Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1892-09-06
National Democratic Platform
Adopted by The National Democratic
Co7yeni,on at Chicago, June
21st, 1892.

Section l. The represent .tives of the
Democra'ie party of the United States, in
I National Convention assembled, do reafiirm
their sllegianca TO the PRINCIPLES of the par.
ty as formulate by Jetie-so Oh and ezenipli-
fed by long and illustrious line of his sue
cessors in Democratic leadership from Mad
ison to Cleveland. We boiieye that the pub
lie weifaf' demands that these prinrirles he
applied u tho conduct oi the Federal Gov
ernment through the accession to power of
the party that advocates them; and wo sol.
emnly declare that the need of return to
these fundamentsl principles of free pop
ular government based on EOme rule and
individual liberty was never moro than now,
when the tendency to cen.ralzc all power
at the Federal Capital has becom a menace
to the reserved rights ofthe States that strike
a. the very roots of our Government under
the Constitution as framed by the Republic.
AZ 70 THE FORCE BILL.
Sec. 2. We wan 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-
pubiican party bas committed itself, is
fraught with the gravest dangers, scarcely
less momentous that would result from a
revolution, practically establishing monar-
chy en- the ruins of the Republic.
1t strikes at the North as well rs the South
and inip es thu colored citizens even more
than the whites 1t means Il horde of dep
uty marshals ut every polling place, srmed
with Federal power, returning boards ap-
nointed and controlled by Federal author
ty, the outrage OF the electoral rights OF the
people in the several States, the subjugation
OF the colored people to toe control of the
party in power and the reviving of race an
tagonlsm, now happily abated, OF the utmost
peril to the safety and happiness OF all; a
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 -perpetuating oigarchy 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 seli-governing communities.
Two years ago this revolutionary power
was emphatically condemed by the people
at the polls; but IN contempt of that verdict
the Republican party has dehantly declared
in its latest authoritative utterance that its
succe IN the coming election will mean
the enactment of the force bill and the usur-
patton of Gespotic control over elections in
all the States.
Believing that the preser alton 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 laws pursuant thereto which have given
our country hundred years Of lnexampled
prosperity; and W. pledge The Democratic
party, il il be int usted with power, not
only to the defeat of the force bill, but also
to resentless opposition to the Republican
policy of profigate expenditure, which in
the short space OF two y ars has squ4ndered
an enormous surp us and empted an over
lowing treasury after piling new burdens of
taxation upon tue already oyertaxed labor
of the country