannot exact from consumers in foreign competi tive markets. And yet our American manufacturers find that foreign trade very profitable. Doubtless it also finds the privilege tax it lays upon the Ameri- . can people still more profitable, because