The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-13
GUILTY IN DOME SCANDAL TO PAY SAYS COOLIDGE Promises Prosecution In Teapot Frauds In Lin
 coin Dinner Address IS DEEPLY HUMILIATED
 AT TRUST BETRAYAL Opposes Bonus, Backs Mellon Bill, Defends Arms Sale And .
 Promises Farmers Aid

Promises Farmers Aid
 NEW YORK; Feb. 11.-(By The Associated Press. )-President Coolidge, speaking here tonight before the Ma tional Republican club, promised im- mediate and unshrinking prosecution of the oil land lease cases, appealed for national and bipartisan support for the Mellon tax bill, called for assistance for agriculture from all resources of the country, and defended the sale of arms to Mexico
 The chief executive also reiterated his opposition to soldier bonus legisla- tion, declared there was some promise of European settlement, and asserted the United States stood ready to join with other nations in further limiting armament whenever there appears to be reasonable prospect of agreement.
 The address, which was made at the Lincoln birthday dinner of the club, was the first Mir. Coolidge has made outside of Washington since he became President. In many respects it was an elaboration of his message to congress.
 Stresses Tax Reduction.
 The president devoted much attention to taxation and agriculture, but in concludin; turned to the sensation of the present time-the oil land lease investigation.
 Lately there have been most start ling revelations concerning the leasing of government oil lands," he said. At the revelation of greed making its subtle approaches to public officers, of the prostitution of high place to private profit, we are filled with scorn and indignation. We have a deep sense of humiliation at such gross betrayal of trust, and We lament the undermining of public confidence in official in- tegrity. But we can not rest with righteous wrath; still less can we per init ourselves to give way to cynicism.
 "We propose to follow the clear, open path of justice. There will be immedi- ate, adequate, unshrinking prosecution, criminal and civil, to punish the guilty and to protect every national interest. In this effort there will be no politics, no partisanship. It will be speedy. It Will be just. l am republican, but I can not on that account shield any one because he is a republican. I am a., republican, but l can not on that ac-' count prosecute anyone because he is democrat.
 Wants No Hue and Cry.
 T want no hue and cry. no mingling of innocent and guilty in thinking con demnation, no confusion of mere aues- tions of law with questions of fraud and corruptioH. It is at such aztime f That tho duafftfes of tour citizenry is tested--unrelenting toward evil, fair minded and intent upon the require ments of due process, the shield of the innocent and the safeguard of society itself. ask the support of our people as chief magistrate intent on the en- forcement of our laws without fear or favor, no matter who is hurt or what the consequences"
 Starting with the declaration that the national unity for which Lincoln laid the foundation requires perpetual ad- justment for it's maintenance,n MT, Coolidge asserted the observance of this principle makes necessary that much attention now should be given to agri- culture.
 Something Wrong With Agriculture
 It is obvious, the President said, that there is something radically wrong when agriculture is found in it's present state of depression when manu- featuring, transportation and com merce are on whole in a remarkable state of prosperity" He analysed the difficulty as due to a greater increase in production than in the power of dis tribution and consumption and added that because of this the great food staples were not selling on a parity with the products of industry. The farmer, he asserted, lis not receiving his share"
 Acknowledging that it might seem strange that farming should be dis cussed here in the country's metropolis, MT. Coolidge told his hearers that they had direct economic, financial and political interest. He outlined the steps, already taken by the administration through encouragement of cooperative marketing, investigation of tariff rates and direct governmental relief; the steps contemplated through legislation, and then added:
 What l am most anxious to impress upon the prosperous part of our coun- try IS the utmost necessity that they should be willing to make sacrifice for. the assistance of the unsuccessful part. do not mean by that any unsound device, like price fixing, which I op- pose, because it would not make prices higher but would in the end make them lower. It would not be successful and would not prove a remedy, but I do mean that the resources of the country ought to come to the support of agri- culture. The organization recently per fected to supply money and manage ment for the larger aspects of agricul- ture out to have your sympathetic and active support"
 Discusses Taxes
 Turning to taxes, as one of the con tributing causes to, the agricultural de- pression, Mir. Coolidge traced the steps taken to decrease and put in order the national debt through retirement and refunding of domestic securities; through the operation of the budget, and by making 'every reasonable effort to secure the liquidation of our inter- national debts" These steps have had the result of permitting~a decrease in taxes and the Mellon plan was evolved, he said.
 The provisions of this plan, now em- bodied in a bill before Congress, Mr. Coolidge asserted, "are non-partisan, well thought out and sound" He en- dorsed the proposal to reduce surtaxes to maximum of 25 per cent, mot that small incomes may be required to pay more and large incomes be required to pay less, but that more revenue may be secured from large incomes and taxes on small incomes may be reduced" He was opposed, he said, ito material all teration and compromise" because he wished ito give all the people all the relief which the bill proposed
 T stand on the simple proposition that the country is entitled to all the relief from the burden of taxation which