The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1886-09-02
WHOLE NO. l26
State Democratic Platform.

The Democracy Of Tennessee, by its
representatives in Convention assem-
bled, congratulates the country at
large on the restoration of the Demo
cratic party to power in the admins
tration OF the general Government.
1t endorses the administration of Pres
ident Cleveland, and ppholds him in
his efforts to purify the Government
from corruption, to restore economy,
to revive respect for the Constitution,
TO reduce taxation, to reform the ex-
isting tariff, to allay sectional animos-
tiles, to guard the Treasury against
unwarranted appropriations of the
public money, and to restore the Gov
ernment 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 settlementof the State debt, which
has been so happily effected during
his administration, on terms alike sat
| isfactory 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 reformation of the tariff laws
and a reduction of taxes. ft
".
Holding fast to the teachings of
Washington, Jefferson, Jackson and
Polk, the Democracy of Tennessee re-
CARDS national debt as a national
curse, and declared il q 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 ar silver, be applied to
the extinguishmento 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, as
subversive of the rights Of the States
and the people thereof
V.
The Democracy, while recognizing
| the supremacy of the 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 peo-
pie can maintain their institutions
and secure system of laws adapted
to their wants and necessities, it cor
daily joins American citizens of Irish
nativity or extraction in their sympa-
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 class
, es OF our citizens.
r VII.
: 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 oI
such laws as will terminate, as early
t as practicable, such competition.
5 VIII.
Recognizing the sovereignty Of the
; people, in responce to their demand
: made through their representatives il
the last General Assembly, we favol
submitting to them, for their adoption
or rejection, the proposed constitu
n tional amendment prohibiting the
n manufacture and sale of Intoxicating