The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-07-26
Judge Roberts in Union City.

What impressed us more than any
thing we have heard for long time
was that part of Judge Roberts
speech last Thursday in Union City
and the truth is that this was the
burden of his talk, of consolidating
and eliminating useless offices,
annexes, salaried positions, etc., in
connection with the legislative and
executive departments of the State
of Tennessee, so that the people of
the State may know that they. are
not paying for something they do not
need. And more than this, that an
injustice may not be imposed upon
the taxpayers of the State. Judge
Roberts is candidate for the Demo-
cratic Gubernatorial nomination in
the primary next Thursday. He
wants to be Governor.
Judge Roberts is a Democrat, one
who feels that there is something
else to the term besides name. The
whole sum and substance of the diff
ference between governments is that
classes want to own and control the
wealth and rule the masses. This is
plutocracy. The government may be
in the form of empires, kingdoms,
monarchies, or even in republics, If
the wealth i1 owned by few people
and the masses are prescribed in
their civic, political and religious
liberties.
True democracy on the other hand
means that when the people have
rendered unto Caesar that which is
Caesars and no more, and that gov
ernment is of the people, for the peo-
pie and by the people, the form is
matter of small Importance And
the practice of steadily encroaching
upon the public treasures in the
maintenance of departments, bu-
reaus, etc., which are not necessary
| to economic government is nothing
more nor less than a step towards
plutocracy. Our government is
tainted with that very thing, both
| State aad nation, and Judge Roberts
is like one appearing in the wilder
ness to lead his people into the light.
This paper has long been Impress
! ed with the thought that we have
too much government and too much
government expenditure. There is
too much draft upon the public
treasury for the service VIC are get
ting. This is meant to apply in
peace times. 1t may be applicable to
war times but that is not what we
are trying to SET at.
Men in Office and men in Congress
seem to forget in their affluent sur
roundings tho people who produce
the wealth. 1t grows too much to-
wards a condition by which the
idle class lives upon the toll of the
laboring class. The representative
class grows too much obsessed with
the thought that it is its mission to
institute sort of suzerainty over his
neighbors and fellow beings, and
this begets litkle more authority
and autocracy, and then plutocracy.
We do not believe that democracy
G IN hut "a
belongs to the people, the individual.
The old States rights idea was ex-
ploded by the Civil War. 1t is moth
ing but an aristocracy, when ana
lyzed. The South was before the
war a glorious country, but an aris-
tocracy.
Now, we are heralding Judge Rob-
erts as disciple of true democracy.
He is coming with a campaign that
rings true. He is coming as demo-
crat, one who believes in an honest
administration of government. He
thinks the office is a public trust ;,
and the man who violates this trust
is no longer a democrat, no longer a
friend of the people.
The Commercial started out along
that line some time ago. We have
wondered often since who would be
the first political Moses to lead the
people. Men can be lauded for great
ness, but true greatness needs no
advance agent. If Judge Roberts
lives up to the doctrine he is preach
ing there will be greater things for
democracy in Tennessee and no man
has had or will have more to make
the office Of Governor honored in
the State.
Patriotic Celebration.