The Florence tribune., 1898-11-05
County Democratic Platform.

Ao ene OemOcratic Convention Of Pinal County: We, your Committee on Platform and Resolutions, respectfully beg leave to present the following:
 The Democratic party of Pinal county in convention assembled hereby reafirms it's adherence to the time-honored principles of Democracy enunciated by Thomas Jefferson and grandly upheld and enforced by his Democratic successors in the Presidential office.
 We reafiirm our allegiance to the National platform of the Democratic party adopted at Chicago in 1S96, and specifically declare our adherence to the paramount purpose enuneiated in that platform, viz. return to the constitutional system of free and un- limited coinage Of both gold and silver as money at the ratio of 16 to 1. without wait ing for the consent of any other nation.
 We reafarm the unalterable adherence of the pemocratic party to the principles on civil and religious liberty as proclaimed by the founders of our republic.
 We refer with pride to the fact that the County of Pinal under an administration Democratic in every department since Jan uary 1st, 1897, has paid of an.indebtedness in allowed and outstanding claims for the year lSs6 left by it's predecessors in office in the sum of Ss5OO, has reduced the running ex- penses of county government for the year 1877 to an amount more than S600O less than for the year 1So6, and we pledge our nomi- nees, if elected, to a continuance of busi- nessiike and careful conduct of county af- fairs so that with the beginning of the year lSss we will do the business of the county on cash basis, and still further reduce the tax rate for the year 1899.
 Whereas: An appropriation has been made by the Congress of the United States for the purpose of preliminary work on the Butte Reservoir intended to reclaim by ir rigation thousands of acres of fertile land in Pinal County.
 And whereas: Our Delegate to Congress, Hon. Marcus A. Smith, secured said appro- priation to be made immediately available in the sum of S20,00O, by reason of his con- stant, diligent and able work in that behalf without which it would never have been ob- tained.
 And whereas: Said appropriation is but the beginning of great step taken in the reclamation of our arid lands, and in the ad- vancement, progress and enrichment of our people, and to obtain which requires the constant and watchful attention of Dele gate to Congress who is able and thoroughly yersed in every detail of congressional &C., tion;
 And whereas: The Hon. Marcus A. Smith, through his ability and his long service in behalf of the people of the Territory, is the embodiment of allthose requisites, has been able to achieve results, and will be able in the future to accomplish more for the entire territory than any other delegate from Ari- aoua;
 Nog therefore be 1t
 Resolved, that we do hereby instruct our 9eicratss and their proxies to be elected by this convention to go to Prescott, Arizona, on September 16th. 1s.s. for the purpose of nominating a candidate for Delegate to Congress, to vote as a unit first, last and all the time for Marcus 4. Smith as such nominee. and that these instructions be and are hereby intended as a slight expres- sion of that high regard and estedm in which Marcus A. Smith Is held by the major ity of the voters of Pinal County, repre- sented by us in convention assembled.
 We condemn the prevailing practice of public officers in this territory of accepting passes from the different railroads and we pledge all the nominees of this convention to refuse pass from any railroad during his term of office, and we further pledge our nominees to the legislature to use all honor able means to secure the passage of a bill prohibiting any public official in this terri tory from accepting any pass or free trans portation from any railroad or other public carrier. We condemn the administration of the republican party throughout the terri- tery as having been extravagant and un- businesslike and in the interest of a few or the favored and against the interest of the many, and especially do we condemn that part of the republican administration to wit: The Territorial Board of Education for changing the system of books in the in the public schools of the territory and thereby saddling debt of about one hun dred thousand dollars on the parents of the school children, in the interest of book pub. fishing concerns.
 Respectfully submitted by the committee
 P.B. MoCABE, ALEXANDER BARKER, c. M. MARSHALL, JOHN T. BATES,