The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-19

| lHStlHCtlVe appreciation or SOClety' { needs. Without such appreciation, nc party can live. The abiding strength of this party of Jefferson springs from the fact that he grasped the foundation principles of social science-appreciated the needs of a free society and for p:ulated the tenets through which those needs could be met. Jeffersonism is deeper than Hamiltonism, as genius in. variably goes deeper and is more won derful than talent. Talent said F. H Hodge, philosophical theologian, is some one faculty unusually developed genius commands all the faculties
 Why Democracy Comes Back"
 Democracy has lived so long, and retained it's pristine vitality, because having genius, and so commanding all the faculties, it has understood the life principles of our legally regulated lib- erty. T. always comes back is ire pressible, because it responds to a pro- found aspiration of the people. If il be intirnated that hepublicanism, too has lived a good while, and therefore must have some appreciation of so- ciety's needs, I reply that 1t has some but not enough. And also reply that it's deeper expectations it has drawn from Jeffersonism and drawn them only when fear of its life compelled 1t tc seek extraneous inspiration"
 | You contend, I gather, that more l have meant a higher civilization in this country?"
 That is the logic of my contention If we had kept closer to the ideals of Jefferson we should be less materials tic and have more sympathy. And no nation, nor any man, ever can be great without sympathy. More of Jefferson ism in our political and social affairs would have given us broader world outlook and would have invested our policies, domestic and foreign, with more human validity. Republican feel ing and thought concern themselves with the upper branches of society; democratic feeling and thought go to its roots. And the safety of society roots must be nourished properly and given plenty of room to spread wide their sustaining fiber. Jeffersonian de- mocracy, In my view, Is the only or ganization in the United States really competent to look after the roots of the tree of our national life"
 The Capacity For Generaliztng
 "Republicans sometimes accuse dem- ocrats of an especially lively fondness for 'glittering generalities.'
 An inclination and power to gener- alize are characteristic of advanced ed- ucation. Macaulay said the more 1n- telligent people are the more they gen. eralize. He added that excessive par ticularization Is habit of mildly mod flied savagery. Democrats are capa- bIe of generalizing, capable Of think 1 ing. capable, of conceiving and stating principles. 2 Whoever scoffs at gener- alities scoffs at the intellectual SUD- stance of all important creations phys ical and. mental. -Generalities, princi- pies are aI1-important. Everything man has constructed-a ship skyscraper, bridge, a scheme of political and social reform, a system of theology-ts stable or unstable, strong or weak, according to the cancellations woven into the tissue of it's structure. Generaities, glittering, or dull, are bad only when they are i'll conceived, false.
 "Democrats are generalists first ana narticularists afterward-think before talking, know their creed before an nouncing their program. This does not mean that they deride details or are unready to deal with particulars. On the contrary, we democrats do every thing possible to fit ourselves for the handling of details by first making sure of our principles. Is this not the nat uraI order? Is not science supposed to come before art, theory before prac- flee? If we democrats go into this | camnaign-as, indeed, we do and a2 we go into every campaign-wltn cer- tain great and Illuminating generalitles to guide us, it by no means rolloWs IHy tna' s1 we are vague about details. We are speaking specifically and precisely speaking clearly. forcibly and honestly on every phase of every issue before the people"
 conforming To Popular Ideals
 "Mussolini explains fascismo as an CT fort to raise Italian politics to the leve of Italian popular ideals: Has Annerics need of such elevattonT"
 "Honest governments everywhere ar' trying to raise the reality of govern mental practice to the level or popuial ideals, just as every honest inolVi9ua is trying to raise his own daily actloh' to the level of his ideals. l should re gard as a very poor American the Wom an ar man who did not feel that oui nopular ideals are very much hlgnei than our recent practice in Washington L Our neople love justice and honor and, as Mussolini said in his lntervieV with you, I never say anything 10 Tat ter the masses; l say only Wnat ue tice and honor How much have they got of either in the veterans ourea' 0r in the departments of justice ana tn' interior in these recent repuDhcAi years? ,6 oon .dor. Is there anything demasosN about such a statement? Is there an! question of the truth of the statement Well, then. How much courage aH' candor have the republicans shown inc conduct of our foreign relations Was there ever anything less cahal' than their claim that this country Vote' hv many millions in 1920 against ou co-onerating in the effort to organiz inc world for peace? Was there eve anything less courageous than the ad ministration's Attitude to Genera Dawes and his fellow committeemel when they went abroad to work on tn reparations tangle-standing clear case they failed; on tiptoe to sSsl party advantage if they succeeded!
 venture the opinion that our peopl are neither so blind as not to see no so supine as not to resent these pecu iiarIy cool and contemptuous partisal effronteries.
 "Mussolini tells us he sees the hop of Italy in the Italian people. Ger tainly we democrats see the hope o America in the American people. l Washington shall be great-I an speaking of our national capttAl-n ! shall mount to lofty moral heights, l will be so and do so out of popula reserves of clean emotion and higl purpose. am no pessimist abou America-the republican party not withstanding. As education advances as the masses learn and think, and they become more active and resolut to force their knowledge and conciu sions into politics, responsively thei chosen leaders will be able and desir ous to give them what they want.
 "It Is the special calling of democrac, to awaken the people to their politica opportunities and duties. Unless tn government be operated by the people to whom 1t rightfully belongs, 1t will b operated by groups of special interests Our people can have their government can assert and maintain stheir rule, un less they allow their public responsi bilities and power to go by default This doctrine Jeffersonians hay preached in every past campaign, an 1t is what they are preaching today.