The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-19

dustrial resources of the country
 when we are at peace with the
 world, unnecessarily infTanles the
 mind of the American youth, are
 great economic waste, misEead
 tho, people of other lands as to the
 peaceful and friendly intention Of
 the United States government and
 should be discouraged by all friends
 Of world peace.
 Our party will endeavor to secure world disarmament by international agreement-it is a condition precedent to peace. It will also strive for an in- ternational agreement providing for a referendum on war except in case of actual or threatened invasion. This may require time, but it is worth work ing for and worth waiting for. The reason given in the democratic plat form for a referendum on war will commend itself to the conscience of the world; upon it will be built the senti- ment that will some day make this a warless world. Until international agreements can be made to maintain the peace of the world, an adequate army and navy for our national safety must be maintained.
 Needs Of Agriculture
 All political parties give much atten- tiOn to the needs of agriculture, es- pecially during political campaigns. The attitude of the two major political parties towards agriculture, it's im- portance, its conditions and it's needs. is clearly indicated by their records in Congress and their positions as set forth in their respective platforms. Four years ago, at the time the republican administration came into power, the farmers and stock raisers were receiving good prices for their produce. There was a market at fair prices for land, The farmers were among the first to feel the effects of legislation and ad= ministratiVe action which changed the conditions of the farmers from prOs- perity to diversity, and caused the farmers bank banlance to disappear and mortgages. on his farm to take its place. The republican policy of reduc- ing the higher schedules of the surtax on incomes and removing the tax from the prOfiteer, and, through this means shifting the taxes from those who were best able to pay to those who were al- ready over burdened, had its direct and injurious effect on the farmers, The adoption by the republican party of the prOhibitive tariff compelled the Ameri- can farmer to purchase what he used and wore in an artificial and highly protected market, and the same high tariff rates reduced the buying ability of the farmers customers abroad for his surplus grain and meat. The deflation policy of the republican administration, advocated in it's national platform of 1920, and indOrsed in the speech of acceptance of it's candidate for the pres idency, resulted in withdrawing bank loans and discounts of five billions of dollars, contracted our currency by a billion and a half dollars, cut the prices of the farmers grain and livestock in half, destroyed the market value of his lands, threw thousands of farmers into bankruptcy and spread industrial de- pression and unemployment throughout the country.
 The relief plan provided by the
 republicans which increased the im-
 port duty on wheat, although the
 farmers were exporters of grain,
 has added to the farmers knOWl.
 edge of the working of the prOtec-
 tive tariff. Pretended relief meas
 UreS provided by the republican
 administration, for lOaning the
 farmer money at high interest rates
 with 8 commission paid to middle
 men fO rmahing the loans, has en-
 cOuraged the farmer to go still
 deeper into debt and has made his
 final downfall more certain.
 The democratic party thas proven it. self to be the friend of the farmer in the past, and the platform adopted in the recent national democratic cOnven- tion provides for the most complete and practical relief for the farmer that any political party or organization has ever conceived. Ina farmer needs the high tariff rates reduced so as to en- able him to buy in a competitive mar