Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1892-10-07
National Democratic Platform
Adopted Dy the National Democratic
Convention at Chicago, June
2lst, 1892.

Section l. The representatives of the
DeIhocratie party of the United States, in
National Convention assembled, do reafiirm
their allegiance TO the principles of the par
ty as tormulate4 by Jefferson and ezempli-
lied by long and illustrious line of his sue
cessors in Democratic leadership from Mad
lson to Cleveland. We believe that the pub
lie welfare demands that these principles be
applied to the conduct OF the Federal Gov
ernment through the accession to power of
the party that advocates them; and we sol.
EMMY declare that the need of a return to
these fundamental principles of free pop
ular government based on home rule and
individual liberty was never more than now,
when the tendency to centralize all power
at the Federal Capital has become a menace
to the reserved rights ofthe States that strike
at the very roots of our Government under
the Constitution as framed by the Republic.
as 70 THE FORCE BILL.
Sec. 2. We warn the people of our COM
mon country, jealous for the preservation OF
their free institutions, that the policy OF Fed
eral control OF elections, to which the Re-
publican party has committed itself, is
fraught with the gravest dangers, scarcely
less momentous that would result from a
revolution, practically establishing monar-
chy cn the ruins Of the Republic.
1t strikes at the North as well as the South
and injuries the colored citizens even more
than the whites. 1t means horde of dep
uty marshals at every polling place, armed
with Federal power, returning boards ap-
pointed and controlled by Federal author
ity, the outrage OF the electoral rights OF the
people in the several States, the subjugation
OF the colored people to the control of the
parry in power and the reYiving of race an
tagonlsm, now happily abated, of the utmost
peril to the safety and happiness of all; a
measure deliberately and Justly described by
leading Republican Senator 'as the most
infamous bill that ever crossed the thresh,
old of the Senate" such policy, if sane
toned by law, would mean the dominance
of selt-perpetuating oligarchy of office
holders, and the party first entrusted with
its machinery could be dlslodged from pow
er only by an appeal to the reserved right
OF the people to resist oppression which is
inherent in all selt-governing communities.
Two years ago this revolutionary power
was emphatically condemned by the people
III lub pOllhj UuJ III LtClnpb Va budb N6lO1Ct
the Republican party has defantly declared
in its latest authoritative utterance that its
succe IN the coming election will mean
the enac ment of the force bill and the usur-
patton Of despotic control over elections in
all the States.
Believing that the preser7 alton of repub-
lican government in the United States is
dependent upon the defeat Of this policy OF
legalized force and fraud, We invite the
support of IL citizens who desire to see the
Constitution maintained inits integrity with
the laws pursuant thereto which have given
our country hundred years of unexampled
prosperity;a and we pledge the Democratic
oarty, if il be intiusted with power, not
1nly to the defeat OF the force bill, but also
20 resembles opposition to the Republican
policy of proaigate expenditure, which in
the short space OF two years has squandered
an enormous surp US and emptled an over
lowing treasury after piling new burdens OF
taxation upon the already oyertaxed labor
Of the country