Daily Texarkana Democrat. (Texarkana, Ark.) 1890-1894, 1892-08-15
DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM
Adopted by the Democratic state Con.
rcntlOn at Little Rock,
June 18th, 1892.
THE PLATFORM.

THs PLATFORM.
! We, tho delegates of the Democrrtic party
OF the State OF Arkansas, assembled in con
yention at Little Rock, d, clSre that the SUI
preme issue Of the day is the re orm OF the
administration of the Government; and that
the people can safely trust the party founded
by Jefferson, and whose principles were en-
phasized in the splendid, patriotic and nom
sectional administration Of Grover Ceve-
land.
We denounce the Republican party for
its fragrant abuse and prostitution of power
during the last four years. Coming into iull
control of all branches of the government
in 1888 by the use of unprecedented corrup-
ton fund; largely l>vicd upon Government
personally and officially, TO the chief bene-
ticiary, that party Immediately entered upo
crusade of tyrany, fraud and prefigate
extravaganza never before yentured 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 dlssipated the surplus by
making annual appropriations IF $500,O00,-
| 900, largely for unnecessary and utterly in
/ defeLsible purposes, and thereby failed to
meet and discharge the maturing bonded in
debtedooss of the Government, and now finds
itself confronted with an imminent deficien-
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 Msgistracy of the nation
1t transcribed all precedents in vicious
class legislation, in the enactment Of the Nc.
Kinley bill, and finally, frightened by the
extremties to which it had gone, sought to
appease the pubic discomfort BY reciprocity
fraud, the adoption of which was confess
sion Of the iniquity it had perpetrated
1t deprived States of their just representa-
ton by false 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 sought to perpetuate the wrongs it had
done by deprivng the people of the right TO
hold their own Elections and choose their
/ OWN eci Ndute Wy Viz cHdCItlI6liG VI tbO
lannon's. and exccrablA 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 ard adj
mitted Republican territories in order to re-
tain party supremacy.
This regime of tyranny, extravaganza and
| wrong doing, contrasted with the c,esn,
honest, prudent and wise administration of
Grover 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 of the United States in its let
ter and spirit.
We declare our faith in the capacity of
the people for selt-government, and in their
inherent right to enjoy it, free from all Fed
ersl interference,
We denounce the Republican party be-
| cause it turned its back upon the interests
of the great masses of society. and sound,
| stable government for all, and allied its for
| tunes with corporate We 18th, squander ng
millions of the public domain upon railroads
fostering legislation, the legitimate offspring
| OF which has been combinations and trusts,
| expressing the labor it protested 70 protect
aud 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 q
crime against honest government and 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 tor their Surplus pro-
| ducts.
We denounce it because it is class leglsa-
| 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-
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 th3 Government, into the means of
plundering all for the benefit of q class.
We denounce it because it inaugurated
| 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 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 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 Itself.
We declare that the mission vf tho Demo-
cratic party is 10 so reform the tariff by II
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 neces&res of lite.
We favor safe aud sufficient currency,
composed OF gold and silver and legal tender
paper, convertible into coin On dem nd, and
maintained at par with each other.
We declare 1t to be the duty ofthe Demo-
cratic party to preserve the parity iI value
of gold and silver, and 10 provide the means
by the equal and fair treatment of both met
ais.
We flenounce the Sherman Silver bill as
an obstruction to tho fair treatment of silver
and as sham AMI preteuse, 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
schools in the interest of general Intelligence
and sound and stable government.