Daily Texarkana Democrat. (Texarkana, Ark.) 1890-1894, 1892-09-19
Rational Democratic Platform
Adopted ~ lie Fatlonsl irnucrAyic
80 Ne..tH q, hi'age, J1no
2lSt, 1892.

] Section ! The g,prescntstiycs of the
/ Denoerafic party ~ the Urited States, in
[ National Convention ii seulbied, do reaiiirm
their allegiance 20 the piinciplrs Of thu par
/ ~ as formulate by Jellerscn ,u.d ezempli-
| fed by long and illusirious line Of his sue
cessors In DemociMic leadership from Mad
ison to Cleveland. We telieye that the pub
lie welfare demand. ;ext these princlales be
applied 20 he conduct OF the Fejeral Gov
eminent through the accession to power of
the party that advocates then; and we sol.
EMMY declare that the need of return to
those fundamental principles of free pop
ular government based on home rule and
individual liberty was never more than now,
when the tendency to cen:rslze all power
al tic Federal Capital has becom a menace
10 the reserved rights ofthe States that strike
al the very roots OF our Government under
the Constitution as framed by the Republic.
As 10 THE FORCE BILL.
See. 2 We warn the people Of our COM
o'on country, jealous for the preservation OF
their free institutions, that the policy OF Fed
era control OF elections, to which the Re-
publican party bias committed itself, is
fraught with the gravest dangers, scarcely
less monaAtous 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 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 subjUgstion
ii the coored people to the control OF the
parry 10 power and tie reviying OF race an
tagoDism, now happily abated. Of tie 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 hy law, would mean the dominance
of sell perpetuating oligsrchy 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 ali selt-goyerning communities.
Two years ago this revolutionary power
was emphatically condemned by the people
at the polls; but in contempt OF that verdict
the Republican party has defantly declared
in its latest authoritative utterance that its
succe s Ia the coming election will mean
the enec ment Of the force bill and the usur-
patton Of despotie control over elections in
all the States.
Believing that the preSer alton OF Tepub
ican government in the United States is
dependent upon the defeat Of this policy Of
egalzed force and fraud, We invite the
support Of e, Il citizens who desire to see the
Constitution maintained In its integrity with
the laws pursuant thereto which have given
our country hundred years of unexampled
prosperity; and we pledge the Democratic
party. il il be inhusted With power not
only to the defeat of the force bill, hut also
to resembles opposition to the Republican
policy Of proiligate expenditure, which in
the short space OF two years has squaudered
an enormous surp Us and empted an over
lowing treasury after piling new burdens OF
taxation upon the already oyertaxed labor
Of the country