REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TEXAS 
 The First 50 Years

FORT WORTH, April 29-May 1

E. J. Davis, hitherto the leader of Texas Republicans, was dead. The convention was marked by struggles between the office holders and those' who had no offices, between the Arthur supporters and the Elaine men, between the whites and the colored contingents. In each case the last named was successful.

Officers: Chairman pro tempore, J. C. De Gress, of Travis; permanent. J. G. Tracy, of Harris. Vice-Presidents, 1st Congressional district, J. L. Williams, of Jefferson; 2. J. F. Pitts, of Anderson; 3. C. M. Campbell, of Camp; 4. J. F. Fleming, of Red River ; 5. 0. T. Lyon, of Grayson : 6. A. W. Chancy, of Tarrant ; 7. Henry Ballinger, of Galveston ; 8. W. A. Hutchinson, of Hays; 9. R. G. Wells, of Falls; 10. H. F. Clifton, of Williamson; 11. B. Jackson, of Tom Green.

Delegates to the National Convention: State at large, C. C. Binkley, N. W. Cuney, Richard Allen, and Robert Zapp; 1st Congressional district, Evans and Farish; 2. Burkhardt and Davis ; 3. Flanagan and Burge ; 4. contested ; 5. Lyon and Cleeves ; 6. Acker and Whitmeyer ; 7. Renfro and Ferguson ; 8. Rosenthal and Green; 9. Patton and Blount; 10. De Gress and Hanselke; 11. Campbell and McConnell.

Presidential Electors: State at large, J. M. Dilley and Bob Taylor ; 1st Congressional district, J. L. Taylor, of Montgomery ; 2. L. W. Cooper, of Houston; 3. J. F. Anderson, of Smith; 4. S. C. McCoy, of Marion; 5. T. B. Hanna, of Grayson; 6. J. M. McCormick, of Dallas; 7. John L. Haynes, of Cameron; 8. M. Meisner, of Austin; 9. Jno. W. McDonald, of McLennan; 10. Jas. W. Talbot, of Williamson ; 11. S. C. Slade, of El Paso. Committee on Platform and Resolutions: N. M. Cane, of Grimes; P. W. Hall, of Robertson; Webb Flanagan, of Rusk; J. C. Easton, of Lamar ; G. W. Pasco, of Grayson ; Geo. Hawkins, of Dallas; J. 0. Luby, of Duval; J. G. Shermack, of Fayette; J. C. Cone, of Washington; J. B. Rector, of Travis, chairman; S. C. Slade, of El Paso.

PLATFORM

1. The Republican party of Texas, in convention assembled, declares its faith in the Republican party of the Nation to conserve and protect the best interests of the country, and advance and educate the citizens.

2. That we earnestly approve the wise, consistent, and patriotic administration of Chester A. Arthur.

3. That we favor a tariff for revenue to defray the necessary expenses of the Government, and discriminating with special reference to the protection of the domestic labor of the country; and in this connection we strike hands with the Ohio Republicans and demand the restoration of the wool tariff of 1867.

4. That free schools are essential to the life and prosperity of the State and Nation, and we greet with approbation the bill that lately passed the Senate of the United States to distribute over seventy million dollars in aid of such schools, and condemn the course of our senators in opposing said bill.

5. We demand that the thirty million of acres of land belonging to the school fund in Texas shall contribute at once, by a system of lease to the highest bidder, to the education of the children of the State, and demand that not one acre of said land shall be leased at less than the present rates.

6. That we are opposed to a herd law and in favor of free grass on all uninclosed lands.

7. That we are unalterably opposed to the further squandering of the public lands of Texas, and in favor of reserving those remaining to the State, the free schools and the asylums, for sale to actual settlers in quantities sufficient for homesteads.

8. That while we deprecate the action of the Democratic party in squandering the public lands upon railroads and individuals, notably in the case of the Texas & Pacific and International railroads, in selling millions of the school lands at one dollar per acre, and of the public lands at fifty cents, most of which was acquired by corporations and speculators to the detriment of the best interests of the State, yet we can not condemn in too strong language the bad faith of the party in attempting to destroy the titles it had created after they had vested and the lands had risen in value through smelling boards and their vicious reports so hurtful to the fair fame and good name of the State, at home and abroad.

9. That we disapprove the course of the present Democratic ad- ministration of Texas in loaning the school fund (the children's money) to the various counties of the State: that the party squandered enough of the school fund during the late war to have learned wisdom by experience; that we apprehend a fruitful brood of evils In the near future from the reckless course it is pursuing.

10. That equal civil rights should be enjoyed by all classes of citizens, and to that end we recognize the duty and obligation of the National government to protect the citizen in a free ballot, and to see that the same is counted.

11. That we invite the hearty cooperation of all good citizens who are opposed to the narrow and sectional ways of the Democracy to unite with us in redeeming this great State from the rule of that party.

State Executive Committee: C. C. Binkley. of Grayson, chairman.