Daily Texarkana Democrat. (Texarkana, Ark.) 1890-1894, 1892-08-12
DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM
Adopted by the Democratic STATE Con-
YCntIOn at Little Rock,
Jane 18th, 1892.
THE PLATFORM.

! VentlOn az Little ROek, clare inst the sC-
preme issue OF the day is tle re orm OF the
administration of the Government; and that
the people can safely trust the party fOun ed
by Jefferson, and whose principles were en-: .
phaszed in the splendid, patriotic and nom
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 branc es Of the oyernmcnt
in 1888 by the use of unprecedented corrup-
ton fund; largely LIVED upon Government
fayorites by those before and si0ce, close,
personally and officially, to he chief beno-
tciary, that party Immediately entered upo
a crusade of tyrany, fraud and prehigate
extravaganza never be!O'e ventures 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 f S500,000,-
900, largely for unnecessary and utterly in
| dtfeLsble purposes, and thereby failed to
meet and discharge the maturing bonded in
debtedp9ss of the Government, and now finds
itself confronted with an imminent deticisn-
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 precedeDts 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 a confess
sion Of the niquity it had perpetrated.
1t deprived States of their just representa-
ton by fa'se census.
1t deprived, in the most insolcnt 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 ections and choose their
own servants by the enactment of the in
lannon's and exccrable 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 ad.
mitted Republican territories in order to re-
tain party supremacy.
This regime OF tyranny, extravaganza and
wrong doing, contrasted with the c'ean,
honest, prudent and wise administration of
Grover Cleveland, brought upon the Rel ub-
iican party The most stupen3Ous defeat that
ever bcfell any party in this country, and
inspired anew with confidence AID hope all
the teople in the possibility Ct preserving
tree government for mankind.
We declare our abiding fidelity to the
Constitution ofthe United 5 ates in its let
ter and spi it,
We declare our faith in the capacity Of
the people for selt-goyernment 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 mas es Of society, and sound,
stable government for all, and allied its for
tunes with corporate We It'll, squander NC
millions Of the public domain upon raj roads
fostering legislation, the legitimate offspring
81 which has been combinations and trusts,
expressing the labor it professed 70 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 a
crime against honest government and a 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 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 for the oppression of the gre 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 manufactures,
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 peryersion Of the taxing power Of the
Constitution, which was intended to be
used to raise necessary revenue for the sup
port of tn Government into the means Of
plundeling all for the benefit Of class
We denounce it because it naugurated
for the fist time in a free Government, the
practice of taking from the public treasury
the 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 selfreliance Of the people,
which is q National characteristic, and
| 10 al an.
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 tho system Itself
We declare that the mission Uf tho Demo-
cratic party is o so reform the tariff by Il
reduction tf taxation as to limit the revenues
of the Government to its absolute nccessi'
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 necessrres Of lite.
We favor Il safe aud 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 II to be the duty ofthe Demo-
cratic party to preserve the parity iE value
of gold and silver, and 70 provide the means
by The equal and fair treatment of both met
ais.
We denounce the Sherman Silver bill as
an obstruction 10 the fair treatment Of silver
and as slam anu pretense, intended to
postpone honest honest legislation and to
annease 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
md sound and stable government
We declare it to be the senac Of this con-
veltion that the Penotentiory lease system
should DO abolished, and system adopted
for the treatment OF convicts moro consistent