The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1912-08-15
DEMOCRACY AND
LOCAL OPTION.

| Woodrow Wilson in 1910, before thu
New Jersey state election, at whichlht
was made governor, was called upor
by the president of the Anti-Saloor
league to state his attitude upon the
question of statewide prohibition
without hesitation and with rare
courage, he gave his answer, and in
response to request for an expression
on the subject recently made by the
democrats of Maine, he sends a copy
of that answer the extract from which
is relevant in this state:
81 am in favor Of local option. l am
thorough believer in local self-gov-
eminent, and believe that every self
governing community which consti-
tnteg q social unit should have the
right to control the matter of the reg
ulation or of the withholding of Ii
censes.
"But the questions involved are So
cial and moral, and are not susceptible
of being made parts of party pro-
gram. Whenever they have been made
the subject-matter of party contests
they have cut the party lines of organ
ization and party action athwart, to
the utter confusion of political action
in every other field. They have thrown
every other question however i'm
portant, into the background and have
made constructive party action inn
possible for long years together. So far
as I am myself concerned, therefore, |
can never consent to have the ques-
ton of local option made an issue be-
tween political parties in this state.
My judgement is very clear in this
matter. do not believe that party
programs of the highest consequence
to the political life of the state and of
the nation ought to be thrust on one
side and hopelessly embarrassed for
long periods together by making po-
litical issue Of great question which
is essentially non-political, non-par-
tisan, moral and social in its nature. "
Here is a coherent model for the
democratic platform to be adopted at
Nashville on Thursday. Tennessee had
practical local option until the legisla-
ture of 1909, forgetting all pledges of
fair play and of democratic doctrin,
joined with a political faction of the
republican party, passed an act of OPP
preston denying to Chattanooga,
Nashville and Memphis, the right of
declaring each for itself on the qUes-
ton of license. That legislature aban-
doned the principal of local self-gov-
eminent, guaranteed under the historic
charter of the party which assures to
every. governing community which
constitutes social unit" the right to
control in all matters relating to this
issue.
How truly Mr. Wilson's analysis of
the effect the injection of this issue in
to partisan politics may easily be
afiirmatively determined by look in
to the legislative failures in this state
during the past four or five years.
"Every other question, however i'm
portant, has been thrown into the
background" and constructive party
action has been made IMPOSSIBLE in
at least the last two legislatures.
There need be no demand in the
state democratic platform for a repeal
of the temperance laws, but there
should be demand that the principle |
Of home rule be established; that the
cities Of Chattanooga, Nashville and |
Memphis, each Of which is govern
ing community constituting a social |
unit, be afforded the same square deal |
that was given every other city and
town in the state, and be allowed to
decide for themselves whether they
shall have prohibition or license.
Times.