The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-23

law against the guilty is fortunately not an uncommon virtue in our public life. But to be vigilant in preventing fraud upon the government and in assisting its exposure is a virtue higher still.
 Insofar as the property of the gov ernment and the resources of the na- tlon have been bartered away, we are told with equal assurance that an eff fort will be made to recover them by suit. But where is the responsibility to lie, if our oil reserves has been ex- changed for law suit? The policy in- volved in this transfer and the acts themselves as we know by his own dec laration, had the express sanction of the then President of the United States. Is his party not to be held politically responsible to the American people for their loss?
 Dislikes Personalities
 We democrats are not making and will make no campaign of person? lities nor shall l speak with disrespect of any occupant of the presidential chair, whither living or dead. I am glad to believe that that high office has never been unworthily held. We have, how ever, the Presidents own authority for the statement that the only practical l way to secure responsible political ac- tion is by the formation of parties.' We agree and assert further that the only way to secure good government is to hold political parties responsible. think l detect in some quarters a hope that without change of name or much Pof personnel a reorganization of a certain political concern can be af- fected, taking over any discoverable as- sets and repudiating all unpleasant li- abilities. My experience as a lawyer has taught me that creditors are rarely satisfied with this convenient method of cancelling their claims. The American people can hardly be expected to ac- i cept it.
 eff the fact that the public re-
 sources have been squandered, is
 it any answer to say that budget
 system has been installed? If un- fit and corrupt men have been put
 in and kept in office and left to | their own devices, is it a sufficient
 defense that the administration
 was not actually desirOus of dis
 honesty? If the wounded veteran {
 has been defrauded of the care | that was his due, is there any com.
 fort Ito him in the fact that Con- greSs made lavish appropriations? Views On Tariff
 The tariff afforded an opening to the hosts of privilege for an assault less direct but far more devastating to the public pocketbook. We are told that America in 1921 was threatened from abroad by an impending avalanche of suddenly cheapened merchandise from which it was narrowly saved by the definite action of the Fordney-McCum- Der tariff. In view of the bitter strug- gle that the exhausted people of Europe have had since the war in rebuilding enough of their shattered commerce to provide their daily bread, is there not something grotesque in picturing them as ready to overrun the markets of the world? Let me give you two or three illustrations of what a high protection ist means when he talks of a eommer- cial avalanche; under a democratic tariff sewing machines, necessary in every home, were on the free list and we were importing scarcely one per cent of the value of our domestic pro- duction. This was an avalanche, how ever, not to be tamely borne, and duty of 33 1-3 per cent was imposed to check it. Of aluminium kitchen ware, now in such universal use, we were importing less than two per cent of the amount which was consumed. Such an ava lanche accordingly was permanently barred by taxing the domestic consumer three times the existing rate. In rub Der footwear our imports were too small to be worth reporting, but the | duty nevertheless was raised 150 per cent. In manufactures of wool, our imports were less than per cent of the domestic production, so the rates of duty were increased by so per cent. Truly republican protectionists' avalanche is fearful thing to witness. even from afar.
 Tn the realm of foreign affairs the contrast between the past and present is more striking still
 There was day when America
 sat in the councils of the nations,
 occupying at their table the seat of
 honor and of dignity that was her
 right. There was a day when she : made covenants and engagements in her own name and was not con
 tent to be merely the beneficiary of 1 the effort and good will of others.
 Today apparently she has no other
 program than to encourage Amer
 ican citizens and resources to as-
 Sist in restoring Europe with the sympathetic suppOrt'-but nothing
 mOre-'Of our government It is | far cry to this from the declaration
 of Theodore Roosevelt that if we l are to be a really great people must
 strive in good faith to play a great
 part in the world.
 As an American I am gratified by the fact that American citizens have had their share in the latest effort to solve the economic difficulties of Flu rope. Every man of good will must hope that the Dawes report points the way to better days not only for our neighbors across the seas but for our selves at home. But I do not under stand upon what the cry t can be claimed as q triumph for an adminis- tration which expressly and publicly disclaimed in advance all responsibility direct or indirect for the action of those concerned; nor can l fail to remem- Der the long and dreary years since the war during which the appeal of Europe for nothing more than our counsel fell upon deaf ears. What might we not have done had we but dared to do ! If even the request made by President Wilson to Congress in 1919 for the ap- pointment of an official representative of America on the reparation commits sion had been complied with, the last five years would have presented a diff ferent picture and the world would have been so much nearer to its goal.
 T cannot treat as either remark able or constructive accomplishments l cur separate treaties of peace with the