The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-09-24
Gen. RYE
OUTLINES
PLATFORM
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE
FOR GOVERNOR
CLEARLY OUTLINES VIEWS
On All Questions That Are Now
Before the People Ssrong
for Statewide Prohibition.
CLEARLY OUTLINES VIEWS

Saying that he wanted the support
of all democrats for the sake of de-
mocracy and that if elected he would
be Governor of Tennessee in fact as
well as in name, Gen. Thomas G. Rye
in his opening speech at Camden
clearly outlined his views on the ques-
tions that are now interesting the peo-
pie of Tennessee. In no mincing
terms he told how he favored state
wide prohibition, fair election laws
the decreasing of the state debt, the
building of good roads, the furnishing
of free textbooks to school children
and pensions for Confederate soldiers
The speech in part follows:
The return of the democratic party
must and will mean much to Tennes-
see. In the first place, it must and
will succeed. because it deserves sue
cess, ON account of it's declaration of
principles, in which l believe with all
my heart, body, mind and soul. and.
in my judgment. no road can or
should lead to victory save that road
which leads along the broad and we'll
defined paths of law enforcement. No
party deserves success which stands
for a notification of the laws of the
land. No party deserves success whose
leaders seek by manipulation and
sharp, shrewd Juggling with existing
conditions in the state to make sa-
cred principle subservient to the in
terests of any human being filled with
greed for office and ambitious for
power at the expense of the peace,
quietude and happiness of the citizen
ship of a great state like Tennessee.
The democratic party declares that
no law enacted for the benefit of the
people shall be ignored. 1t demands
that the sword, unsheathed for the
establishment of principle sacred to
the people, shall be sheathed when
the object and purpose for which it
was drawn has been accomplished. 1t
declares that the conditions that divide
and distract and disturb the social
and business relations and interests
of the state must be settled. and that
questions already settled and settled
right shall be and remain forever set
tied, and that no question affecting the
moral interests of the state, already
adjusted by majority of the sover-
eign citizens of the Commonwealth
satisfactorily to them, shall be per-
mitted to stalk forth in the broad
blaze and glare of an enlightened civil
ization to needlessly and unnecessar-
ily harass, annoy, district, disturb and
divide our people and keep alive the
simply to give life and vigor to the
political fortunes of some individual
and furnish an opportunity for repre-
of minority party to fat
ten and feast at the feed trough of
public patronage, while the machine
is builded to republicanize Tennessee.
But, on the other hand, we say those
questions are no longer debateable;
they are laws now. and these laws
must be enforced, whether they meet
the approval of the individual or not,
and it is not time to talk of repeal
nv ,,.od;6aof;n,, fnr a. do 90 Y,au, Il,
the face of open nullification by the
larger cities, would be but surrender
ing to men who refuse to obey the
law, and allowing them to say what
laws shall and shall not remain on
our statute books.
AS for myself, let me say here and
now that believe in the enforcement
Of the laws-the liquor laws and all
he laws. do not grant any man,
10 matter what his political power or
.nauence may be, the right to set al
naught these laws and ignore them.
30 such power belongs to any mar
~ right. and when it is assumed BY
my individual, that individual shoulc
be made to understand that eTnnessee
ioes NOT need and will not tolerate |
self-constituted bosses who spurn and
gnore her laws in order TO control |
ler politics
AS candidate for governor, wan
he support and influence of every le- |
gal voter in Tennessee who believes
n the platform upon which / stand |