The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-28
DANIELS BADGE OF HONOR

Democrats view with much satisfaction the failure of the Republican attempt to connect Mir. Josephus Daniels with the program of leasing the naval oil reserves. There has resulted additional prestige for MT. Daniels, but much confusion to his would-be detrac- tors. The effort to show that MT. Daniels sought legislation empowering the navy de- pertinent to enter into some arrangement, by lease or otherwise affecting the oil re- ord shows that Mir. Daniels sought to protect the preserves for the navy and not an open ing for giving them away to private corpora tions. Mir. Daniels is persona non grata with the oil operators. He is the one who made them wait the proverbial seven years for the waiting now we'll into the second seven years. There the parallel ceases for Rachael is no longer for barter.
 If there is any supplementary evidence needed that Mir. Daniels did not play with the maefactors of great wealth, it is sup piled in the apparent aversion in which these indicators hold him. As long as Mir. Daniels had anything to say about it, there was no hope of furtively transferring these properties of incalculable value from the public to the private use. As soon as a man of less capacity succeeded Mir. Dan iels, the scheme began to work with remark able facility. Fortunately, Mir. Daniels, long before the opening of the present inquiry, had written letters declaring it to have been his unswerving policy to protect the gov ernment's title to the oil reserves and resist ing all efforts to surrender them to private exploitation. Even the legislation under which he sought the privilege of leasing cer- tain areas thought to be draining into neigh boring private fields was formulated in ac- cordance with his policy of defeating private efforts to win the concessions. That this same legislation was used by less scrupulous officials for the contrary purpose can in no just degree constitute an impntation upon 1Ir. Daniels. If the Devil can quote Scrip ture in his own behalf, so can he interpret laws to support the nefarous plans of his disciples. It is neither the Scripture nor the law that is wrong, but its misapplcation
 | The Republicans have made their bed and so must they lie in it, or else they must make it over in all decency. With the eyes of the nation upon them, they cannot lie in it. They cannot excuse their own guilt by seek ing to involve others, for the guilt still re- mains. They can only align themselves with the program of finding out all the facts, rectifying all illegalities and punishing all misdeeds if they would ever again find favor with the people. Inefficiency in public af- fairs the people can and do continually for give, as history shows but dishonesty on the part of high officials, or even their inability to defend their public trust against the dis honesty of others, is an unforgiveable of fense in the sight of the American people.
 Measured by other standard than that of uprightness in the public service, the Democratic high officials of the last admin istration stand forth like giants beside the covering figures that now pass in review before the grim court of inquiry. And not least among them is Secretary Daniels, who won the enmity of the interruptions because he would not lend himself to their efforts to seize for their private uses the very reserves on which our national defense in part is based. That enmity is badge of honor in the eyes of the people whose welfare he so stalwartly protected.