The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-13
COOLIDGE AND PLATFORM


 The nomination of MT. Coolidge to head the Republican ticket in the ap- preaching campaign was scarcely more of foregone conclusion than the party platform. That MT. Coolidge would be chosen has long been foreseen, and the platform is in most parts but a repeti- ton of previous documents of the same kind. The chief difference is that in previous years the platform has been formulated by committees in which mem bers of congress and senators played a leading role, whereas now the nations lawmakers sit in the background. It does appear to the onlooker that this policy of open contempt and rebuke for those upon whom devolves the duty of turning platform blanks into law is a good way to insure in advance the de- feat of the party program. The party political effort to punish representatives and senators for actions which were clearly within their official and consti- tutional discretion is an attempt to wield the big stick in manner never dreamed of by Roosevelt.
 The platform still clings to the old mo- tion that the party is under a mandate from the American people to close its mind to all intelligent consideration of our foreign relationships. The world court is cautiously recommended, but it is not possible to forbear a warning against that dreadful monster, the League of Nations. Another Republican fetich is high protective tariff, which the platform praises for having raised the market price of farm and other prod ucts, and thus having helped the pro- ducer. As to the fact that the same tariff has also raised retail prices to an ican people the platform is silent. That the producer pays out more in price in- creases due to the tariff than he receives in price increases due to the tariff is not stated in the platform.
 To be sure there are some blanks that will meet with general approval, but such blanks are not the unique property of the Republican party. Many of them have previously been enunciated by the Democrats. For example, there are railroad regrouping, freight-rate re- duction, tax reform, rehabilitation of the merchant marine, a more general mobilization of men and materials in wartime, reclamation and the like, which are really more a part of our national policy than of any party pro- gram. The credit, however, will go to the party that achieves these things, which the Republican party has not done during more than three years of desul- tory rule.
 The platform remarks about betrayal of high official trust seek subtly to make it appear that Democrats are in- volved equally with Republicans, in spite of the official record to the contrary. The document also seeks by innuendo to suggest that the Democrats sought to turn the inquiries to their political ad- vantage, in the face of the very con- servative and fair report of the Daugh- erty and the oil lease committees in which many Republicans previously un- der suspicion were specifically declared innocent by. Democratic vote. The Re- publican platform remarks in support of law and order are obviously hypo- critical, for, in the face of the greatest opportunity ever given to enforce law and order, the Republican administra- ton has most signally failed, nor is there evidence that the high officials even took this responsibility seriously. A sop is thrown to@the negro vote in the sec tion calling~for federal ,anti-lynching law. No account is taken of the great reduction in lynchings in this country, due to the rise of public sentiment every where against violence, nor is there ad- mission that the greatest violence and lawless bloodshed of the past two years have occurred in the North and not in the South.
 After all, anybody can write a plat form. But the document that cannot be politically altered or effaced by politi- clans is the three-year party record writ ten in Washington, and that is the rec ord on which the American people will fix their gaze during this campaign. That record is sufficient to condemn the Republican party and to oust it from office for cause.
 ALABAMA PRESS CONVENTION
 tk. II Al-l