Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-01-13
AL SMITH SETS
FORTH VIEWS
OF DEMOCRACY

WASHINGTON Jan. IL up - The
complete text of the letter sent by
! Governor Smith of New York to be
read at tonight's Jackson day dinner
| here follows:
Honorable Glenn Shaver, chairman,
democratic national committee, Wash
| ington, d. c.,
MY Dear Chairman:
ut is matter of deep regret that
the pressure of official business makes
it impossible for me to leave the state.
1 should like to join with my fellow
democrats throughout the country in
celebrating the birthday of Andrew
| Jackson. I take it that when a group
of democratic leaders from various
parts of the country come together,
! something must naturally be said OF
interest to the country and to the
/ party.
"The democratic party deserves sue
cess in the nation, but, in my opinion,
cannot attain it by relying wholly upon
the mistakes of it's political adversaries
/ 1t should inspire confidence rv con-
Structive, forward looking platform
with promises of material betterment
-for the nation. There should be no
/ western, 10 eastern, no northern, no
southern democracy. Jeffersonian dem
1 ocracy is built upon proposals Suffic
iently broad and liberal to enlist all
men who believe in the principles of
representative government, We must
think nationally, and not locally.
eff may be pardoned for definite
suggestion at this time, venture to
say that the declaration of party prin-
ciples might well be tentatively drafted
at the earliest possible moment. be-
] lieve we have erred in the by waiting
/ for the national convention to under
4 take the entire task of preparing a
| platform In the heat and rush of a
convention the platform when finally
written is, to my way of thinking, not
sufficiently understandable to the
masses of the people. There is toe
great tendency to speak of the evils
that beset us and to fail to suggest
any specific remedy.
party platforms of recent years
have been too general in their terms
and important questions have been
neglected by platform builders in the
spirit of compromise with great prin-
ciples. We cannot carry water on both
shoulders. The democratic party must
4 talk out to the American people in nc
uncertain terms
"The national committee could rem
der great service to the party and
to the country as well, by the formula
ton far in advance of the national
convention, of definite party policy
/ n11 1i1anc, IryI1io11 fhoyso aoT q
during the course of the conventions
deliberations a platform upon which
our candidates may present their cause
1 to the country.
"It is my deep conviction that our
platform should be built by applying
the fundamental principles of Jeffer-
sonian democracy, unflinchingly, to
each specific problem of the day.
4 .'The greatest degree of local self
| government by the states, the mini
mum of interference by the federal
government or any state with the local
habits and concerns of any other state
/ legislation for the interest of all, and
not for any class or group, non-inter-
ference with the internal affairs OF
4 other nations, tolerance of conflicting
opinion these are our articles of po-
/ litical faith.
when we follow these, we succeed
! We should follow them now.
We should study and treat in the
light of these principles our foreign
relations, prohibition, agriculture re-
form of the governmental machinery
economic policy, conservation, and de-
velopment of our public natural re-
sources and in fact any other question
which arises We will solve these
specific problems rightly only if we
fearlessly meet them in full reliance
j upon these traditions of our party. I
for one, am for thus meeting them
without equivocation
s'The success :" -. $500 roeratiC
party in the state of New York lies ir
the fact that it has had clear-cut
definite platform, and from Long Islanc
+ Lake Erie the democratic party
stood as one man until the people o1
the state achieved the full benefit o1
the promises made at each of oul
democratic state conventions.
f'Indecisive declarations of politica
faith, get the party nowhere. We have
had sufficient experience along thai