The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-13
MORE DILUTED DEMOCRACY.

MORE DILUTED DEMOCRACY.
 Having, during the late campaign spread very concentrated Republican propaganda on it's front page, and 8 weak and infrequent Democratic argu- ment on its editorial page, the Birming- ham Evening News now goes step fur ther and begins to defend Republican doctrines, such as the high protective tariff, which even the Republican papers denounced, as embodied in the present schedules. The News, as usual, is not concerned with the burden the average household endures as the result of the tariff on articles that do not need pro- lection, but which bear the high price protection fosters. The News is con- cerned with the extension of the privilege of taxation to the industries now making their way Southward.
 On the tariff the Evening News o1 Monday says:
 The Democratic party in the dim past
 when most of its strength was in the non
 manufacturing South, held strongly to
 either free trade or a very low tariff.
 That was because the South was the pur-
 chasing region, and was matter of self
 interest. The South's cotton was manu-
 factured mainly in the East, and nearly
 everything in manufactured goods the
 South bought came from the North,
 where manufacturing was centered It
 was selfishness on the part of the North
 }fg iTun
 ments, afford employment and stabilize
 values It was selfishness on the part
 of the Democratic South to wish the
 tariff removed or lowered to a point
 where it would not affect the price of ar
 ticles, and goods manufactured in Eng
 land could be purchased at their British
 price, plus costs of transportation.
 In other words, the Evening News de- clares that the principles of the Demo. cratic party have not been fundamental but merely of territorial accident. The Evening News appears to suggest to its Democratic readers the advisability ot trading their Democratic principles 1T return for the Southward trend of capi- tai and industry. The inherent rightness or wrongness of Democratic principles the Evening News does not discuss The sug. gestion seems to be- that it is expedient to change them, regardless s.at whether they are right or wrong, in order to work into the good graces of big business The Evening News conveys the inference that the Democratic party policies have been detrimental to business and now that the South is getting larger and larger stake in business and industry it behooves the South to forsake Democ- racy, or to mould it over on the Republic an plan. .,,
 The Evening News, in it's zeal to es- tablish it's point, incorrectly says: "The Democracy has, as a national party, been able but twice to get the confidence of the majority" The Democracy re- ceived popular approval four times, in 1884. in 1892, in 1912 and in 1916. It is true that only two Democratic indi- viduals succeeded to this high office, but the party got the "confidence of the majority" four times undeniably and twice more, if the actual popular ma jority is taken into account. So six times rather than twice would be nearer the fact. From this erroneous premise the Evening News goes on to say: "The reasons for this have been largely the matter of leadership, and a failure to realize first of all the American voter de- sires assurance that, instead of his living being jeopardized by experimental legis- lation and the dictation of enthusiasts on the order of Bryan, there will be con- servative course calculated to secure him in whatever prosperity he may have, and enlarge his opportunities" That is to say, the Evening News tells the Demo- cratic people of Alabama that Shey have been in the wrong all along and the coun- try has been better off for Democracy's lack of success!
 Or is the Evening News really speak ing to big business and those Republicans who seek to control the Democratic party machinery of this state from within, in order to win special favors from the state, and support the Republican party nationally, in order to win like favors from the federal government?
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