The farmer and mechanic., 1914-06-23
THE ISSUES BEFORE US
ss.a4sagss IN NORTH CAROLINA
Clarence Poe Reviews The Situation With Reference
TO The State Democratic Platform

To the Editor: Congressman Gard |
ner, of Massachusetts, remarked the
other day that 'if the Lord Almighty
had foreseen how much talk the Pan
anna Canal was going to cause he
would have dug it himself when he
made the world" / have been won
dering If my suave friend, Mr.. Morri-
son, isn't beginning to think the same
way about the Democratic platform
Of 1914.
Let me assure him in the begin
ming therefore, that what l am going
to say is not called forth by any ar
. ucles of his or his correspondents and
will not add to his list Of controver-
sizes. The fact is simply that ever
since the State Convention there has
been a demand for some expression
from leaders Of the Democratic mass
. meeting as to the issues before us in
North Carolina, and the ''pfogressive-
ness" or otherwise of the platform
adopted, and i think the public is
really entitled to some such state
ment.
In fact the expressions 1 have heard
and read and the letters l have re-
cefved Indicate, it seems to me, a con-
siderable misunderstanding Of condi-
tions, a misunderstanding that is like
ly to be hurtful to the party and the
cause of progress within it-and l be-
lieve it is only through the Democratic
some progress the State and her peo-
pie need Therefore, speaking solely
for myself and without conference
with anyone else J wish to review the
situation and the issues as l see them.
Let me say then, very frankly, that
the State platform of 1914 is the most
progressive the party has had in years,
and the Democratic mass-meeting in
April has been abundantly justified
by the results.
1 am aware that this statement will
surprise many people, but l challenge
1910 and 1912 (the only old ones /
have with me) and then deny my
statement that the 1914 platform is
far more progressive than either.
Understand me: 1 believe the 1914
platform should have been 100 per
but my point is that we have made a
good start toward getting platforms
responsive to public opinion and wei
do better next time.
From some of the doleful comments
in the papers, one might infer thai
the State Convention went against di
rect, legaliZed, Statewide primaries
whereas the fact is that the resolution
offered by the opponents Of such pri
maries was so overwhelmingly beateI
that it hardly managed to get to {
vote at all, and the only exception
uaQG was IOr county O1nC0rS.
Which Mass Meeting Resolution
Were Adopted and Which Were
Not?
Let us consider the complete record
taking in detail the resolutions adopt
ed by the Democratic mass-meetini
in April (Mr. Morrison is wrong il
calling it Progressive Convention
when it was Democratic Mass-M eet
ing for Democrats, for all Democrats
and for nobody but DemOcratsD
OF the mass meeting resolutions tn
Platform committee adopted:
1. The legalized Statewide primar
for all political parties and for all OF
hces, (the Platform committee Simpl
excepting county Offices).
2. Six months school term planl
with agriculture in the schools.
3. Rural credits plank.
4. Public health plank.
5. Modern penal system plank.
s. Freight and insurance rate
plank.
7, 3, 8. Health, conservation an
temperance planks.
Not only did the Platform commi
tee adopt these planks. but a readin
will show any one that in more tha
half the cases they used the eXa'
language of the Mass Meeting pla
form.
The resolutions the Platform con
mittee did not report upon were tt
following:
l. For establishing a State Higl
way Commission and for putting col
victs on public roads instead of raj
roads.
2. Prohibiting employment Of chi
dren in factories, or of women
night.
g. Giving the people vote on Il
initiative and referendum and loc
legislation, and declaring for increas'
inheritance taxes.
S. Dividing the Corporation Cor
mission.
g. Requiring employees Of pub
service corporations to sever SUI
connection before accepting office.
OF these six resolutions which I
committee failed to insert in the pla
form, it should be noted that on n
one did they report adversely, a
only to No. 1 and No. did membe
of the Platform committee themselN
express opposition to our ass-me.
ing committee. The others it was q
clared. were simply not matters II
pOrtant enough, or about which pal
opinion had sufficiently crystallizt