REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TEXAS 
 The First 50 Years

DALLAS, April 12 and 13

The Republican leagues of Texas met in annual session on April 12, 1892, at Dallas. Those white Republicans who were dissatisfied with the conduct of the party's affairs also met at Dallas. Their meeting resolved itself into a State convention. It was the first Republican State convention in this State with out a colored delegate.

Officers: Chairman, Sam J. Wright, of Lamar; Secretary, 0. W. Bradley, of Tarrant.

Delegates to the National Convention: State at large, A. B. Norton, Henry Kline, Sam J. Wright, and G. W. McCormick.

Presidential Electors: State at large, John A. Xeviiis, of Grayson, and Dr. Max Urwitz, of De Witt; 1st Congressional- district, 1 David Perkins of Harris ; 2. D. H. Fleming, of Tyler ; 3. W. T. Roach, of Hunt; 4. Bernard McCann, of Lamar; 5. H. M. Spalding, of Grayson; 6. J. B. Gibson, of Dallas; 7. George A. O'Brien, of McLennan; 8. Arthur Springer; 9. T. H. Helm, of Travis; 10. George W. Hain, of Fort Bend; 11. William Westhoff, of De Witt; 12. L. C. Grothaus, of Bexar; 13. J. W. Carhart,

Nominees for State Offices: Governor, A. J. Houston, of Dallas ; Lieutenant-Governor, James P. Newcomb, of Bexar ; Attorney-General, Waters S. Davis, of El Paso ; Comptroller, J. B. Schmitz, of Denton ; Treasurer, E. B. Baer, of Harris; Commissioner of the General Land Office, Richard W. Thompson, of Harrison; Superintendent of Public Instruction, D. C. Kolp, of Wichita.

Committee on Resolutions and Address: Henry Kline, of Harris, chairman; James P. Newcomb, of Bexar; A. B. Norton, of Dallas; G. W. Gillespie, of Tarrant; A. Metzler, of Dallas; A. J. Houston, of Dallas; A. L. Darnell, of Grayson; C. G. White, of Smith; H. P. Shields, of Tarrant; E. M. Martin, of ; John A. Harris, of Harris; John B. Schmitz, of Denton; Thomas Breeii, of Hood; H. F. MacGregor, of Houston; John Smith, of Denton; E. W. Norton, of Parker.

ADDRESS AND PLATFORM

To the Republicans of the State of Texas:

We present to your serious consideration and deliberative judgment the following statement in justification of the course we have marked out and the new departure we have taken as a convention called together as a representative body of the white Republicans of Texas, and we appeal to you to give to us your aid in an attempt to rescue the Republican party in our State from its present degraded and help less condition.

Assembled as we are, free from all hope of political reward, with only a patriotic desire to further the advancement of our State and the success of Republican principles, we believe that in order to secure the blessings of free and honest government the contention of well balanced political parties is necessary, and that this may be attained in our State by placing the Republican party on an equal footing with its National opponent, the Democratic party.

After years of trial and defeat, of humiliation and despair, in attempt ing to keep the Republican party organized by the methods left us as a legacy of reconstruction times, we have witnessed the party grad ually but surely falling under the management and control of a few men, whose only aspirations seem to be to advance their own personal ambition and gain in the securement of Federal offices and the distribution of Federal patronage, until the party conventions amount to nothing but the assembling of Federal officials and their personal followers. And after each such convention the party dissolves into an unorganized and unreliable mass, having neither head nor front, aim nor object to justify its further existence, commanding neither strength nor respect.

In proof of this statement we have only to point to the scenes enacted at the late convention at the city of Austin, where every semblance of shame was thrown aside and the boasted civil service regulations of our government trampled under foot in the unseemly scramble of Federal appointees to secure their own prominence as representatives of the party at the National convention.

We feel justified in assuming that the Republican 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 brought 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 citizen can any party in this country hope for growth and success.

We call upon the white Republicans of the State and those in sympathy with the principles and policies of the Republican party to come to our aid and give us their assistance in building up Repubicanism in Texas.

Year after year for the past twenty years we have witnessed the Republican party standing still or gradually falling off in strength, and this in the face of the fact of the great growth of our State in population from Republican States, and notwithstanding the further fact that the material and business interests of our great State demand the aid of the Republican party in their development. This condition of things can only be attributed to one cause: the Republican party has fallen below par as a political organization in Texas, commanding neither the respect nor the confidence of the intelligent masses of the people. It is to rescue our party from this condition and to build it up upon a basis of intelligence and respectability that this new departure is taken.

We call upon the white Republicans of the State to organize and come to the support of our standard bearers in the coming State election.

Resolved, [1] that we declare our adherence to the principles of the Republican party and commend the National administration in carrying out with success that great American principle of protection of American labor and American products; the fostering of home industries and the provision by fair international reciprocity of a market for farm products, we believe to be true American doctrine.

[2] That we condemn the Federal election bill as an unnecessary and impolitic measure, and express the hope that the National Republican party will make no further insistence upon its adoption.

[3] That in the future organization of the Republican party of Texas and till another State convention is held the State executive committee shall have charge of all matters touching representation in conventions.

State Executive Committee: G. W T . Gillespie, chairman; T. W. Gaines, of Red River; R. S. Legate, of Grayson ; S. J. Wright, of Lamar ; B. D. Atwell, of Dallas ; Alex Burge, of Van Zandt ; G. M. Hickey, of Rusk: H. T. Perry, of Kaufman; G. W. Cotter, of Johnson; A. M. Armstrong, of McLennan; S. M. Jones, of Limestone ; G. W. Burkett, of Anderson ; P. Larldn, of Tyler; C. H. Welch, of Williamson; W. T. Hutchison, of Hays; W. Haefling, Sr., of Bexar; E. A. Bronson, of El Paso; A. M. Womack, of Bosque ; W. McManus, of Callahan ; H. H. McConnell, of Jack; J. C. Martin, of Tarrant; W. B. Blaine, of Denton; Seth B. Strong, of Harris.