W.O. Saunders, Candidate for Congress, Presents Platform, Feb. 20, 1920

From the front page of The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Feb. 20, 1920

Saunders Sets Up His Platform. . . Not Afraid of Real Government Ownership—Is for More Farms and Farming

When a man offers himself as a candidate for any legislative office, that man should make some statement of his position on those questions of imminent public concern. W.O. Saunders, candidate for Congress from the First Congressional District of North Carolina, states his position on the following propositions:

1.       He is for public ownership of the rail roads, telephones, telegraph, mines, large abbatoirs, grain elevators and large water power properties.

2.       He is for taxes to force idle lands into use.

3.       He is for free speech, free press, and peaceable assembly.

4.       He is for the right of labor to organize and bargain collectively thru representatives of their own choosing.

5.       He is for War Referendum, denying Congress the right to declare war without first ascertaining the will of the people by a referendum vote.

6.       He is for universal disarmament training or any other attempt to impress the spirit of militarism upon the American people.

7.       He is opposed to universal military by international agreement.

8.       He is for free trade.

9.       He is for Federal aid for all public roads and public schools.

10.   He is for the Federal acquisition and reclamation of swamp and overflowed lands; the lease of such lands, when reclaimed, upon reasonable terms to sellers, and the loan of money upon farm homes and farm machinery to encourage the rapid settlement of such lands and promote the growing of more food and other staple crops.

11.   He is for any measure that will improve the condition of the farming class, make farming more attractive and induce people to go back to the farms; for the nation is dependent upon its agriculture and a large agricultural class can save the country from revolution, anarchy, bankruptcy and starvation.

12.   He is for full publicity of all legislative measures and will, if elected, keep his constituents freely and fully informed at all times, upon all measures in which they are, or should be, interested.