The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-18
ATTACK OPENED
 ON OLD PARTIES
 BY LA TOILETTE
First StaterneAt Issued Since Coolidge And
 Davis Speeches
By RAYMOND CHAPTER By Leased Wire To The Age Herald.

tBy Leased Wire To The Age.Herald. )
 WASHINGTON, Aug. 17.e eThe presidential campaign has resolved it. self into fight for human rights as against vested in the opinion of Sena- tor Robert NJ. La Toilette.
 After studying carefully the Davis and Coolidge acceptance speeches de livered during the past week, the pro gressive candidate has set forth his views in letter to the non-partisan political campaign committes of the American Federation of Labor thanking that body for its endorsement of the La Toilette Wheeler ticket.
 "The battle is joined. The issue is clear" Senator La Toilette declared. Our opponents have deliberately chosen to entrench themselves in de fense of vested rights and special privileges, we have chosen to fight az gressively and without compromise for human rights. No man should be in doubt on which side he will enlist.
 "In such stronghold there can be no defeat. Every strolghold of pred. atory wealth. thit is ghptured, every salient of special z privilege that is driven in means victory for the people.
 First Utterance
 Thanking the labor forces for their support, La Toilette concluded With your Organiza tion so warmly enlisted and fighting side by side with the other great forces that have syolunteered, we shall move forward, confident that in the end we shall be victorious"
 This is La Eollette's first utteralce since the other two presidential can. | tidates set forth their statement of the issues The bristling tone of the let. ter indicates La Toilette is ready for a bare-fisted campaign.
 The progressive candidate, in his letter, also, dealt with the cry of "radicaP' thrown at him by some of his opponents. Progressives, he declared, are the real conservatives, standing for conservation of human rights as against conservation of special privi- leges. The progressive platform calls for restoration of government to the service of the people, La Toilette said.
 Ut is radical in that it goes to the very root of the evils by which we are confronted" the progressive leader said. But in it's essence it is conser- vative. Our aim is to conserve to save ito protect this government from those who would still further divert it from the high purposes for which 1t was es- tabIished." @
 La Toilette assailed what he re- gards asa misuse of the term conserva. tive applied to political doctrines.
 Policy Of Conservation
 a-.Gl .ze human rights" he explained. We would save these rights, established by the blood of our forefathers, We will encroach upon the rights of no man, but we are determined to halt the en- croachment of special privilege upon the furidannental rights of the people. Unfortunately the term 'conserva- five has been taken ever by those whose only idea is to conserve certain ineauitable advantages, certain special privileges, certain unfairly acquired property rights which infringe upon the rights of others.''
 La Toilette said that in the best sense of the word, the American Fed eration of Labor is a conservative in stitntion, conserving the lives of chill dren by taking them frsm the mines and mills, and conserving the lives of adult workers by shortening hours and improving working conditions.
 Had the American Federation of labor not been conservative, in this meaning, it could not have been pro gressive," La Toilette said.
 Old line politicians are paying more attention to La Toilette than they did A few weeks ago. The last week has seen a change of attitude on the part of many republican and democratic leaders who formerly were scoffing at the idea La Toilette would be a seri- ous factor in the campaign. h
 Finds Bob" Strong
 Former Senator Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, who came here for the Coolidge notification ceremony, declared that unless both parties make desper- ate effort, La Toilette will run second in New Jersey and in 2 number of other eastern states. He said the Wisconsin senator is drawing from both parties.
 Senator Fess of Ohio, another con seryative republican, has just given voice to strong fear that La Toilette will be able to throw the election into tbe House and he is already talking about a move abolishing the electoral college to prevent such contingencies in the future.
 Formerly there was a desire among some republican leaderF to attack La Follette's war record, but that had been dropped because a canvass of sentiment out in the country has led them to fear that this form of attack would offend large groups of republican voters.
 La Follette's running mate, Senator Wheeler, returns from his Massachu- sets vacation this week and the two candidates will decide upSn number of speaking engagements. Wheeler is un- dergtood to have spent much of his time in Massachusetts combing the rec ord of Charles G. Dawes, his repuali- can opponent. In view of the outspOken propensities of the two men, the pros. pect is for a hot fire back and forth when they both get on the stump.