The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-06-28
TIE COMMEMORATIVE PLAT
FORM-THE NOMINEE
OUR DUTY.


FORM-THE NOMINEE
OUR DUTY.
While the last issue of The GA
zErrEwas passing through the press,
there was assembling at the capitol
in Nashville, under circumstances at
once the most trying and humiliat-
inc that a time-honOred and glori-
Gus old party has ever been called
to meet, one of the largest political
conventions ever assembled in the
State of Tennessee. 1t met in pur-
suance of the joint call of the chair
man of the regular Democratic ex-
ccutiye committee and of the chair
man of the slow tax" executive COM
mittee. Perhaps not less than nj
teen hundred delegates were pres
ent Among them were many OF
the ablest men and statesmen of the
State. Elsewhere we publish an in
tclIigent synopsis of the proceedings
of the convention, with the full text
Of the different reports of the COM
mittee on platform and resolutions.
As a member of the convention, We
were opposed to the majority re-
port, and favored the adoption OF
minority report no. 3 in lieu of it.
The position of THE GAZETTE up
on the State debt and its settlement
i known to our readers-is known
all over the State. We took the po-
sitiOn-not hastily, but after look
ing all over the field-that the set
Element at 6O-3-6 was a settlement
brought about blythe position OF the
regular Democracy, and that 1t
should be permitted to stand upon
the statute books and its provisions
carried out in good faith-that the
Democracy of the State should re-
cover theirsuPremacy by using them
selves the cgdgel hewn out by Hawk
ins and his party to brain them
with. An overwhelming majority
of the convention thought other
wise, and adopted platform that is
not at all in accord with our past or
present views. And now, like
poor Margaret, in Hearth and
Cloistcr," we are wading in deep
water, andlike her we will endeavor
to maintain our political virtue
by trusting in Providenee-and
the sober, intelligent second thought
of the people. We went into the
convention expecting to have to
yield something of our individual
opinion rs to policy and of our in
dividual preference as to men in the
effort TO harmonic the discordant
elements which have so unfortun-
nately and so disastrously divided
our ranks for two years. Two years
ago we felt and wrote bitterly about
those who bolted and b oke away
from the party and brought defeat
upon it.
However strong may be our OBJ
ie lions to the majority platform, we
have a hearty endorsement to give
its nominee for Hawkins's place as
Governor of Tennessee. We make
no sacrifice in giving him a cordial
support. General William b. Bate
is a man not less noble than the no.
blest Roman of them all. No purer
gentleman, no more patriotic citizen,
no more worthy man lives IN Ten
nessee. lie is native of Sumner
spent his life in Ten
nessee-has necessarily, owing to
MS brilliant talent, been long known
the State. No stain or
dot Of any sort Is or ever was upon
ais reputation. lie is personally
well known to us, and it is an ex-
Iuisite pleasure togive him the very
highest personal endorsement, as it
viii be to extend to him our most
ordial support The sacrifices we
II. a
nd insignificant compared to the
God to be obtained by a reunited
democratic organization, resulting
: II will in the defeat of Alvin
hawkins; for like Andrew johnson
f cd, we have not yet lost conf
->ace in the intelligence and fideli-
she people Il