Daily Texarkana Democrat. (Texarkana, Ark.) 1890-1894, 1892-08-11
DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM
Adopted by the Democratic STATE Cen.
VentlOn at Little Rock,
June 18th, 1892.
THE PLATFORM.

THE PLATFORM.
II We, The delegates of the DCmocutc party
of the State OF Arkansas, assembled in con
Vention at Little Rock, d clare that the su
preme issue OF the day is the reform of The
administration of the Government; and thai
the people can safely trust the party founded
by Jefferson, and whose principles were err
phasized in 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 tull
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 aud since, close,
personally and officially, TO the chief bene-
iciary, that party Immediately enter, d upo
a crusade of tyrany, fraud and preflgate
extravaganza never before yenturGo upon by
any party IN times of peace.
1t found the treasury with 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 dIssipated the surplus by
making annual appropriations If S5OOOO0,-
900, largely for unnecessary and utterly IN
defeLsible purposes, and thereby failed to
meet and discharge the maturing bonded in
debtedr 9ss of the Government, and now finds
itself confronted with All imminent deicen-
cy. Moreover, it made many of its appro-
priations permanent, for 10 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
kinney bill, and finally, frightened by the
extremities to which it had gone, sought to
appease the pubic discomfort by reciprocity
fraud, the adoption of which was confes-
sion Of the iniquity it had perpetrated
1t deprived States of their just representa-
ton by Ease census.
1t deprived, in the most insolrnt 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 sought 10 perpetuate the wrongs it had
done by depriving the people of tho right to
hold their own e ections ard choose their
own servants by the enactment of the in,
lannon's and exccIable 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 ad-
mitted Republican territories in order to re-
tain party supremacy.
This regime of tyranny, extravaganza and
wrong doing, contrasted with the ceon,
honest, prudent and wise administration Of
t4rovcl Cleveland, brought upon the Rel ub-
lican party the most stupendOus defeat that
ever befell any party in this country, and
inspired anew with confidence and hope all
the people in the possibility Of preserving
free government for mankind.
We declare our abiding fidelity to the
Constitution ofthe United States in its let
ter and spi it.
We declare our faith in the capacit, of
the people for self-goyernment, and in their
inherent right to enjoy it, free from all Fed
eral interference,
We denounce the Republican party be-
cause it turned its back upon the interests
Of the great mass es of society, and sound,
stable government for all, and allied its for
tunes with corporate We It'll, squauder ng
millions Of the public domaia pon raj roads
fostering legislation, the legitimate offspring
81 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 CT the
world closed to the fruits of honest toll.
We denounce the Mckinley tariff as a
crime against honest government and free
people, not only because it levies an unnec-
essary tax and thereby imposes wantoD and
cruel burdens on the people, but because it
destroys the markets fer 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 greet mass OF
the people,
We denounce it because it does not in
crease wages, but surrenders the taxing pow
or of the Government to the manufacture rs
and leaves it TO the employers to determine
whether they will divide the immense boun-
| W 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 reyenue for the sup
| port of tbs Government, into the means OF
pundering all for the benefit Of class.
We denounce it because it naugurated
| for the first time in free Government, the
practice OF taking from the public treasury
tho Il oney collected for public purposes
from ali the people, and with it, pay boun-
ties TO select industries
We denounce it because it destroys the in
dependence and self.reliance Of the people,
which is National characteristic, and
and teaches them to ely upon government
tai favoritsm.
We dcnounce it because the inevitable
tendency OF this system is the destruction Of
popular government, in the dcbauchment OF
the ballot, by tribute eXtorted from favored
Glasses, whose enormous bounties depend
upon the continuance Of tho system self.
We dectce that the mission Uf the Demo-
cratic party is 10 so reform the taritl by Il
reduc ion CT 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 sato aud sufficient currency,
composed OF gold and silver and legal tender
poptr, convertible into coin on dem md, and
maintained at par with each other
We declare It to be the duty ofthe Demo-
cratic party to preserve the parity iE value
Of gold and silver, and 10 provide the means
nv Tho equal and fair treatment Of both met
ais.
We denounce the Sherman Silver bill as
an obstruction to tho fair treatment Of silver
and AS sham ana u pretense, 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