The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-09-16

Jackson ON Monday. Gov. Frazie
made no apologies for the recore
either Of his or former Democratic al
ministrations, and the following {
what nc had TO say
Ladies and Gentlemen Two year,
ago he people Of Tennessee 'honorel
me by eccting me governor of my ma
tive state by nearly 10000 majority
After nearly two years OF service
como before you to-day to lay at your
feet the high commission with which
You honored me, to render to you an
account of my stewardship, and IL
have discharged with fidelity the ga
cred trust committed to my hands to
ask Of you vote OF confidence and
approval
! come as the representative aud
nominee of the Democratic party,
which has. with single interval OF
two years. controlled the government
and administered the affairs Of Teanes-
see from 1870 to 1904. Whatever of
good has been accomplished for the
people by legislation or administration
during that long period the Democratic
party Is entitled to the credit of 1t.
No party and no individual is per-
feet. every party and every individual
makes mistakes, but assert without
fear Of successful contradiction that
during this long period of ascendancy
The Democratic party, which is the
peoples party. has given, to Tennessee
The best. the wisest, the most ecouom-
ical and efficient government the-State
has ever enjoyed IL this was not true
the Democratic party could not have
won the confidence and retained the
respect and approval of the people
assert it. and propose to prove it,
that Notwithstanding the chinquapin
criticisms Of politicians seeking votes.
rndor Democratic rule Tennessee is
enc Of the best governed and one OF
the cheapest governed States Of this
entire Union. / do not, come with any
apology for the record Of my party in
the past; none is needed. | do not
come, as my competitor came in his
opening speech at Rutledge. apologize
Ing for tho sins and iniquities of his
party when it was in power in Tonnes
see Admitting that it had plundered
and oppressed the people; that its gov
ernmcnt was not q good government"
and begging that the people would
throw over its sins, its wrongs, its in
Justice and its iniquities, the mantel of
(Grgetfulness and forgiveness. The
people may forgive party with such
a self-confessed record for the sins of
the past. but they dare not trust 1t
with government In the future.
The Democratic party comes not
aslvng for, pardon and forgiveness for
past wrongs. but. conscious Of the rec
titude of its purpose, 1t comes with
clean record Of wise. faithful and eco
nomical government, and upon that rec
ord appeals with confidence to the
judgment Of just and generous peo-
pie, whose interests 1t has served with
unWavering fidelity
what is the record Of the Democratic
party in Tennessee and what are some
Of the things which 1t has accom-
glished which entities 1t to the conf
dence and support of the people?
When 1t came into power 1t found
the State In wreck and ruins; its credit
gone, its treasury empty. and its people
bowed down in poverty and ashes,
struggling under the burdens Of unjust
and excessive taxation imposed upon
them. by the Republican party. 1t
found the rate OF taxation 60 cents on
tho $i00. and still the peoples chart
ties were neglected. the interest on the
public debt unpaid, and the State
bankrupt.
1t found that during the reign of the
Republican party from 1862 to 1870 the
State debt had been increased by that
party BY the grossest and most glazing
frauds, from S1O.000.O0O to the appall-
ifg sum OF $41,00O,000. It found that
the Republican party had laid its dirty
hands on the school fund, which had
Teen bedueathed by the fathers as q
sacred heritage TO the children of Ten
nossce. and had used part of It to
pay the current expenses of the State
ana the balance they had ruthlessly
scuandered and wasted so that the
State was without public schools or the
money with which to maintain them.
II found that the convict lease sys-
tom had been fastened ON the peniten-
tiary, and still 1t was costing the tax
payers Of the State annually more than
$4,000.
1t found that the intelligence. the
wealth. The flower Of the States splen-
did manhood. had been DISTINGUISHED
and denied voice in the government
Of their own affairs, while ignorant ne
groes and carpet-bag adventurers large
~ did the voting. levied the taxes,
squandered the money and trampled
upon the rights of the people. The
Democratic party met the problem
with these conditions presented in
brave and msnIy spirit and solved