Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-08-24
and the fair name of the state protected


 9. We del land reapportionment of the judicial districts of the state, to the end that the labor of the judges may be equalized and unnecessary districts abolished.
 G. We demand that the legislature en- act law requiring express companies to maintain general offices within the linn its of the state.
 7 We indorse the reforms in our fee system recommended by Governor Gull person, and demand that the fees of county and district offices be regulated by the enacFment of law similar to that which now regulates the compensa. ton of county treasnrers, with such notifications as will secure efficient public service and be just alike to officer, lltigant and taxpayer.
 5. The Democratic party is the friend of labor and the laboring man. and for the ample aud sufficient protection of the artisans, mechanics and laborers of l our state vza demand the passage of lib- eral laws, securing them in the prompt payment of their wages, and providing for fixing and enforcing liens therefor. 9. We demand such fu. sher amend ments to the present fellow servant lav- as will attain the purpose sought to be accomplished thereby, and as will pro- tect employees of railway and other cor porations ill their lives and against in- jury.
 10. The Democratic party will con- tinne it's well established policy of dis posing of the public school lands of the state to these desiring homes, so as to promote, as far as practicable, the set clement of the country and its speedy development. To this end, and that the school fund may be more speedily in creased from that source, we favor such legislation as will facilitate the sale of such lands, rather than the indefinite perpetuation of lease system.
 II. We demand a reformation in our criminal laws. Among the reforms inn peratively demanded is an amendment to the code of criminal procedure au- thorizing the appellate court to presume that all matters of venue were proven on the trial, that the accused pleaded to the indictment and that the jury was sworn, unless such questions were i'll is- sue in the trial court and were there acted upon before appeal; an amend ment to article 725, code of criminal procedure, to the effect that the appel late court shall not be required to re- verse q judgment unless a failure of the trial court te observe the require ments of that article probably injured 1 the defendant and deprived him of a l fair trial, and the correction of the evils of professional jury service. We fur ther demand that our jury laws be re- vised and that the number of exemp- i tions from jury service be reduced, and that ill every criminal case trials sha-l be alike fair and impartial as between i the state and defendant. and to that 1 the state have the same number of per emptory challenges allowed defendant.
 12. We believe that the system of i hiring eonvicts to individuals or corpor- ations is contrary to public policy and should be discontinued at the earliest l practicable moment consistent with the best interests of the state. We favor the adoption of the amendment to section l. article z, of the constitution, submitted l by the Twenty fourth legislature, which 1 will permit the investment of a portion of the school fund in agricultural lands i for the benefit of the penitentiary sys- tenn. This will provide necessary em- ployment for conyicts, restrict competi- | tion with free labor assist in avoiding taxation to support the penitentiaries, and furnish a safe investment for the fund, but the amount of money for this purpose should be carefully limited.
 13. We favor such careful and guard ed laws as may be necessary to enable the state board of education, i'll the in- vestment of the school fund in county bonds, to compete with private invest ors, so that this fund may not he idle in the treasury
 l4. The constitution well declares that general diffusion of knowledge is essential to the preservation of liberty, and we therefore demand careful hus- banding and faithful administration of l the school fund and revenue of the state, to the end that the constitutional pro- vision requiring the public free school l to be maintained for at least six months in the year shall be observed faithfully, and that the university, its branches and other educational institutions shall receive all proper and adequate support 1 for their maintenance and growth.