The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-28
} HONESTY STILL THE ISSUE

Apparently Republican politicians are again dismayed by MT. Davis's continued plea for honesty in government. It seems strange that MT. Davis should per sist in eulogizing honesty when the sub- ject is so manifestly painful to his op- ponents. Indeed, there may we'll be some doubt whether his pointed remarks on the subject of honesty in the admin istration of public affairs do not smack of cruel and unusual punishment for the Republicans. Mir. Davis is ungallant in his choice of political weapons. Undoubt- edly, if the kind of weapons were left to the Republicans they would choose plat itudes at five hundred paces.
 But MT. Davis is not one to fight wind mills with a pikestaff. He has defi- nite line of attack, and it is not aimed at any smoke-screen, but at the hidden refuge, of whose location he is we'll aware The weakness in the Republican defense is the Republican administrative and legislative record. Tn that record are found both sins of commission and sins of omission. It is believed that, al- though the sins of commission we'll indi- cate the party's intent, the sins of omis- sion are even more serious. The sins of commission are not only the corrupt acts of officials in high offices of public trust, but also the tariff, the fake laws de- signed solely to entrap votes, the weaken ing of the civil-service statutes, and the subversion of the department of justice to private purpose.
 The sins of omission include the failure of the Republican president promptly to scourge proved evildoers from office i; failure to dispose of Muscle Shoals in the manner best calculated to serve the public interest; failure to modify the tar if by removing it's absurdities, its bur den upon the people and it's prohibitory rates; failure to inaugurate a foreign policy; failure to make the national de- fense act properly effective; failure to carry through program of international peace; failure to join the world court; ]; failure to remove the inhibitions upon our foreign trade; failure to insure to our merchant fleet the tonnage without which it cannot succeed; failure to re- wise rail rates; failure to discourage the depredations of privilege; failure, in g word, to exercise in the public behalf the great authority conferred upon the Re- publican party by the American people.
 MT. Davis, in reply to the Republican campaign demand for commonsense in government, calls also for common hon. esty. By that, says Mir. Davis: "I do not mean only that we shall keep our fin gers out of the public pocket. I do not mean only that we shall abstain from stealing the public money or giving away public land. I mean honesty in thought as well as in deed" Undoubtedly the Democratic leader might have added hon. esty of purpose. For proper administra- tion of public affairs does not alone pre- sume the personal integrity of high of ficials. It also means sincere study of public problems followed promptly by sincere effort to translate such study into acts of concrete public benefit. It means strong and continued opposition against the attempts of predatory interests to se- cure special privileges at the expense of the public welfare; it means successful foiling of the constant effort to enact legislation for purely political purposes; it means the consideration of affairs in the order of their public importance, and not in the order best suited to political manipulation. Honesty in government means8 efficiency in government.
 Because in all these respects the Re- publican administration has not been honest, the emphasis of honesty in gov ernment is painful to the party now in power. To invite the Republicans to a debate on honesty in government in the face of it's record is like challenging one-armed man to a boxing match, or wooden-legged man to run race.