7-16 



TEXAS. 



alternates, the following were declared nomi- 

 nated : D. 0. Giddings, of Washington County, 

 and S. II. Epperson, of Marion County, elec- 

 tors; Columbus Upson, of Bexar County, and 

 Samuel J. Adams, of Dallas County, alternates. 



The following platform was adopted by the 

 convention : 



We, the Democracy, in convention assembled, 

 hereby declare our principles and policy, and ask 

 for them the popular approval : 



1. We reaffirm our faith in the principles of the 

 Democratic party, as heretofore enunciated by our 

 State Conventions, and congratulate the people 

 upon the faithful redemption of all the pledges 

 upon which the Democratic party was recently 

 placed in power in Texas; and point to the honesty 

 and efficiency of our present State administration, as 

 a guarantee of our continued fidelity to the interests 

 of the State and people. 



2. The Democratic party, now as in the past ad- 

 hering to its policy or maintaining an efficient sys- 

 tem of general education, declares it to be the duty 

 of the Legislature of the State to speedily establish 

 and make provision for the support and maintenance 

 of public free schools, and to this end to exercise 

 the whole power with which it is invested. 



3. The sufferings and losses of our people on the 

 frontier from the forays of savages, and upon the 

 Mexican border from invasions, murder, and rapine 

 by the Mexican banditti, enlist our deep and sincere 

 sympathy; and while we hereby pledge our most 



energetic efforts to afford them adequate protection 

 in person and property by the State, we also earnest- 

 ly appeal to the General Government to give that 

 protection and security to our people and their prop- 

 erty thus exposed, to which they are entitled under 

 the Constitution of the United States. 



4. That the Democratic party, firmly upholding 

 the Constitution of the United States as the founda- 

 tion and limitation of the powers of the General 

 Government, and the safe shield of the liberties of 

 the people, demands for the citizen the largest free- 

 dom consistent with public order, and for every 

 State the right of self-government and home rule ; 

 that, to uphold the former and protect the latter, the 

 Democracy of Texas plants itself for the great lead- 

 ing principles enunciated in the inaugural of Presi- 

 dent Jefferson and the farewell address of the im- 

 mortal Jackson, and enters the contest of 1876 with 

 the firm conviction that the elements of opposition 

 to the national Administration should be consoli- 

 dated in the approaching presidential campaign, 

 without prejudice to the unity and perpetuity of the 

 Democratic organization. 



5. We pledge to the nominees of this convention 

 our earnest and active support. 



For the same election of February 15, 1876, 

 the Republicans nominated a State ticket, head- 

 ed by William Chambers as their candidate for 

 Governor, and adopted a platform which cen- 

 sured Governor Coke's administration of the 

 State government; denounced the proposed 



MARKET AND OPERA HOUSE, HOUSTON. 



new constitution ; indorsed the present admin- 

 istration of the Federal Government; and asked 

 that Mr. Pinchback be allowed to sit in the 

 Federal Legislature as Senator from Louisiana. 

 The election resulted generally in favor of 

 the Democratic nominees, by greater majori- 

 ties over their Republican competitors than in 

 1875. The majority of the Democratic candi- 

 date for Governor in that year was 47,631 ; 

 the whole number of votes then cast on Gov- 

 ernor having been 152,337, out of which Mr. 

 Coke received 99,984, Mr. Davis 52,353. 



The state of parties in the Legislature was as 

 follows : Of the 31 Senators Republicans 3, 

 one of them colored, and 28 Democrats, two 

 of these being characterized as Independent 

 Democrats. Of the 85 Representatives Dem- 

 ocrats, 69 ; Independent Democrats, 4 : Repub- 

 licans, 4, of whom two are colored ; Granger, 

 1 ; Independents, 2 ; with no party designa- 

 tion, 5. Of the 21 district judges elected, there 

 were Democrats, 16; Independent Democrat, 

 1 ; Republican, 1 ; Independent, 1 ; with no 

 party designation, 2. 



