REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TEXAS 
 The First 50 Years

DALLAS, August 19 and 20

In June Chairman J. G. Tracy, of the State executive committee, issued a call for a State convention. The call fixed the basis of representation. It set forth the issues upon which it was expected to gain the victory. It foreshadowed the fierce political campaign about to be initiated. About five hundred and fifty delegates attended. Eighty-four counties were represented. It was not a ''nigger" convention, reported the official organ, but was composed of all classes of the people in proper proportion.

Officers: President pro tempore, A. G. Malloy, of Marion; permanent, S. G. Newton, of Bexar. Vice-Presidents, G. T. Ruby, A. Siemering, W. H. Andrews, S. Roberts, Thos. H. Baker, and W. A. Roberts. Secretaries, W. A. Price, of Matagorda; A. R. Parsons, of Travis; J. H. Washington, of Grimes; W. H. Wentworth, of Dallas; and S. H. Russell, of Harrison.

Nominees for State Offices: Governor, E. J. Davis, of Nueces; Lieutenant-Governor, R. H. Taylor, of Fannin; Comptroller, J. W. Thomas, of Collin ; Treasurer, A. T. Monroe, of Houston Commissioner of the General Land Office, Jacob Kuechler, of Bexar; Superintendent of Public Instruction, A. B. Norton, of Dallas.

Committee on Platform and Resolutions: S. H. Russell, A. B. Norton, W. H. Johnson, G. T. Ruby, W. W. Lewis, N. W. Cuney, Sam Cummings, Wm. Chambers, Wm. Alexander, A. Siemering, J. B. Lovejoy, D. Mackay, W. H. Lawrence, Geo. A. O'Brien, Thomas Ford, J. W. Thomas, T. J. Powell, W. A. Price, A. L. Darnell, W. G. Robinson, D. J. Baldwin, S. Bowlby, Robert Zapp, Henry Moore, W. A. Crafts, Colonel McCown,  - Whitmore, Thos. E. Younger, Richard Allen, W. E, Parker, A. W. Wilder.

PLATFORM ¹

We, the Republicans of Texas, this 20th day of August, 1873, make the following declaration of principles:

Resolved, 1. That we reaffirm our devotion to the principles enunciated in the National Republican platform, and to the wise and just administration of President Grant.

2. We are earnestly in favor of the establishment and maintenance of a system of public free schools such as is imperatively required by article 9 of our State constitution, and of such improvements as experience has shown to be desirable, and we strongly condemn the practical abolition by the thirteenth legislature of the system that was in operation.

3. We are in favor of the enactment of such laws by the legislature as will give full and ample protection to every citizen in the State, in the enjoyment of all his rights as a citizen.

4. We are opposed to special legislation believing that 'general laws may be framed which can obviate the necessity of special, and which would be more just, and less apt to be enacted from corrupt motives.

5. We are in favor of a judicious State aid to immigration, such as is contemplated by article 11 of our constitution.

6. We desire to be taxed for public purposes only and that taxation should be imposed at equal and uniform rates upon property; very little, if any, to be put upon occupations. While we desire to have our State government administered with real economy, avoiding alike parsimony and extravagance, and we wish our public debt paid according to its terms, we are opposed to the creation of any new public debt and we are forcibly opposed to repudiation in any form.

7. The speedy development of the varied resources of our State we regard with favor and to this end do pledge ourselves to extend every reasonable facility and aid towards the establishment of an equalized and judicious railroad system for the State. That the success of railroad building in Texas materially depends upon carrying out in good faith our obligations heretofore made, whereby capitalists have been and may be induced to invest in our midst.

8. We declare ourselves opposed to the enactment of any public laws that may operate unequally upon citizens on account of their race, nativity, or belief, and that we are in favor of the largest amount of personal liberty consistent with the security of our people in the enjoyment of life and property.

9. We respectfully ask the National government to dismount, disarm, and put upon securely guarded reservations the savage tribes that continually ravage our frontier.

10. Again we ask our general government to relieve such of our citizens as are under political disabilities, and to improve the harbors on our coasts, as the National interests require. We trust the present Congress of the United States will not permit itself to be prejudiced against our people so as to treat them with injustice or illiberality, because the members of Congress dishonorably voted themselves and took back pay, which they should be made to disgorge.

11. We are in favor of short sessions of the legislature. We desire to have our public printing law repealed, and the public printing let on contract to the lowest bidder who can do it as required.

12. We express our strong disapprobation of the bad acts and worse omissions of the thirteenth legislature, and condemn its useless- expenditures of public money, chiefly upon itself, its in- discriminate squandering of the public domain to a large extent upon purely speculative and worthless corporations, and the un- just, discriminating legislating in favor of the rich and against the poor. While we cannot take the time and space to enumerate its misdeeds, we cannot forbear to denounce its unscrupulous efforts to make homesteads subject to sale under execution. At the same time we congratulate ourselves and the people of this State that its oppressive Landlord and Tenant Bill was vetoed by the governor.

13. We trust that from this time forward the people will take steps to relieve themselves from the risk of vicious legislation, by electing senators and representatives, as well as all other State officers, on account of their character and qualifications.

14. We heartily commend to the consideration of the people the resolutions adopted by the German convention of this State, held at Austin on the 7th and 8th of August, 1873.

State Executive Committee: G. T. Ruby, chairman; A. Zadek, secretary. 1st District, Thos. J. Russell, 2. M. W. Wheeler, 3. J. Texas Smith, 4. F. M. Hobb, 5. T. H. Russell, 6. Thos. E. Younger, 7. C. M. Campbell, 8. J. T. Fleming, 9. C. Waters, 10.

B. H. Dodson, 11. Sam T. Carter, 12. N. W. Cuney, 13. W. T. Burton, 14. P. M. Yell, 15. N. C. Caldwell, 16. E. T. Wallis, 17. blank, 18. C. W. Gardner, 19. Geo. W. Patten, 20. Wank, 21. J. W. Dickson, 22. A. L. Darnell, 23. Sam H. Williams, 24.

C. W. Hartup, 25. R. P. Tendick, 26. blank, 27. A. J. Fry, 28. H. M. Taylor, 29. W. J. Locke, 30. J. L. Haynes.