Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1892-08-04
DEMOCRATIC STATE PLATFORM
Adopted by the Democratic STATE Con.
YCntiOn at Little Rock,
Jane 14th, 1892.
THE PLATFORM.

!
We, The delegates of the Democrrtic psrty
of the State OF Arkansas, assembled in con
vention al Little Rock, clare thst the SUI
preme issue OF the day is tle reform of he
administration OF the Government; and that
the people can safely trust the party founded
by jefferson, and whose principles were em
phasized in the splendid, patriotic aud non
sectional administration of Grover @ eve
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 levied upon Government
fayorites by those before and since, close,
personally aud officially, TO The chief bene-
tcary, that party Immediately entered upo
A crusade of tyrany, fraud and pretligste
extravaganza never before yentured upon by
any party In times OF peacc.
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
IF taxation, it dlssi pated the surplus by
making annual appropriations # S5OOOOO,-
900, largely for unnecessary and utterly in
defeLsiblc purposes, and thereby failed to
meet and discharge the maturing bonded in
ieltedc 9ss of the Government, and now finds
itself confronted with an imminent deticisn-
cy. Moreover, it made many of its appro-
prations 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 transcended all precedents in vicious
class legislation, in the enactment Of the Mic
kinney bill, and finally, frightened by the
extremLies to which it had gone, sought to
sppcase the pubic discomfort by reciprocity
fraud, the adoption of which WAS contes-
sion of the iniquity it had perpetrated
1t deprived States OF their just representa-
tion by fa Sc 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
If Congress.
And, finally drunk with its own excesses,
it sought TO perpetuate the wrongs it had
lone by depriving the people of the right to
hold their own ections and choose their
own servants by tho enactment of the in
lannon's and execIable 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 clean,
honest, prudent and wise administration OF
irovel Cleveland, brought upon the Rel rub-
can party the most stupendous defeat that
ever bctell any party in this country, and
inspired anew with confidence and hope all
the people in the possibility Of preserving
| tree government for mankind.
We declare our abiding fidelity TO the
| Constitution Of the United States in its let
Ter and spi it.
We declare our faith in the capacity OF
| the people for selt-government, and in then
inherent right to enjoy it, free from all Fed
| 9rSl interference,
We denounce the Republican party be.
\ cause it turned its back upon the interests
Of the great mas:e es of society. and sound
stable government for all, and allied its for.
.unes with corporate ue1lth, squander ne
millions Of the public domain upon railroads
fostering legislation, the legitimate offspring
)I which has been combinations ana trusts
| expressing the labor it professed 10 protect
md fastening ever increasing burdens OF
agriculture, until the homes Of the people il
| 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 {
crime against honest government and Il fleC
people, not only because it levies an unnec
essary tax and thereby imposes wanton anC
cruel burdens on the people, but because il
destroys the markets for their surplus pro
| ducts.
| We denounce it because it is class leglsa
Jion, enacted in the interest of the favored
few, who are wealthy, and at the expense
and tor The oppression OF the greet mass o
the people.
We denounce it because it does not in
crease wsges, but surrenders the taxing pow
| or Of the Government to the manufacture rs
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 bt
used to raise necessary revenue for the sup
| port of th9 Government, into the means O
| plundelng all for the benefit of q class.
| We denounce it because it lnauguratet
for the first time in free Government, the
practice OF taking from the public treasury
the n oney collected for public purpose
from ali the people, and with 1t, 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, anC
and teaches them to iely upon governmen
tai tavorltsm.
We denounce it because the inevitable
tendency OF this system is the destruction o
popular government, in the dcbauchment o.
the ballot, by tribute eXtorted from favored
classes, whose enormous bountles depenc
upon the continuance of the system isef.
We declare that the mission Of the Demo
cratic party is o SO reform the tariff by :
reJuc ion Of taxation as to limit the revenues
of the Government to its absolute necessi
ties when economically administered, and tC
so frame its tariff schedules as to place the
burdens OF government upon the luXurle
| duu HOG II ppu VIC hoCOssAllos VI iilO'
We favor q safe and sufficient currency
composed OF gold and silver and legal tende
paper, convertible into coin on demand, anc
maintained at par with each other
We declare 1t to be the duty ofthe Demo
cratic party to preserve the parity iE value
OF gold and silver, and TO provide the meaul
by the equal and fair treatment of both met
ais.
We denounce the Sherman Silver bill al
an obstruction to the fair treatment of silve
and as a slam and a pretense, intended tC
postpone honest honest legislation and tt
sppease the silver producers while giving ne
relief TO the people.
We declare our purpose to continue t
maintain, support and develop our publ,
schools in the interest of general intelligence
and sound and stable government