724: 



TEXAS. 



interests of shippers ; to give 500,000 acres of land 

 for colored school purposes ; to insure honest elec- 

 tions; to provide for six months' school during the 

 year ; to economize ; to reserve the public domain 

 for actual settlers ; to reduce official fees and sala- 

 ries ; to prevent discrimination against any kind of 

 lawful money ; to work for free silver. Among the 

 demands made were : Construction of a State rail- 

 road from the Red river to the Gulf ; enactment of 

 laws for the initiative and referendum, and the im- 

 perative mandate; no increase of interest-bearing 

 debt without consent of electors ; reduction of fees 

 and salaries of officials to correspond with the price 

 of labor and its products; efficient public schools 

 those for each race to be managed by trustees of 

 their own color ; no property qualification for voters ; 

 no railroad passes for officials, except sheriffs and 

 constables ; and a constitutional amendment repeal- 

 ing the amendment by which 1 per cent of the per- 

 manent school fund may be transferred annually 

 to the available fund, and investment of the perma- 

 nent school fund at not less than 4 per cent. Fur- 

 ther, they condemned the system of seven appellate 

 courts as cumbrous and inefficient; criticised the 

 management of the Soldiers' Home ; and demanded 

 repeal of the occupation-tax laws. 



The ticket follows: For Governor, Barnett Gibbs; 

 Lieutenant Governor, E. W. Kirkpatrick ; Attorney- 

 General, J. H. Davis; Comptroller, E. P. Alsbury; 

 Land Commissioner, H. L. Bentley; Treasurer, J. 

 B. Barry ; Superintendent of Education, V. A. Col- 

 lins : Railroad Commissioner, Jack Farley ; Associ- 

 ate Justice of Supreme Court, T. J. McMinn ; Justice 

 of Criminal Court, J. D. Todd ; State Chairman, J. 

 S. Bradley. 



The Democrats met in State convention at Gal- 

 veston. Aug. 2. J. W. Blake was permanent chair- 

 man. There were two reports from the Resolutions 

 Committee, the members differing on the question 

 of expansion. The minority resolutions said on 

 this subject : 



" We believe that a colonial policy is contrary to 

 the theory of this Government ; and we are opposed 

 to the acquisition of any territory inhabited by a 

 people who are incapable of self-government, be- 

 cause we hold the right of self-government to be 

 the best principle of our republic. 



" We are opposed also to the acquisition of any 

 territory, the government or control of which will 

 necessitate an increase in the standing army of the 

 United States. 



" We reaffirm the declaration of Thomas Jefferson 

 that all governments derive their just powers from 

 the consent of the governed, and we are opposed to 

 the establishmant of any government by the United 

 States without the consent of the people to be gov- 

 erned." 



This report was tabled by a vote of 721 to 334. 

 The majority report, which was adopted, had this 

 to sav on expansion : 



" We favor the carrying out of the letter and 

 spirit of the resolutions under which we intervened 

 in Cuba, and we insist that the Cubans shall be per- 

 mitted to establish an independent Government of 

 their own ; but in the event that the people of that 

 island shall hereafter desire to be annexed to this 

 country, and the terms of annexation can be satis- 

 factorily arranged between the two Governments, 

 we will welcome Cuba as a part of the territory of 

 the United States. 



" We favor the acquisition of Porto Rico and all 

 other Spanish possessions in the Western Hemi- 

 sphere. 



" We reaffirm our faith in the Monroe doctrine 

 and oppose the annexation or continued retention 

 of the Philippine Islands or any territory upon the 

 Eastern Hemisphere." 



Further, the resolutions called for free coinage of 

 silver and an income tax; denounced the revenue 

 bill and the Dingley tariff; favored Government 

 construction of the Nicaragua Canal ; favored de- 

 velopment of the navy and opposed increase of the 

 standing army ; and pledged support to William 

 J. Bryan for renomination. They commended the 

 several departments of the State administration, 

 opposed free railroad passes, favored liberal appro- 

 priations to State institutions, declared that all 

 public work should be done within the State when 

 possible, and demanded that the Legislature make 

 appropriations to enable the Railroad Commission 

 to employ experts to examine into the traffic affairs 

 of the railroad companies ; and they called for a 

 committee composed of State officers to formulate 

 measures for tax reform and for guarding the State 

 funds ; also for repeal of the amendment allowing 

 transfer of part of the permanent school fund to 

 the available fund. . 



Resolutions were adopted favoring the holding of 

 primaries for State officers on the same day, and 

 denouncing mob law and White-Capism. 



The candidates named were : For Governor, Joseph 

 D. Sayers: Lieutenant-Governor, J. N. Browning; 

 Attorney-General, Thomas S. Smith ; Comptroller, 

 R. W. Finley ; Land Commissioner, George W. Fin- 

 ger; Treasurer, John W. Robbins ; Railroad Com- 

 missioner, Allison Mayfield ; Superintendent of Pub- 

 lic Instruction, J. S. Kendall ; Associate Justice of 

 the Supreme Court, Thomas J. Brown; Judge of 

 the Court of Criminal Appeals, M. M. Brooks ; State 

 Chairman, Charles K. Bell. 



At the Republican Convention at Fort Worth, 4 

 Aug. 16-18, 13. H. R. Green was re-elected chair- 

 man of the State Committee. The resolutions 

 adopted approved the national Administration and 

 the conduct of the war; favored annexation of 

 Porto Rico and Hawaii ; increase of the army and 

 navy : construction of the Nicaragua Canal ; and the 

 proposed deep-water improvements in Texas recom- 

 mended by United States engineers. They accused 

 the Democratic platform of inconsistency, and on 

 State issues they disapproved the course of the 

 Railroad Commission and the management of the 

 school fund, and opposed the repeal of the amend- 

 ment regarding the use of a part of the fund. 

 They demanded a constitutional amendment to 

 give to cities and towns exclusive and original 

 jurisdiction in criminal matters within their limits, 

 and recommended the constitutional amendment 

 on pensions, denounced the fee bill, denounced mob 

 violence, and said in conclusion : 



" We believe that the efforts of the Republican 

 party of Texas at the coming election should I* 

 confined to the election of representatives to d in- 

 gress, and we therefore recommend that no Stale 

 ticket be placed in the field this year, leaving to the 

 respective counties and senatorial districts the o]>- 

 tion of placing representatives in the field in said 

 counties and senatorial districts as may seem l>r-t 

 to the interests of such organizations." Accord- 

 ingly, no nominations were made for State offices. 

 The two constitutional amendments were votxl 

 upon Nov. 1. The one limiting compensation '>f 

 members of the Legislature to $5 a day for first 

 100 (formerly 60) days of session, and $3"(former.y 

 $2) a day for the remainder of the SCSMOD. was re- 

 jected by 255,121 against to 35,901 in favor. The 

 other, permitting the pensioning of indigent ard 

 disabled Confederate soldiers and sailors and their 

 widows, at not more than $8 a month, tin 1 tot il 

 expenditure not to exceed $250.000 a year, w;*s 

 adopted by 56.074 in favor to 513,074 opposed. 



At the election, Nov. 8, all the Democratic candi- 

 dates were elected. The vote for Governor Mood: 

 Sayers, 285,074; Gibbs, 132,348. One Republican 



