The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-25
THE KEYNOTE

great aSSemDly yesterday III Cne MaulSon Square Garden, New York City, might we'll have taken his text from Grover Cleveland's famous declaration:
 The Republican party is held to-
 gether by the cohesive power of
 public plunder.
 Such, indeed, is the subject of his eloquent periods. The senator reviews the many phases of Republican malad- ministration, arising in greatest part from deliberate disregard of what seemed plainly the best interest of the people. He dwells forcibly upon the scheme of tax reform, which was written Gin the exacted from the highly-favored few and the more demanded from the less-favored many, the greater the good to the com mon country" and he combats the idea upon which the proposed reduction of taxation was based, namely, that there was insstent need of preventing capital from taking further refuge from taxa ton by hiding itself in tax-free securi- ties. This tax measure, and the Repub- lican tariff are cited as the special proofs that the Cornerstone of the Republican party is Special Privilege" and that Crooked business need only to gesture to make this administration understand and do." In the Fordney-McCu tariff law is embedded the party doc urine: Equal Rights to None and Special Favors to Some!"
 The arraignment of the Republican policy and practice, while pointed with the indignation natural to the honest critic, is keen, clear and fair, because unanswerable. We advise all who wish to be informed to study the whole of the speech, assuring them that they will find in it food for the reflection of every honest, conscientious and patriotic citizen.
 Naturally, as the senator says, the Republican party fosters corruption. When a political party allies itself with privilege, it proclaims itself the protec- tor of graft; and if unhindered or labor ing under the belief that it has received so broad a commission as will save it from the danger of punishment, it prac- tically invites dishonesty; its members hasten to improve upon the policy of grab and use their position to enrich themselves, their relatives and friends. It is as inevitable as that water will run down hill.
 Twice in our recent history has the Republican party been given such com mission. The first time was after our Civil War, when the Democrats were identified in large measure with the los- ing side, and the Republicans seemed to be trusted with an eternity of power; for who should question the party that claimed to have saved the Union? The era of reckless extravagance and plum dering of the public which ensued is de- scribed in the platform plank presented by the Democrats in their convention in 1876, as recited by Senator Harrison in his speech. The second time was when the Republican party, swept back into office in 1920 by an unexampled majority of 7,0O0,O00 votes, took that vote as meaning that it was re-estab- lished beyond any possibility of being called to account by an overwhelmed op- position party. Again was the Repub- lican party entrusted with full authority, and with the great commission to run the country as it saw fit; in the four years following it certainly did run it in just that manner. It was precisely such an administration as could have been expected under the circumstances. AL most any party left with so free hand and laborng under such an obsession would have abused the public's confi- dence, but the Republican party was past master in the art, having always served the favored interests and always expecting the favored interests to serve in turn the party.
 The senator happily likens the Repub- lican horde to Pizarro's adventurers who invaded Peru. It seems, he says, that sort of madness seized them; gallant sol diers were robbed; widows mites and or pudHS plIIdHCSS WSL0 oCOAcAI III the United States senate were placed upon the auction block and sold like merchandise; natural resources were se- cretly squandered; the courts of the land were mocked; congressional committees defied; and the scales of justice tipped with gold. "Well do these subalter.ns of the administration know that there is more blood in the body than mantles in the cheek, more profit in the office than 'exhibited in the salary"
 As expected, the party capable of such offenses proved quite ingenious in find ing excuses when the public attention was drawn to it's misdeeds; and the senator's strongest language is used in exposing the dishonesty of the excuses. From the Republican point of view, not cor