Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-11
PLATFORM.

State Convention, is the enunciation of |
It's politicalscreed Men are, or ought to
be, nominated and elected merely as the |
representatives of political principle.
The formation of platform but seldom
receives the consideration which its i'm
pcrtance demands. Our State conven-
ions generally continue in session but
few hours. After the organization of the
convention, committee on resolutions is
appointed, a few sets of resolutions are
submitted to them, and after ahasty read
ing, some one oe the series of resolutions
which have been presented, is adopted by
the committee, reported to the convention
and adopted by it, when they have only
undergone hasty reading in the commit
tee. Perhaps not one-third of the con-
Yention has heard the reading of them.
We have received letters from distin-
guished gentlemen in different portions of
the State relative to the necessity of our
State Convention properly setting forth
the principles which constitute its politi-
cal creed. We have given the most at
tentive consideration to the suggestions of
the letters which we have received, and
we have heard with equal consideration
the views of other gentlemen. 1t is the
settled conviction of the most discerning
of our leading men that the reconstruc
ton of the State has not yet been aban-
doned by the Radicals. The proposition
still remains in Congress undisposed of.
Its further consideration has only been
postponed until The next session. The
Radicals of the State still have the most
confident hopes of its success. The in
formation comes to US in such shape as
TO induce the belief that it is authoritative,
that the purpose of the Radical party in
making its preparations for the fall cleo
tions Is, certainly not with the hope of
success at the ballot-box, but to be pre-
pared to take advantage of the action of
Congress in the matter of reconstruction.
Our friends North send US assurances that
they can be greatly strengthened in their
contest with Radicalism in the North
western States by such declaration of
principles on the part of the Democracy
of Tennessee as will fully answer the
charges of rebellion and secession, which
are still the scarecrows used by Radical
politicians to prevent the people from
seeing the corruptions, exactions and
aggressions of the party in
power. Every charge that is
made against the Radical party because of
its enormous land swindles; its frauds in
the disbursement of iniquitously unjust
revenues; of its devotion to the interests
of the banker and bondholder, is answered
by the cry of war, secession aud rebellion.
Tennessee, we are informed, can, by the
adoption of a proper platform, do more to
silence these false alarms of Radical poll
ticians than can thousand speeches of
individual Democrats.
Moved by these various considerations,
we have, after mature elaboration and
consultation, in person and by letter with
gentlemen in whose patriotism and dis
cretion we have great confidence, gentle
men who differed politically before and
during the war, determined to submit
to the delegates of the Convention
the following as embodying the doctrines
which the Northern Democracy advocate e,
and which Radicalism cannot successfully
attack anywhere. The adoption of this
platform by Tennessee will place her in
an attitude which cannot be misunder-
stood or misrepresented. 1t will give
reconstructionists in and out of Congress
a file to gnaw.
1t will be seen that it is formed lmost
exclusively of quotations from the re-
cent address of Gen. Brown and the reso-
buttons of the Greene County Convention.
THE PROPOSED PLATFORM.
The disastrous civilw war, which recently
| divided the people and the States of the
| Federal Union il now over, we earnestly
hope, for ever. The angry causes which
produced 1t, with all the untoward events
that characterized it, have, we trust,
passed into impartial history. We must
there leave the whole matter to be dealt
with in the future by the just and en-
Hghtened judgment of mankind.
We, e portion of the people of the State
| of Tennessee, without reference to the
late unhappy differences, growing out of
the war, and irrespective of old party
| affiliations met in convention for the pur-
pose of recurring to the fundamental
| principles of the Government, and the
time-hoDored doctrines, as taught and
| prachced by sages of the Revolution, who
founded the Republic, do solemnly an
| nOunce and declare to all who favor &c a
| representative Democracy, as established
| by the Constitution of the United States,
contradistinguished from moneyed arts
tocracy or central despOtism, our political
position and the creed of our political
faith:
/. There are now but two national parties;
the one the Radical Republican party,
latitudinarian in principle, wastefUl and
partial in its disposition of the public do
main, reckless in its expenditures of the
peoples money, partisan and proscriptive
in its Legislation, and utterly regardless of
the safeguards of the Constitution; the
other the national Democratic party, bat
I ting for constitutional rights, economy in
the administration of he Government,
the reduction of taxes, and the restoration
of the Government to its ancient land
marks, and is composed of all men-by
whatever names heretofore known-who
seek to wrest the country from the domi-
nant power and save it from utter ruin.
With one of these parties every man in
Tennessee who would cast bis vote and
contribute his influence in the direction of
his political faith must unite. No middle
ground can be occupied, aud neutrality at
this juncture would, in the opinion
of this Convention be criminal. Enter
tanning such sentiments, this Convention,
as the representatives of a large ma
jority of the people of Tennessee, declare
that they are in full accord with the Ma
7 y =