Arizona silver belt., 1898-09-29
TERRITORIAL DEMOCRATIC
 PLATFORM.

The Democratic party of Arizona re- afirms its allegiance to the principles set forth in the national democratic platform adopted at Chicago at the ns tional convention in June, 1896.
 It demands that the hints of the United States be opened to the coinage of both gold and silver at the ratio of Is to I, without asking or waiting the consent of any other nation.
 To enforce the gold standard through the world is impossible. The present condition is intolsrable. The demo- cratic party believes that the issue thus presented is the most important in American politics.
 The mission of the United States is to teach the world the sublime lesson of human liberty and self government, and the further lesson that its people have the courage and ability to dis charge every responsibility which the fortunes of war may have thrust upon their country. Wherever the flag waves, it shall be the symbol of free dom, and to all under it's folds it will ever guarantee the inaliensble rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happi. ness. We send q greeting to our army and navy for their heroic valor dis. played on land and sea.
 The democratic party of Arizona hereby approves the recent war with Spain and justly shares in the glory of its results. We favor the independence of Cuba and the retention by this gov srnment of the Spanish West Indian possessions and the control by this gov ernment of other Spanish territory now occupied by American forces.
 It is the duty of the government 10 make homes for its citizens. Arizona has large amount of arabic lands, suf- fcient in extent for millions of popula. ton, which can be reduced to cultivs- ton through the agency of the govern ment, by building storage reservoirs aud preser ving the storm food waters for irrigation purposes.
 Therefore, inasmuoh as We secure none of the benefits from the river and harbor appropriations, we think it only just that liberal appropriation should be psds by the general government for this purpose,
 The setting aside of one quarter of tLe territorial area of Arizona as tim her reserve works great hardship up- on tie territory st large, without eqhi- yalent benefits. The forests can be preserved under proper legislation with. uut excluding them absolutely from mining, grazing and agricultural pur- suhs.
 Ws arrsign tho republican adminis- traitor becsuse, regardless of the rights of the people, they have increased our territo ,isl debt over $500, 900 by the funding of illegal and spurious claims against the territory, and the enforce. ment of the prison contract before it's fnsl adjudication by the courts, which haze largely increased the debt of the territory.
 We favor the repeal of the laws cre- ating the boards of equalization, loan commission, board of control, and inn migration commissioners, and also the law granting the governor the power to remove officials at pleasure, and the passage of such laws as will lodge the powers exercised by these boards in commissioners elected by the people.
 We arraign the republican officehold- CTS of Arizona for the defeat of the homo rule bill, which pending state- hood, is necessary to our advancement as territory, because it gives tho peo- pie, the tax payers and citizens the right to choose their own executive and administrative officers
 The Democracy of Arizona are now, and always have been, earnestly in favor of statehood, and we hope it will not be long before the Congress of the United States strikes from the wrists of Arizo- na the manacles of territorial servitude.
 We pledge the democratic party its representative in congress and its mem- bsrs of the legislature to the carrying ont of these measures of remedial re- form, and ask all good citizens to unite with us in securing victory for the free coinage of iilver, statehood, and legislation that will bring the govern ment of Arizona closer to the people at large.
 The territorial live stock brand book has finally been published. It contains Dnwavds of 80O hrsndx