The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1902-06-05
THE PLATFORM.

ed by the state democratic convention
in Nashville:
THE PLATFORM.
The democracy of Tennessee, assem-
bled in convention, declares anew its
fidelity to those great and enduring
principles for the preservation of which
it was organized and which throughout
all its history it has striven to uphold.
The author of the declaration of indie
pendence was the founder of the demo
cratic party. The political doctrines
formulated by him are as vital today rs
when first enunciated and they must be
preserved and perpetuated, if the re-
public is to endure. At no period in
the country's history has the democrat
ic party been so necessary to the cause
Of free government and the welfare Of
society as it is today, 1t is the great
conservative force that stands between
the recklessness of organized greed,
seeking to prostitute all the powers of
government to its own selfish ends, on
the one hand and that violent and rev.
olutionary spirit always generated by a
long-continued abuse of governmental
power, on the other. The sure result
of any government which systematical-
ly disregards the welfare of the many
to increase the wealth and power of the
few will be to organize all the forces of
disorder for an attack upon existing in
stitutions, unless arrested in time by
the conservative forces of society. The
republican party, by its class legisla-
ton, by its constant abuse of powers of
government to increase the wealth and
power of favored individuals and favor
ed classes, is constantly increasing that
spirit of unrest that is the deadly foe of
stable and peaceful government. If we
would establish our institutions upon q
sound and enduring basis we must re-
turn to those broad and fundamental
principles of tie democratic party
which restrain the power of inordinate
greed, while protecting the rights OF
property and insure to all men equal
rights and to each fair opportunity
under the law. TO restrain the federal
government within the constitutional
limits of its authority; to resist its ev-
cry aggression beyond the scope of its
delegated powers; to preserve unim.
paired the reserved rights of the state;
and of the people; to maintain the right
of local f-government-th these are and
nave always been among the funda
mental principles of the democratic
party. We indorse the principles O
the platform adopted by the last nation
al convention of the democratic party
and we commend the action of our sen
ators and representatives in the nation
al congress in their steadfast efforts /,
have enacted into legislation only sucl
measures as are consistent with demo
ocratic principles. The policy and leg
islation of the republican party havv
borne their national fruit in the growtl
Of vast aggregations of capital, whicl
are rapidly bringing the whole indus
trial system of the country under tn
control of few multi millionaires an,
placing the laborer and the consume
at the mercy of these great trusts an,
combinations. We denounce sue
trusts as serious menace to publ
welfare, restricting the opportunitie
and absorbing the substance of tn
people, and we arraign the republica
party both for its failure to enforce ex
isting laws and to enact others agains
the trusts.
The growth of trusts and other form
of monopoly has been largely favore
by excessive rates of tariff duty, b
which the protected interests are emf
bled to strangle competition at home
while protected by the governmer
against competition from abroad W
therefore demand reduction OF the pres
ent tariff and that tariff duties shall b
levied for revenue only. We especial
demand that wherever the productio
of any article is controlled by monopC
y the duties on such articles shall |
largely reduced or entirely removed.
We denounce the measure known
the ship subsidy bill, which has passe
'' the senate and is now pending in Il
house of representatives, as an atteml
to bestow the peoples money upon f
vored corporations of ship owners al
to perpetuate robbery under Il
forms of law.
= We believe in the principle of Il
declaration of independence, that:
Governments derive their just powe
from the consent of the governed" :" v
hold to the principle which bas Cover
ed territorial acquisitions by the dem
cratic panty, that no territory shou
y = be added to the country except wi
o the express purpose that it shall
at made part of the Union and its pc
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