740 



TEXAS. 



called "Force bill." An address to the people 

 was issued, of which the following is a portion : 



We feel justified in assuming that the Repub- 

 lican party of Texas has no organization such as is 

 recognized as requisite to constitute a political party. 

 That it has degenerated into an unorganized mob, 

 whose biennial gatherings have wrought disgrace 

 and despair to our patriotic people who hold to the 

 .tenets of the Republican party. Therefore, the 

 necessity has arisen for the organization of the 

 Republican party of Texas, independent of its past 

 history, and upon the further recognition of the fact 

 that only upon the intelligence and manhood of the 

 white American citizens can any party in this coun- 

 try hope for growth and success. We call upon the 

 white Republicans of the State and those in sym- 

 pathy with the principles and politics of the Repub- 

 lican party to come to our aid and give us their 

 assistance in building up Republicanism in Texas. 



On April 26 a Prohibition State convention met 

 at Waco, and nominated delegates to the National 

 convention, Presidential electors, and a State 

 ticket. This ticket, as voted at the November 

 election, contained the following names : For 

 Governor, D. M. Prendergast ; for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, J. W. Williams; for Comptroller, W. 

 J. Clayton ; for Treasurer, H. G. Damon ; for 

 Attorney-General, J. B. Goff; for Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, R. Clark ; for Land Com- 

 missioner, S. G. Tomlinson. 



The Democrats held a State convention at 

 Lampasas on June 7, at which time delegates to 

 the National convention of the party and Presi- 

 dential electors were selected. 



On June 23 the People's party in convention 

 at Dallas nominated the following State ticket : 

 For Governor, T. L. Nugent ; for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, Marion Martin ; for Comptroller, 

 W. J. Moseley ; for Treasurer, W. W. Durham ; 

 for Attorney-General, James H. Davis; for Super- 

 intendent of Public Instruction, W. E. 

 Clemmens ; for General Commissioner, S. D. A. 

 Duncan. Before the November election the two 

 candidates last mentioned were succeeded on the 

 ticket by E. C. Chambers and Henry E. McCul- 

 loch respectively, and the names of William L. 

 Burkhart and E. L. Dohoney for Judges of the 

 Court of Criminal Appeals were added. Pele- 



fites to the Omaha national convention and 

 residential electors were nominated at this 

 time. The following declarations upon State 

 issues, among others, were adopted : 



All the public lands of Texas remaining and that 

 can be recovered should be reserved as homesteads 

 for actual settlers. All lauds heretofore granted to 

 individuals or corporations in which the grantees 

 have not complied with the conditions of the grant 

 should be forfeited to the State for homestead pur- 

 poses: no alien ownership of lands should be 

 allowed in Texas ; corporations shall not be allowed 

 to own more land than they actually use in the 

 prosecution of their business. 



We favor an effective system of public schools for 

 six months in the year for all children between the 

 ages of 6 and 30. We demand the adoption of a 

 uniform series of text-books for the public schools 

 of this State, and that they be published at the 

 expense of the State. 



We demand an amendment to our State Constitu- 

 tion authorizing the loaning of our permanent school 

 fund not otherwise invested upon lands of the peo- 

 ple of this State at a low rate of interest, with 

 proper limitations upon the quantity of land and 

 the amount of money. 



We demand fair elections and an honest count of 

 the votes, under either the Australian or some sim- 

 ilar system of voting. 



We favor a railway commission with power to fix 

 and maintain rates that will insure equal and exact 

 justice to the people and the railways. 



We demand an efficient lien law, that will protect 

 the artisan, mechanic, laborer, and material men. 



We demand that a law be passed declaring eight 

 hours to be a legal day's work, where it is not other- 

 wise provided by contract. 



We favor such change in the Constitution as shall 

 prohibit national bankers and members of railway, 

 telegraph, and telephone companies, and their attor- 

 neys, or who shall have held such positions within 

 two years prior to an election, from holding any 

 legislative or judicial office within this State. 



The Democratic State convention for the nom- 

 ination of a State ticket met at Houston on 

 Aug. 16. For several months preceding, an 

 active canvass of the State had been made by the 

 two leading candidates for the gubernatorial 

 nomination, Gov. Hogg and Judge George Clark. 

 Two years before, Gov. Hogg had obtained the 

 Democratic nomination upon the issue that the 

 powers of railroad corporations should be re- 

 stricted by legislation, and after his election the 

 Legislature of 1891, in accordance with his views, 

 enacted a railroad commission law, by which the 

 authority to fix passenger and freight rates, and 

 otherwise to regulate the management of rail- 

 roads, was delegated to a commission of three 

 members. This law the Governor defended upon 

 the stump, at the same time insisting that further 

 restrictions should be placed on all kinds of cor- 

 porations, especially such restrictions as should 

 prevent the issue of fictitious stocks and bonds. 

 Judge Clark and his supporters, on the other 

 hand, asserted that the Governor's hostility to 

 corporations was driving capital out of the State, 

 as well as deterring new capital from entering it, 

 and that his course was, therefore, opposed to the 

 best interests of the people. They also com- 

 plained of the dictatorial conduct of the Governor 

 in the administration of his office. Before the con- 

 vention met, it was evident that a majority of the 

 delegates elected were supporters of the Governor. 

 So heated had the contest become, however, that 

 neither party felt disposed to yield to the other, 

 and when at the opening of the convention a 

 disagreement arose upon the question of electing 

 a temporary chairman, the Clark delegates with- 

 drew in a body and organized a separate conven- 

 tion. The Hogg men proceeded to renominate 

 Gov. Hogg, Comptroller McCall, Treasurer 

 Wortham, Attorney-General Culberson, Land 

 Commissioner McGaughey, and Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction Carlisle. For Lieutenant- 

 Governor the nomination fell to M. M. Crane, and 

 for Judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals to 

 W. L. Davidson and E. J. Simkins. A plat- 

 form was adopted demanding free coinage of 

 silver, opposing national banks, favoring a grad- 

 uated income tax, denouncing bounties and sub- 

 sidies granted by the Federal Government, and 

 containing also the following declarations : 



We demand a law that will effectually prevent the 

 issuance of fictitious and watered bonds and stocks 

 by railway companies in this State, believing that 

 these great enterprises should be conducted upon 

 commercial principles, and not as gambling devices. 



We demand the passage of a law that will prevent 



