The bolters from the Houston Convention issued a call, signed by J. L. Haynes, A. M. Cochran, W. C. Phillips, W. N. Norton, and others, in which they called upon "the Republicans of the different counties in Texas, who are in favor of maintaining the unity and integrity of the Republican party, and of having a Republican State ticket in the field to send from each county one or more Republicans to a conference to be held at Dallas, September 23, 1884." The attendance was small, but was composed mostly of whites. The conference resolved itself into a State convention.

Officers: Chairman pro tempore, A. M. Cochran, of Dallas; permanent, Loch McDaniel, of Grimes. Vice-Presidents, W. C. Phillips, of Travis; Melvin Wade, of Dallas; and Robert Arm- strong, of Ellis. Secretary pro tempore, T. L. Wren, of Travis; permanent, Geo. W. Hynson, of Dallas.

Nominees for State Officers: Governor, A. B. Norton, of Dallas; Lieutenant-Governor, John L. Haynes, of Webb; Attorney- General, L. C. Grothaus, of Bexar ; Comptroller, Fred W. Miner, of Lamar; Treasurer, Sam M. Johnson, of Bexar; Commissioner of the General Land Office, R. J. Evans, of Grimes; Superintendent of Public Instruction, H. B. Kinney, of Travis.

Committee on Platform and Resolutions: W. Y. Leader, of Travis; W. N. Norton, of Dallas; Daniel Taylor, of Grimes; W. C. Phillips, of Travis; M. H. Redwood, of Bexar; E. S. Thayer, of Dallas; and Melvin Wade, of Dallas.

PLATFORM

This Republican State Conference, representing the Republicans who believe that the organization and the identity of our party should be preserved, do promulgate the following platform:

Resolved, [1] That it is essential to the growth and success of the Republican party that it should have a full State ticket, composed of men who support the principles and candidates of the National Re publican party.

[2] That we heartily indorse the National Republican platform, and recommend its protection and labor planks to the deliberate judgment of the people of this State, and ask them to aid us to give the electoral vote to Elaine and Logan.

[3] That we favor a tariff for revenue to defray the necessary ex penses of the government, and discriminating with special reference to the protection of domestic labor, home industries, and home production.

[4] That we believe the educational bill now before Congress, com monly known as the Blair Bill, is constitutional in all of its pro- visions, and we believe it to be to the interest of the people of this State that the members of Congress from Texas should heartily sup port the same, and in this connection we condemn the action of Sena tors Coke and Maxey in voting against the bill while before the senate.

[5] That we declare ourselves opposed to all sumptuary laws, and all laws infringing upon the personal liberties and rights of the people.

[6] That we believe that homesteads to the value of at least two thousand dollars, and all farm implements and mechanics' tools, now exempt from levy or sale under execution for debt, should be exempt from taxation, and to this end we favor a constitutional amendment giving the legislature power to make such exemption .

[7] That the idea that the State cannot sell or lease its public lands is absurd and ridiculous, that we believe that the school lands, or lands set apart for public education, should be so disposed of as to give the present generation the largest amount of benefit.

[8] That we favor the early completion of the University of Texas and its colored branch, and favor liberal appropriations by the State for the erection, maintenance, and equipment of these institutions.

[9] That we favor a wise, liberal, and efficient road law that will give to every county in the State good and substantial roads.

[10] That we favor the repeal of the obnoxious occupation tax, and we do not believe that legitimate labor should be taxed.

[11] That we favor such legislation as will prevent corporations or monopolies of any kind purchasing and owning immense tracts of lands, and believe that the amount of land owned by any corporation should be limited by law.

[12] That the Republican party denounces the squandering of public lands of the State by the Democratic party since it came into power, especially in giving to the International & Great Northern Railway Company seven million acres of land not in alternate sections, as to other companies, but in solid bodies, and exempting not only this land but all the real and personal property of that corporation from taxes for twenty-five years.

[13] That we believe this exemption from taxes of the property of the International & Great Northern Railway Company, by which the taxpayers of the State have been robbed of many millions of dollars, to be in violation of the constitution, therefore illegal, and the legality of this exemption should be tested by the courts of the State.

Additional Resolutions

[14] That we, Republicans of Texas, in convention assembled, do extend to and commend to the lovers of public free schools, free speech, free ballot, and an honest count of colored votes of our National government in the strong Democratic States, to come out on November 4, 1884, and show by your votes that you are in favor of true Republican- Ism, which is now, and ever has been in favor of civil liberty and right against slavery and wrong of any and every kind. Show this then we urge upon you by voting only for State officers men who are avowed supporters of our National ticket, Elaine and Logan, and against men who do by their actions and words vilify and condemn before the people of Texas our National leader.

[15] That there be appointed a Republican campaign committee, consisting of a chairman and secretary and one member from each congressional district in the State, who shall be authorized to act as a committee for the supervision of the affairs of the Republican party, looking to its unity and integrity in Texas, and that said committee confer with Judge Binkley, chairman of the State executive committee, and the advisory committeemen in each senatorial district, and its functions to end with this campaign.

Campaign Committee: A. B. Norton, of Dallas, chairman; 1. Richard Allen, of Harris; 2. Win. Phillips, of San Angustine; 3. W. W. Collins, of Smith; 4. Horace Welch, of Marion; 5. L. T. Miller, of Wichita; 6. T. C. Byrnes, of Kaufman; 7. Calvin G. Brewster, of Webb; 8. and 9. blank; 10. W. Y. Leader, of Travis ; 11. W. T. Baird, of Callahan.