Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-08-21
Platform of the Tennessee Democracy

The Democracy Of Tennessee, by
its representatives in the Convention
assembled, congratuIates the country
at large on the restoration of the
Democratic party to power in the adj
ministration of the general govern
ment. 1t indorses the administration
of President Cleveland, and upholds
him in his efforts topurify the Govern
ment from corruption, to restore econ
omy, to revive respect for the Consti-
tuition, to reduce taxation, to reform
the existing tariff, to allay sectional
animosities, to guard the Treasury
against unwarranted appropriations
of the public money, and to restore
the Government to the simple and
honest methods of administration
known and practiced by its founders.
1t endorses the administration of
Gov. Bate as honest, intelligent and
patriotic, and it particularly approves
the settlement ofthe State debt, which
has been SO happily effected during
his administration, on terms alike
satisfactory to the public creditors
and the people of the State.
II.
1t endorses the platform adopted by
the Democratic National Convention
in 1884.
1t endorses the action of our repre-
sentatives in Congress in their efforts
to redeem the pledges of the party
made at Chicago, by attempting to
secure a reformation of the tariff laws
and a reduction of taxes.
w
Holding fast to the teachings of
Washington, Jefferson, Jackson and
Polk, the Democracy of Tennessee
regards a national debt as a national
curse, and declares it crime against
the people to hoard money, raised by
taxation, in the Treasury, rather than
pay it on the matured interest-bear-
ing Indebtedness of the Government.
1t demands that the surplus revenue
now or hereafter in the Treasury,
whether gold or silver, be applied to
the eXtinguishment of the public debt;
and it denounces any effort of Con-
gress to appropriate the revenues of
the Government for any purpose not
authorized by the Constitution,
subversive of the rights ofthe States
and the people thereof.
V.
The Democracy, while recognizing
the supremacy ofthe General Govern
ment in the exercise of the powers
delegated to it by the Constitution,
has ever upheld and defended the re-
served rights of the States; therefore,
believing local self-government to be
the only method by which free
people can maintain their institutions
and secure a system of laws adapted
to their wants and necessities, it cor
daily joins American citizens of Irish
nativity or extraction in irsympa-
thy for Ireland in her struggle for
home rule.
VI.
We favor the maintenance and i'm
provement of our system of public
schools and the education of all classes
of our citizens.
We oppose the farming out of con-
victs SO as to bring them in competi-
ton with the honest labor of our
State, and favor the enactment of
such laws as will terminate, as early
as practicable, such competition.
VIII.
Recognizing the sovereignty of the
people, in response to their demand
made through their Representatives
in the last General Assembly, we
favorsubmitting to them, for their
adoption or rejection, the proposed
constitutional amendment prohibit
ting the manufacture and sale of in
toXicating liquors rs a beverage in