The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-09-25
PLATFORM OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY OF TEXAS.

We, the Democracy of Texas, in Conven-
ton assembled, relying on the virtue and
intelligence of the people, again declare our
principles and policy, and ask for them tho
popular approval And
/. We declare our adhesion to the time
honored principles of the Democratic party /;
our devotion to popular liberty regulated
by law; and to Constitutional government
staple in machinery, and to be be admin
istered with the strictest economy.
II. We congratulate the people of Texas
on the repeal by the Thirteenth Legislature
of a number of the oppressive, odious and
unconstitutional acts, passed by the Twelfth
Legislature, in pursuance of the Radical pol
icy to overthrow the government or the
people, and among which acts were:
1. The Militia Law, whereby the Cover
nor was authorized to suspend the writ of
haJcas corpus and establish martial law,
thereby depriving the citizens of all legal
and constitutional protection, and subject
ing their lives, liberty and property to the
unrestrained caprice and malignity of a
partisan Executive.
2. The Police Bill, designed and intended,
among other things, to create system of
secret espionage, by hired informers, upon
the people at war with the principles Of
civil liberty; odious to all freemen, and
heretofore tolerated only in the despotism
of the old world, and the execution Of
which act was for the most part entrusted to
a class of men of degraded and infamous
character.
3. The Enabling Act, under which the
Governor was authorized to appoint district
attorneys who were made elective by the
Constitution; to appoint all municipal Off
GERS, and to fill all vacancies that might
occur in the offices of clerks and sheritfs,
thereby designedly bestowing on him great
power and patronage, to enable him to con
tinuc Radical misrule over this people.
4. The registration and election laws,
which were framed and intended for the
purpose of preventing free and fair cleo
tions; they openly encouraged the perpe-
tration of frauds to defeat the will of the
people, and to perpetuate Radical misrule,
presenting to our people the extraordinary
and humiliating spectacle of surrounding
the places of registration and voting with
an armed partisan police with which to in
timidate and oyerawe the citizens.
5. The act relating to public free schools,
which, among many other bad features,
provided the means OF enabling public Off
cials to speculate in school books, in the
building and furniture of school houses, in
the salaries of teachers, and furnished high
salaries for a large and useless number of
officers, which gave the Radical party the
means to pay their political missionaries
who Travelled for radical purposes and frauds,
from one end of the State to the other.
III. And we further congratulate the peo-
pie OF Texas that the Democratic members
Of the Thirteenth Legislature, so far as it
was possible to accomplish their object, in
presence of the captious yctoes of the Gov
ernor. and the opposition of his partisans in
the Senate. replaced the foregoing obnox-
ious, repealed measures, by just and whole
come laws, bearing alike on all. and which
II honestly and faithfully executed, viii re-
d0und to the lasting good OF the country
and prosperity of the people.
". The Democratic party, when it
comes into the possession of the government
of the State, win administer it in the inter
est and for the benefit Of the whole people,
and not Of party; and, however much we
may have been provoked to hostile and re-
taliatory legislation, by the outrages COM
mitted on rs by the Radical Legislature
and State government, it viii be a part of
our great mission to rise superior to our
Just resentments. and administer the gov
crnment in such manner that every citizen,
whatever his politics, religion, nationality
or color, shall feel that he is securely pro-
tected IN his life, liberty and property.
V. The school fund, sacredly set apart
for the education Of the children of the
State, has, under the operation Of the mis-
iule Of the party in power, been plundered
by peculation, squandered and perverted
to political purposes The Democratic
party, through US, reafiirms its past opin-
Ion and the policy It has ever pursued, that
It is the bounden duty of The State to
maintain an efficient system Of free common
schools, and secure the means Of a COM
mon education to every child IN the State !;
and we advocate the gradual sale Of the
alternate sections Of land belonging TO the
common school fund as also Of the asylum
and university lands under such restric-
tons as viii secure the funds arising there
from b the purposes for which they were
intended, and giving in such. sales proper
preferences TO actual settlers IN good faith
thereon
VI. II was the Democratic party which
first inauguratcd the wise aud generous poll
icT which has made the United Stafcs the
asylum 81 al nations from oppressive gov
eminent and less favorable means 81 iivcii-
hood and Independence. and Che Democrat
ic party 81 Texas. true Is Tho early tcachiags
and uniform practices nf tie party, alF0-
cites the most liberal and aclfe policy %
encourage and increase foreign inrli grafton.
to develop he resources 81 orr fertile state.
IS vel IS 8 pelT stnaic the government.
through the intelligence and moral worth
ol 1r citizens And lht every adopted
citizen may enter INTO tie spirit 81 perfect
freedom q lao1e1l ani acfiqn 81 mztteIs