The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-19
By EDWARD PRICE BELL Staff CorrespOndent. Chicago DahS

This was the first question put u John w. Davis, as, fresh of complexion after brief, sound sleep, ne sat at at rarly breakfast in his Chicago hotel wrapped in a gray dressing gown, linen snotless. eyes blue, face clean shaVen countenance frank, manner simple, ex- pression continually qu1ckeneu py elints of humor, the democratic stand ard bearer well sustained his reputa- tion at home and abroad for marked personal charm. .... , replied MT. Davis, "that I do consider the democratic party the best party III the limited States. Your assumption IS nerfectly correct. There is a mass oi Teasons-reasons fundamentally sup stantiaI-for my loyalty to the party which has honored me with it's leader ship in this campaign. ,.
 "Some people claim to see little dl1, ference between the two parties beyond A mutually exclusive hunger for politl- cal office. This view Is amazingly su- perficial Democracy and republican ism are virtually without essential slml- larities. By their natures they are III perpetual conflict. They are in oppo- sition in every campaign. They are at grips in this one.
 Parties of Jefferson And Hamilton
 ''In the history of our country we have had two great and plainly ols- tinguishable political and social inspira- tions. One we call democratic, the other republican. My sympathies always e.. have been with the former. Of the dem ocratic inspiration Thomas Jefferson IS our most illustrious exponent; or the republican, Alexander Hamilton.
 "Jefferson was a man of genius gifted, wise, full of human sympathy. Hamilton enjoyed a masterful talent logical, exact, efficient, memorable.
 
 greater? Hamilton undoubtedly had more influence in shaping our govern mental mechanism. Jefferson, Wtn equal certainty, left the deeper imprint on our national spirit. ,.,
 Jefferson Is our pre-emlnent pohtl, cal philosopher; no nation has produced one more human. His social conscious ness was peculiarly sensitive and alert. Politics ment for him more than the balance sheet of a ledger It was, In his thought, not problem or sta- tistics. but a matter of human hperty. If Hamilton made for us well-conceiVeo political machinery, if he gave us sound ideas and methods in public finance, Jefferson gave us the social impulse which has been the essence of our spiritual life since the birth of the na- tion.
 "I follow Jefferson rather than Ham, iIton in party allegiance because am convinced that the Jeffersonian in sniration is what this nation needs. We have needed it always, but more es- Decially today, when the drift is so oyerstrong toward materialism. we have become powerful, we have accom- plished marvels in the realm Of me- chanics, but we have fallen behind Tn ideals. We need Jefferson's breadth of wisdom, his compassion, his con aio,,,,ass of human worth. his lOftier spirituality.
 "Cynics may decry these things, but they are vital. De Tocquevile said no free communities ever existed without morals In morals is found the se- cret of freedom and the secret of life. Republican talent is prone to forget even to scorn, morals; 1t has the detects of it's power. On the whole, the United States has had too much of talent and too little of genius-too much Of Ham, iltanism and too little of Jeffersonism The pendulum has swung too far to- ward the glorification of materialism It is high time we had change
 Source Of Political Corruption
 "You think, then, that democracy 1S apt to be less corrupt than republican, ism?"
 "Yes. In my judgment, democracy cares less for money and more Tor I'm material values than does republican, ism. I am trying to speak what De lieve to be true without party bias. Il we had had in our government during the past few years more of the spirit of the author of the declaration of in dependence I have not the least doub the nation would have far fewer eX amples of political corruption to de pIore, and of which to be ashamed than it actually has.
 If the people of the United States as I firmly believe-want to turn tho River Alpheus through the AugenaI stables at Washington, they will pu democracy in control of the Legislative and executive branches of the govern ment It Is not a mere coincidence !. that the people always turn to democ racy, as they did, in the cases of lief ferson, Jackson, Cleveland and Wilson when national honor has been sulliet by corruption in high places" Cleansing Power Of Democracy You think the people will turn tt democracy, rather than to the new third party. for this hOusecleanint , job?"
 troubles which came to head in Shayt rebellion were quilted quickly when Jef ferson installed democracy at Wash ington. Populism was absorbed, dis ciplined and made effective by democ racy. Insurgency in 1910-12, created b! republican misrule and the Ballinge scandal, disappeared when democracy sent woodrow Wilson to the Whit House to organize a clean, progressive forward-looking government. Foul years of republican misrule have ere ated new insurgent movement. St much worse have things been this tim' than in 1912 that even Senator La Fol lette has left the ranks of the party he has supported so long. Third-part!
 
 government, class rule and corruption. And the cure is democracy" "The cure is democracy. Do vol realize that the democratic party is th oldest political organization on eartl today? It has seen many rivals rise fall and disappear. In It's long life 1 has lost many an electoral battle. Fron first to last 1t has been outbragged an' outslandered. But, whatever it's Vicis situdes, it's vision has remained clear it's faith unshaken and its fighting tenn per unimpaiTed.'
 The Source Of Party Vitality
 of the democratic party were lonl in power. would it also tend to becom corrupt?"
 well, I am not asserting that al democrats are incorruptible. Amonl human beings in posts of authorit! there often is a tendency to laXity O morals, When the democrats shall haV tdhen ONol lh0 SON SA iAi4iS'1t oHeNii been masters of it long enough to cleal up the republican mess of mistakel policy and corrupt practice, and them selves shall have had time to drift ava! from their moral sentiments and ethica ideals-then will be sufficient time fo the country to ask itself if it's welfar is to be served by a return to repub lican rule. Just now we are faced b. an emergency, republican-made, inVolV ing the national interests and honor" What is the deepest source of part! vItality?"