The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1914-04-03
THE REGULAR COMMITTEE.

|
Emphatic declarations for temper
ance, law enforcement and honest
elections by the regular democratic
committee last week should be graft
flying to all good citizens who are in
terested in good government for good
government sake. OF course there
are partisans of certain politicians
who will not be pleased because they
fear that a too general acceptance OF
the reforms achieved in recent years
will make the pathway to success OF
their favorites bit more difficult to
travel.
But from the standpoint Of the
plain every day voter, whose sole in
terest in government comes from a
patriotic desire that it shall be hon,
estly and faithfully administered in
behalf of all the people, it is exceed
ingly pleasing to witness the zeal and
unanimity with which all political
organizations are accepting the re-
suits of our efforts of the past six or
eight years. Those of us who have
been in this long fight from the be-
ginning from purely patriotic motives,
without any political axes to grind or
any interests or ambitions to serve,
can genuinely rejoice at the general
acceptance of prohibition, law en-
forcement and honest elections as the
settled and fixed policies OF the state.
1t may be objected that the regular
committee is not sincere in it's advo-
cacy Of these reforms. Doubtless
some of the members are not; just
as there are and have always been
men in the ranks of the independents
who are neither sincere nor practical
prohibitionists. No political organi-
cation under the sun embraces with
in it's membership all of the virtue
and the morality and the patriotism
of the country. There are some who
are worthy of trust in all parties and
many who are not.
We cannot tell until after the regu-
lar convention has assembled and
made it's nomination for governor
how sincere the regulars" are in
their declarations for reform. If
candidate whose life is a guarantee
of sincere devotion to the platform
declarations is nominated the people
of Tennessee should be satisfied and
they will be. That is matter that
the regulars must determine. This
can be said, however; the people of
Tennessee will scrutinize the NOM
inee much more carefully than they
will be platform.
One thing is certain: The platform
of the May convention will be sub
stantially the platform of the March
COIlullLICt ulcclluS. u5 COLuluILICC
at its meeting Friday, represented
the present will of the party.
1t will be great thing for Tennes-
see when the prohibition question,
law enforcement and honest elections
are no longer issues in the state.
They should never have been made
political issues. They should be &C
copied as the fixed and inviolate
policy of the state.
Those of us who are pursuing the
presidents admirable policy of
"watcchful waiting" are gratified at
the progress that is being made to-
ward a removal of vexatious issues
from partisan politics, but we are 60
ing to quietly await the action Of the
May convention before reaching any
final or definite conclusion. If the
democratic party, at that convention
will promulgate the platform sug-
gested by the committee and put on
it democrat who has helped to
achieve the reforms therein enumer-
ated the way to peace and happiness
will be once more open in Tennes-
see.