Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1892-09-12
National Democratic Platform
Adop'ea y'thr National liemucrati.
to-ten''''a at bi,ago, Jane
21st, 1892,

Section | The representatives of the
llemocrHic party Of the United States. in
National Csnvention assembled, do reafHrm
their allegiance to the principles of the mar.
ty as formulate by Jefferson aud ezemnli-
tied by long and iIlustrious line cf his sue
cessOrs in Democratic Leadership from Mad
son to Cleveland. We believe that the pub-
nc welfare demands that these principles be
applied TO tho conduct OF the Federal Gov
ernment through the accession to power of
the party that advocates them; and we sol.
emnly declare that the nesd of 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 cen.ralize all power
at the Federal Capital has becom. menace
TO the reserved rights ofthe States that strike
al 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-
puhican party bas committed itself, is
fraught with the gravest dangers, scarcely
less momenLous that would result from a
revolution, practically establishing monar-
chy en- the ruins of the Republic.
1t strikes at the North as well as the South
and iniules thu 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
. N, 81 = n l L.
people in the several States, the subjugation
OF the colored people to the control Of the
parry in power aud the reviving of race an
agonlsm, now happily abated, OF the utmost
peril to the safety and happiness OF all;
measure deliberately and Justly described by
a 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 self perpetusting 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 sell-governing communities.
Two years ago this revolutionary power
was emphatically eondemed by the people
at the polls; butin contempt of that verdict
the Republican party has defantly declared
in its latest authoritative utterance that its
succe slq the coming election will mean
the enac ment of the force bill and theu
patton of les ootic control over elections in
all the States.
Believing that the preser atlon Of repub-
lican government in the United States is
dependent upon the defeat OF this policy Of
egalized force and fraud, We invite the
support of Il citizens who desire to see the
Constitution maintained IN its integrity with
the lHws pursuant thereto which have given
our country hundred years OF unexampled
prosperity; and We pledge the Democratic
party, if il be init usted with power, not
only to the defeat of the force bill, but also
to resembles opposition to the Republican
policy Of profigate expenditure, which in
the short space OF two yars has squandered
an enormous surp us and empned an over
flowing treasury alter piling new burdens Of
taxation upon the already oyertaxed labor
Of the country