The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1892-06-30
THE COMET.
THE PLATFORM.
Declaration Of Principles on which
the Democratic PArtj propoS"
IL fight,


the Democratic party ut llr" u it'd
States, in National C"nv, ntiou assem-
bled, do reafirm their allegiance TO
the principles of the party us formu-
lated by Jefferson and exemplified by
the long and illustrious line of his sue
eessors in Democratic leadership from
Madison and Cleveland. We believe
The public welfare demands that these
principles be applied in the conduct OF
federal government through the acCes-
sion to p )wer of the party that advo-
Gates them, and we solemnly declare
that the need OF a return to these fun
damental principles Of a free popular
government, based on home rule and
individual liberty, was never more ur-
sent than now, when the tendency to
centralize all power at the federal capi-
tai has become a n to the reserv-
ed rights Of the State, that strikes at
the very roots of u government
under the constitution as framed by
the fathers Of the Republic.
SEC I've warn the people of our
common country, jealous for the pres
ervation Of their free institutions, that
the policy of federal control of cleo
tions, to which the Republican party
has committed itself, is Taught with
the grayest dangers, scarcely less mo-
mentous than would result from a re-
volution practically establishing mon
archy on the ruins OF the Republic.
1t strikes at the North and as well as
the South, and ingures the colored CT
tizens ever more than the white it
means a horde of deputy marshals at
every polling place, armed with feder-
al power returning boards appointed
and controlled by federal authority
the outrage OF the electoral rights oil
the people in the several States the
subjugation Of the colored people to
the control of the party in power and
the reviving of race antagomisms now
happily abated, Of the utmost peril tc
the safety and happiness OF all; and
measure deliberately and Justly describ
ed by a leading Republican Senator
as "the most infamous bill that evel
crossed the threshold of this Senate
oLIGARcHY OF oFFICE-HoLDERs.
Such a policy, if sanctioned by law
would mean the dominance of a self
perpetuatin oligarchy of ofice-holdel'
and the party first i~ntrusted with il
machinery could be dislodged from
power only by an appeal to the reServ
ed rights of the people to resist oppres
sion which is inherent in all self gov
erning communities.
Two years ago this revolutionar.
policy was emphatically condemned
by the people at the polls but in con
tempt OF that verdict the Republican
party has defantly declared in its lat
est authoritative utterance that it
success in the coming cleo ions vii
mean the enactment Of the Force biI
and the usurpation Of desrotic c"r
troll over elections in all the States.
Believing that the preservation {
republican government in the Unite
States is dependent upon the defeat {
this policy Of legalized force and lraut
we invite the support OF all citizen
who desire to see the co~nstitutio,
maintained IN its integrity, with tn
laws pursuant thereto, which have gil
en- our country a hundred years OF III
exampled prosperity, and we pledg
the Democratic party, if it be intrus
ed with power, not only to the defes
of the Force bill, but also to relen
less opposition to the Republican pol
cy Of prohigate expenditure which !
the short space of two years has squal
dered an enormous surplus and EN-
tied an oyerflowing treasury after pi
ing new burdens OF taxation upon tn
already overtaxed labor OF the countr
THE TARIFF PLANK. .
Sec. 3.-We ~deneunce the RepubI
can policy Of protection asa fraud 9
the labor of the great majority OF IL
American people for the benefit Of Il
few.
We declare a principle OF the dem
cratic party hat the federal COVER
ment has no constitutional power
impose and collect tariff duties exec
for the purposes of revenue only, al
we demand that collection OF such ia
es shall be limited to the necessities
the government when honestly al
economically administered.
Sec. 4.-Trade interchange on Il
basis Of reciprocal advantages to {
counties participating is a time hone
ed doctrine of the democratic fat