Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-07-30
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
adopted by Barber County Democrae,

The democratic party of Barber county, Kan
sas, in mass convention assembled. without
fear of successful contradiction, assert
1st- The administration of county affairs by
the republican party. during the past sixteen
years, has been little better than highway rob-
berry, it having saddled debt of third of a
million dollars on the people with nothing but
courthouse and a few ordinary bridges to
show where the expenditures were made
I'd. The republican majority. by electing to
office incompetent or dishonest men, or BOTH
has been the means of the county losing thous-
ands of dollars, at least $14,C00 of which was
openly and boldly acknowledged, and the only
explanation the tax-psUers could get out of
their SerN ants was 20 beasked what are you
going TO do about ii y
3D.. BY classifying census returns an Juggling
with figures ut least three county officers have
drawn from the county treasury, and retained
salaries larger than were allowed by law and
have refused, and still refuse to return to the
treasury the money illegally taken.
4th. The law requires that an annual state
ment CT the financial condition of the county
shall be published. and yet the Taxpayers have
never been permitted to see such statement,
and no effort has ever been made to punish the
officer for failure to prepare and publish this
financial exhibit.
9Th. The rate of taxation is permitted to re-
main so high that there exists in the county
treasury an average daily balance of S,5, OGO
when tfflS money should be in the pockets of
the Taxpayers.
Therefore, the democratic party of Barber
county, being in favor of reform in all branch
es of government, national, state and county,
demands a complete overhauling of county
finances, strict settlement of all balances
due by any former office-holder, publication
of the exact financial condition of the county,
and reduction in the rate of taxation to the
actual demands of the county government,
economically administered.
The democracy of Barber county is i'm favor
of reforms outside of county affairs, and here
by declares for the following:
The Australian system OF voting:
The free and unlimited coinage of silver:
The enforcementoft the law to prevent usury :;
The repeal of the national banking law, and
the issue of all currency direct by the govern
ment, in sufficient quantities to meet the de-
mands of trade;
Inc abolition OF trusts and combines
constitutional amendment to regulate the
issue of articles of Incorporation to alleged
companies, whose existence is confineo to the
whose liability and capital stock are us unstable
as the fabric of a school boys dream
We are opposed TO the alien ownership of
land; to the present system of tariff robbery :
to the control of one legislative branch of gov
eminent by millionaire senators 70 the out
rageous rulings OF despotic speaker of the
house of representatives to the system now
practced by the republican, majority in con-
I'M q
congress; aud we are especially opposed to the
reelection of John j. Ingalls,, whose only SER
vice for his state, in congress, has been rokeep
alive sectional issues, calculated to divide the
people of the north and south and prevent
that united brotherhood for which all good
citizens so devoutly wish.
We are opposed to a paternal government,
as proposed by the republican majority, and
we denounce as outrageous, the proposed
Lodge elections bill, which would have the
polls presided over by armed soldiers special
deputy marshals and other federal machinery.
calculated to prevent free Americans from
controlling their own elections i'll the manner
guaranteed to them by the constitution
We believe the right of petition should never
be denied and, therefore, when respectable
number of electors ask that they may be per-
mitted to vote on the repeal or adoption of any
part of the organic law, their request should
be granted, and the individual or party that
refuses to hear such petition, is unworthy of
confidence or power.
Resolved, by the democratic party of Barber
county, assembled in mass convention, that
we are in favor of the nomination of q straight
democratic ticket, upon platform of demo
cratic principles, from state officers down, and
including all county offices.