The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-06-07
STATE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM



firms those principles banded down to
us from Thomas Jefferson, Andrew
Jackson and other great leaders, which
have been enunciated in the declara-
tions of the party, state and national,
again and again.
We assert with confidence that the
proposition may be demonstrated that
the principal progressive measures un-
der consideration in our national con-
gress, such as that of railway rate reg
ulation and an interoceanic canal, were
first proposed and have always had the
hearty support of the democratic party.
Railway rate regulation was demanded
in the resolutions of the st. Louis dem
ocratic national convention of 1904, and
has been earnestly favored by the dem
cratic members of the national congress.
But for the support of the democrats of
the senate aud the active leadership of
members of that party who had charge
of the bill, it could not in satisfactory
form have been adopted in the United
States senate. In the deliberations on
this measure of vital Importance the
democratic members have shown the
most earnest interest in the peoples
welfare, and if the bill becomes a law it
will be because it h by them been
suppo' ted and vitalized
Revelations with regard to the affairs
of the great monopolstic interests
known as trusts have verified the char
Ges made against many of these by the
democrats in recent national campaigns.
The necessity that monopoly shall be
bridled and freedom of competition as
sured was never more manifest. The
squandering of the peoples money by
the great insurance companies recently
investigated in New York discloses a
condition of affairs to make every
thinking man pause. The democratic
party is the party of all classes and
represents the whole people, and has
no fight to make on any class or inter
est. 1t believes in the principle stated
| by the author of the Declaration of In
dependence, in the phrase '' equal and
exact justice to all; special privileges
to none" The democracy has persist
emily fought greed and monopoly, and
he people have finally realized that its
protests were justified and it's warnings
timely.
STANDARD BEARER OF THE PEOPLE.
The democracy will continue, as in
the pas , to hold aloft the banner of the
people as against these intrenched in
terests.
Widespread acceptance of the princi,
Piles and policies advocated by the de-
nocracy in recent national elections
shows the decided trend of the Ameri4
can people to popular government,
such as the democracy has always Civ
en- and will always advocate and main
tain, National evils denounced by our
party have become thoroughly odious
and the constructive policies which
tend to the maintenance of competition
the more equal distribution Of wealth,
are more strongly supported than al
any period for years. Disheartened
with the failure of the republican party
to cleanse itself of the control of plu
tocracy, the protest among former fol
lowers of that party is now so vehement
as to alarm its leaders 1t has beer
proven also that the election of 1896 an(
1900 were bought, and that on fund.-
furnished by the trusts to corrupt tn,
electorate was accomplished the defea
of William Jennings Bryan. We fee
confident it will never be possible TO
such an outrage again to be perpetrat
: ed The public conscience has beel
aroused and the purchase of votes, th
intimidation of voters, Justification an,
the contemplate tricks of political ma
! nipulators will never in the future pre-
vail against democratic candidat
supported by the honest and unpul
chasable citizenship.
Recalling with pride the achieve
ments of the democratic party in tn
past in sustaining the credit of the stat
in extricating it from the vexing diff
G culties in which republican misrule il
volved it, IN Its management of stat
- institutions, and IN funding the publ
.E debt, we believe that the welfare of tt
people will be still further advanced b
the adoption of the following platfor
of principles
- STATE QUESTIONS.