The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-10-14
THE PLATFORM
Adopted by the Harmony Conven-
ton at Nashville.

NlN hNitiio4i9 1NiilpNi dll1 t1iiNtlltipil
at Nashville on Thursday, Oct. s:
We, the representatives of the De-
mocracy Of Tennessee in convention
assembled reatfirm our faith in the
principles Of Democracy and renew and
resolve to persist in maintaining them;
First-We believe that political par
ties are indispensable to republican gov
eminent, and that the rules "a that
individual opinion should yield to the
aggregated party judgment, and ~ that
whenever abuses exist they should be
reformed by and within the party it.
self, and not through selfish or corrupt
bargains with adversary organizations,
are just principles essential to party life.
Second Continuously for many years
the Democrats Of Tennessee, constitut-
ing the great majority Of the white citi-
zens and taxpayers of the State, have
administered public affairs. Their pol
icies as to the veterans of the Civil War,
education and public schools, labor,
child labor, public roads and other pub
lie measures long since enacted by them
into laws are unimpeachable witnesses
to the wisdom and fidelity Of Demo
cratic administration
Continuously for many years this
party Of white taxpayers have controlled
and directed the affairs of Tennessee
Its long administration has been eco
nomical, humane and enlightened, and
we endorse and approve the same.
Third-The Democracy of Tennessee,
over Republican opposition, has stead
lily appropriated public funds as pen
sions to support the Confederate yeter
ans Of the Civil War. As representa-
tives Of Democracy and as citizens of
Tennessee we receive with satisfaction
the recent declaration Of the Repubi-
cans Of Tennessee of their intention
hereafter to approve and support public
pensions for Confederate veterans, for
that is a confession and acknowledge
ment, tardy though it be, that these
soldiers were not traitors" and that
the Civil War was not a rebellion, but
a war resulting from a conflict of poll
tical ideas in which those who strove
were equally and alike patriotic and de-
serving We accept it as public con-
fession that the epithets traitor" and
rebel, heretofore so freely tongued,
were unwarranted and undeserying
Fourth-The modern business com
binations called trusts" are menaces
to the republic, in that they increase
the cost Of living, extract from the con
sumner, are hostile TO opportunity and
tend to suppress Independent individ-
ual effort
Fifth-Trusts are the certain fruits of
that system of tariff taxation called
Protection, a system that we con
denim as oppressive and injurious; and
in its stead we demand a system of
tariff taxation wherein the tariff shall
be lald primarily, not for protection,
but revenue to defray the expenses Of a
government, economically administered,
and with such incidental protection as
the higher standard OF living of the
American workingmen demands and
requires
Sixth-Tennessee as now divided in
to legislative and congressional districts,
was distributed by Democratic legisla-i
tions with an eye to that which was best
for the people of Tennessee
The redistricting required by the cen
sus of 1910 should be done as hereto
fore by that party which represents the
white taxpayers of the State and should
be done for the best interests of the peo- /
pie, and not for the purpose of increas-
ing the representation Of the Repubi-
can party in Congress. We favor such
of the State as will prove
to be to the interest of the people and l
fair to both political parties. I
Seventh-The system Of pardoning
prisoners has been adopted in many
States, and has worked with marked Il
success, and we favor a parole prison Il
system for Tennessee.
Eighth-We favor the. building Of a
State Reformatory for youthful crimi- .
nails without further delay.
Ninth-We favor what is known as a
he uniform, vital statistics law. .
Tenth-We favor the proposed feder-
II income tax amendment. '
Eleventh-We favor the election Of r
he Election Commissioners by direct u
'ote of the people, giving bona fide rep
to both the great national u