Daily Texarkana Democrat. (Texarkana, Ark.) 1890-1894, 1892-08-05
DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM
Adopted by the Democratic State Con.
VentlOn at Little Rock,
June Nth, 1892.
THE PLATFORM.

! THE PLATFORM.
We, the delegates of tho Democrrtic party
of the State OF Arkansas, assembled in con
yention at Little Rock, clare that the su.
preme issue OF the day is tae reform OF the
administration OF the Government; and that
the people can safely trust tle party founled
by Jefferson, and whose principles were eIr
phasized 10 the splendid, patriotic and non
sectional administration of Grover G eve
land.
We denounce the Republican party for
its fragrant abuse and prostitution of power
during the last four years. Coming into full
control of all branches of the Government
in 1888 by the use of unprecedented corrup-
ton fund; largely levied upon Government
fayorites by those before and since, close,
personally and officially, TO The chief bene-
fciary, that party Immediately entered upo
4 crusade of tyrany, fraud and prefigate
extravaganza never before ventured upon by
any party IN times of peace.
1t found the treasury with a large and
daily increasing surplus, and in times of
great depression, accompanied by the uni
versal demand for relief from the burdens
Of taxation, it dlssipated the surplus by
masking annual appropriations IF S500,000,-
900. largely for unnecessary and utterly in
defeLsible purposes, and thereby failed to
meet and discharge the maturing bonded in
| debtedp oss of the Government, and now finds
| itself confronted with an imminent defcisn-
| cy. Moreover, it made many of its appro-
priations permanent, for no other purpose,
than to prevent the people from correcting
the evils done, SO long as the Republican
party retained control OF either the Senate
or Chief Magistracy of the nation.
1t transcribed all precedents in vicious
class legislation, in the enactment of the Nc.
Kinley bill, and finally, frightened by the
extremites to which it had gone, song Int to
appease the pubic discomfort by reciprocity
sion of the iniquity it had perpetratcd.
1t deprived States OF their just representa-
ton by ia Sc census.
1t deprived, in the most insolent and ar
bitrary manner, and practically without an
opportunity to be heard, representatives OF
The people of their seats in the lower House
Of Congress.
And, finally drunk with its own excuses,
it fought to perpetuate the wrongs it had
done by depriving the people of the right TO
hold their own e ections and choose their
own servants by the enactment of the in
lannon's and execrabl~ force bill.
1t treated with utter contempt all ideas OF
economy and honesty, both in its pension
legislation and in its administration of that
bureau.
1t rejected Democratic territories and adj
mitted Republican territories in order to re-
tain party supremacy.
This regime Of tyranny, extravaganza and
wrong doing, contrasted with the clean,
honest, prudent and wise administration of
Grover Cleveland, brought upon the Rel ub-
lican party the most stupendous defeat that
ever betell any party in this country, and
inspired anew with confidence and hope all
the people in the possibility Of preserving
tree government for mankind.
We declare our abiding fidelity to the
Constitution of the United States in its let
ter and split.
We declare our faith in the capacity of
the people for self-government. and in their
inherent right to enjoy it, free from all Fed
9rsl interference,
We denounce the Republican party be-
Of the great masses of society. and sound,
stable government for all, and allied its for
tunes with corporate We 18th, squander ny
millions of the public domain upon railroads
fostering legislation, the legitimate offspring
d which has been combinations and trusts,
expressing the labor it professed 10 protect
and fastening ever increasing burdens on
agriculture, until the homes of the people in
great sections of the country are covered
With mortgages, and the markets of the
world closed to the fruits of honest toll.
We denounce the Mckinley tariff as
crime against honest government and a free
people, not only because it levies an unnec-
essary tax and thereby imposes wanton and
cruel burdens on the people, but because it
destroys the markets for their Surplus pro-
ducts.
We denounce it because it is class leglsla-
ton, enacted in the interest of the favored
few, who are wealthy, and at the expense
and tor the oppression OF the great mass OF
the people.
We denounce it because it does not in
crease wages, but surrenders the taxing pow
er of the Government to the manufacture rs,
and leaves it 10 the employers to determine
whether they will divide the immense boun-
ty it yields with those they employ.
We denounce it because it is an abuse
and perversion of the taxing power of the
Constitution, which was intended to be
used to raise necessary revenue for the sup
port OF the Government, into the means of
plundeling all for the benefit of class.
We denounce it because it lnaugurated
for the first time in free Government, the
practice of taking from the public treasury
the money collected for public purposes
from all the people, and with 1t, pay boun-
ties to select industries
I'VE denounce it because it destroys the in
dependence and sef.reliance of the people,
which is National characteristic, and
and teaches them to iely upon government
tai favoritsm.
We denounce it because the inevitable
tendency OF this system is the destruction of
popular government, in the debauchment OF
the ballot, by tribute extorted from favored
classes, whose enormous bounties depend
upon the continuance Of the system self.
We declare that the mission Of the Demo-
cratic party is 10 so reform the tariff by u
reduction of taxation as to limit the revenues
of the Government TO its absolute necessi.
ties when economically administered, and to
so frame its tariff schedules as to place the
burdens OF government upon the luxuries
and not npOn the necessrries of lite.
We favor u safe and sufficient currency,
composed OF gold and silver and legal tender
paper, convertible into coin on dem md, and
maintained at par with each other.
We declare 1t to be the duty of the Demo-
cratic party to preserve the parity IT. value
of gold and silver, and 10 provide the means
by the equal and fair treatment of both met
ais.
We 1enounce the Sherman Silver bill as
All obstruction to the fair treatment of silver
and as sham ana a preLense, intended to
postpone honest honest legislation and TO
appease the silver producers while giving no
relief to the people.
We declare our purpose to continue TO
maintain, support and develop our public
.ohanle In tho ipia 10 e.nrn.,1