The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-17
HUGHES SOUNDS A FALSE NOTE

HUGHES SOUNDS A FALSE NOTE
 From q theoretical viewpoint the socailed "key note speech of Secretary Hughes at the New York Republican state convention is logical. As applied to the practical situa- tion, however. it does not fit. Perhaps if
 Mir Hughes were a practical instead of a theoretical politician, though, he would stand nearer to the leadership of his party than he does. NIr. Hughes missed the mark as a "key-noter' almost as badly as. Sens tor Pepper missed it. The difference is in Mir Hughes favor, because his argument was on a higher plane,
 As readily perceived from the speeches of both Pepper and Hughes, the Republican de- sire is to escape the incubus of the Wash ington revelations as to cabinet departments It was with this in view that Mir. Hughes said Neither political party has mo nepoly of virtue or of rascality. There are crooks in every community and in every party. Now and then me gets into office. Let wrongs be exposed and punished: but let not partisan Pecksniffs affect 'holier than thou attitude" As a purely general proposition. there is nothing to criticize about that Everybody could agree with it, if it were part of any Fourth of July address. But when it is applied to the investigations now going on in Washington. it is not con, vincing. The partisan Pecksniffs' of whom Mir. Hughes speaks exist principally in his own imagination. On the same meager basis he might apply the same depreciative, term of "Pecksniffs" to the members of every grand jury seeking evidence on which to base indictments. Every jury sitting in judgment on its fellows might be stigmatized by the same opprobrious epithet, if it were properly applicable to the senate ipvestiga- tors. Besides. Mir. Hughes forgets that the Democrats could not have brought about these inquiries of themselves On the con trary, they have had the fullest support of many leading members of Mr. Hughes own party. s
 Says the secretary, earnest advocate of his client. the errant Republican party: The corrupting currency may be found in Demo cratic satchels.' May it? Does the secre- tary give one single instance to prove his point? Has he found one Democrat in high official position using his office for his per sonal gail4.4or trafficking in public property for his own profit? Is not the record quite the contrary? Is it the Democratic party that is ol the defensive? Or is it the Re publican party? It is feared that, amidst the difficulties of his severe task of defend ing his party :! the secretary permits himself to do what he would eensure others for do- ing, namely. to cast aspersons where there is proof
 t"Let it sbe understood" declares Mir. Hughes, "that we do not condene wrong we extenuate no crime. We would not put any obstacle in the way of discovery and punishment of any official dereliction. We would bring to the bar of justice every dis honest official and every perverter of admin istration. in or out of office" So? Then what delayed the administration? Why were blanket covering the corruption in the Vete- rams Bureau called off so mysteriously and so suddenly when it was perceived how eX- tensive were the fraud and illegalities of that trust? Why was every effort made to blind the eyes of sthe senate committee inquirinS into the Teapot Dome transactions, when only the intrepid determination of Senator Thomas J. Walsh prevented complete white wash? And yet as the result of that inquiry the department of justice is this moment
 I,aI for mo those items of public value that were sold for private aggrandizement.
 Mr. Hughes says that the administration will proceed ssto bring the evildoers in both parties to justice "by the appropriate agen- cies without any sacrifice of constitutional procedure, Without in any sense admitting that the senate inquiries are not constitu- tional, it is pertinent to ask Mir. Hughes whether it was not unconstitutional for the administration and the department of justice to fail to uncover this fraud when there was every reasqns to believe that it existed: Would the administration at this moment be virtuouslx pFeclainiing it's intention of prob ing officiaIdom. had it not been for the yoe- man and patriotic service of the senate com mittees? Everybody knows it would not.
 The Republicans are seeking to lay smoke-screen and to insinuate that the Dem Ocrats are assdeepIy enmeshed as themselves. Very we'll Let them detect such Democratic deinquencies. Senators Walsh, Wheeler and other Democrats on the committees have unanimously declared that they mean to go through with the investigations, no matter who is involved Is there nothing significant to the Republicans that they themselves have been unable to enmesh Democrats in the tolls of the inqpiry:5 Indeed, they have been driven to innuendo and insinuation because they were unable to establish evidence of high official wrongdoing among Democrats.
 KEEP SHOALS POWER INTACT
 Those who sincerely raise objection to the development of the Muscle Shoals vicinity