REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TEXAS 
 The First 50 Years

FORT WORTH, August 16-18

The attendance was large, and remarkable for the fact that more than half the delegates were white. It marked the reunion of the "Reform" and "Regular" factions. The principal con test was waged over the question of a State ticket.

Officers: Chairman pro tempore, Henry C. Ferguson, of Fort Bend; permanent, R. E. Hannay, of Waller. Secretary, D. C. Kolp, of Wichita.

Committee on Platform, and Resolutions: '1st Congressional district, S. E. Tracy, of Harris, secretary; 2. Theodore Miller, of Cherokee; 3. Dr. Keys, of Hunt; 4. A. H. O'Neal, of Hunt; 5. Cecil Lyon, of Grayson; 6. W. E. King, of Dallas; 7. A. H. Caldwell, of Brazos; 8. C. C. Drake, of Tarrant; 9. E. P. Wilmot, of Travis; 10. M. C. McLemore, of Galveston; 11. J. 0. Luby, of Duval; 12. Henry Terrell, of Bexar; 13. P. B. Hunt, of Young.

PLATFORM

Be it resolved by the Republicans of Texas, in convention assembled: [1] That we tender unreservedly our congratulations to the Ameri can people on the able, impartial, and patriotic conduct of public affairs by the National administration.

[2] We congratulate the country in the renewed confidence it has inspired on the restoration of natural conditions in our daily life and resulting prosperity of unexampled proportions.

[3] That we reaffirm our allegiance to the principles laid down by the St. Louis platform in 1896, and we particularly announce that we are unreservedly for sound money.

[4] We heartily indorse the action and course of President McKinley and the administration since their inauguration. They have inspired universal confidence, restored normal conditions in American indus trial life, and developed an industrial prosperity of unexampled proportions.

[5] We indorse the actions and career of the Hon. R. B. Hawley in Congress as being wise, conservative, and patriotic, and commend him to the electors of the tenth district for reelection.

[6] We congratulate our brave soldiers and sailors who have so nobly upheld the honor of our country and inspired in the hearts of an oppressed people the spirit of liberty and independence, and we commend them to the tender care and reverence of our Nation forever.

[7] We favor the immediate construction of the Nicaragua canal and insist that it should be owned and controlled by the United States.

[8] We indorse and approve the following acts of Congress, passed at the instance and by the votes of the Republicans: The arbitration bill, by which it is sought to settle disputes between employers and employees; the war revenue bill, and especially the inheritance tax which has been placed upon the statutes of the United States for all time, and we commend it to our State government as a measure fair and impartial, just and necessary. We especially call attention to the eight-hour law passed by Congress, applying to labor employed on all government work, and we recommend that its terms be followed by legislation in Texas.

[9] We favor an increase in our army and navy to the extent that circumstances and conditions require to establish and carry into effect permanently the plans and policies of our administration, with refer ence to the annexation of Porto Rico and other Spanish possessions, and to establish and guarantee a stable government in the island of Cuba.

[10] We approve with satisfaction the terms upon which peace will be entered into between Spain and the United States, as set forth in the President's note and protocol, and we congratulate him and the administration upon their conduct of and successful termination of the war.

[11] We approve the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands as being wise and tending to increase our commerce and trade, providing a safe, convenient, and sufficient naval base and coaling station, and add- ing much to the wealth and resources of our country. We insist that the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands is within the spirit and letter of the Constitution and an evidence of a determination on the part of our administration to carry into effect the Monroe doctrine.

[12] We deride the platform of the Democratic State convention of Texas for its vagaries, inequalities, and inconsistencies:

(1) It professed to speak as the friend of labor, yet rejected the honest plea of labor to be employed in the production of State docu ments and other necessities of the State; and we insist that all State work, printing, and other undertakings where mechanical labor is required, be done by Texas labor.

(2) It adopted a platform favoring territorial expansion, favoring the maintenance of the obligations undertaken by this government to establish and maintain a stable and orderly government in Cuba, the acquisition of Porto Rico with 800,000 alien people, and in the same breath declaring their fixed opposition to the smallest increase in the United States army, through which alone at this time can these pledges be fulfilled.

(3) They rejected the policy of Bailey, with respect to territorial acquisition, yet they indorsed him for speaker of the House, where he could authoritatively defeat the plans and purposes for which they declared. They repudiated the purpose and policy outlined by Bryan in every line he has written on territorial expansion, yet they indorsed him for President, where, vested with authority, he would inevitably defeat every plan, purpose, and policy to which the Democracy of this State stands committed.

[13] We have looked with regret at the narrow spirit of partisan ship displayed by the Democratic State administration of Texas during the late war in its appointments to the military service, in such marked contrast to the broad statesmanship of William McKinley in his ap pointment of Wheeler, Fitzhugh Lee, Butler, and others to the highest places within the military establishment.

[14] We heartily indorse the proposed deep water improvements in Texas, recommended by the board of United States engineers, which will make Texas the pathway to Europe and countries reached by the Nicaragua canal, for the products of the Mississippi valley and of the great northwest, the completion of which, with the miles of natural wharves, will afford cheap and unlimited terminal facilities, give com- petition and freedom from control of monopolies, and great saving to the producer in the cost of reaching the markets of the world.

[15] The workings of the State railroad commission under Demo cratic rule have operated against the interests of Texas and in favor of producers outside of the State. The discriminations in rates and the unjust rulings have occasioned great loss to individuals and communities.

[16] We demand a constitutional amendment that will give to cities and towns exclusive and original jurisdiction in criminal matters with- in their limits.

[17] To encourage the stock and wool industries of this State, we demand that a scalp law be passed by our legislature that will cause the extermination of all wild animals that prey upon the large herds or destroy the grass on the prairies of the State.

[18] We commend to the people of Texas the adoption of the con stitutional amendment providing for pensions to the ex-Confederate residents of Texas.

[19] We condemn the Democratic mismanagement of the available school fund, and strenuously oppose the resolution adopted by the Galveston convention, recommending the repeal of the law authorizing the expenditure of one per cent of the permanent school fund for present educational purposes. We believe the repeal of that law would be an unjust discrimination against the children of this generation and leave open to speculators that which rightfully belongs to the children of the State.

[20] We deprecate the fact that under the present regime the school teachers of Texas are unable to collect their pay as earned, but are forced to accept in lieu thereof time warrants, subject to heavy dis- count, and we favor such legislation as will not only remedy this defect but provide the most liberal support of our State free school system, a system ever conducive to a high standard of citizenship.

[21] We denounce the present fee bill and demand its repeal.

[22] We demand for all persons within our borders the equal pro- tection of the laws, and denounce mob law and anarchy in all forms.

[23] We believe that the efforts of the Republican party of Texas at the coming election should be confined to the election of representa tives to Congress, and we, therefore, recommend that no State ticket be placed in the field this year, leaving to the respective counties and senatorial districts the option of placing representatives in the field in said counties and senatorial districts as may seem best to the interests of such organizations.

Additional Resolutions

[24] WHEREAS, by reason of the fact that Texas borders for 1,200 miles on a foreign nation, and the further reason that the government has one of the best equipped military headquarters and posts in the country located at San Antonio; therefore, be it

Resolved, that we urge upon the administration the early restoration of the military department of Texas.

[25] That in making up the quota of volunteers who are to be retained in the service of the United States for the occupation and defense, the President is hereby requested to retain in the service of the United States, for the term of their enlistment, the proper propor tion of Texas volunteers already in the service.

[26] That we demand that a liberal appropriation should be made for the maintenance and support of the State volunteer guard, and de nounce the failure of the Democratic administration for neglecting that organization and by such omission tending to destroy rather than increase the efficiency of the volunteer guard.

State Executive Committee: E. H. R. Green, of Kaufman, chairman; 1st to 4th Congressional districts, blank; 5. Cecil A. Lyon, of Grayson; 6. Dr. B. R. Bluitt, of Dallas; 7. blank; 8. C. C. Flanagan, of Rusk; 9. blank; 10. Harry Beck, of Hill; 11. Charles A. Boynton, of McLennan; 12. blank; 13. George W. Burkitt, of Anderson; 14. J. C. Frazier, of Jasper; 15. and 16. blank ; 17. Webster Wilson, of Galveston ; 18. J. G. Shermack, of Fayette; 19. W. E. Dwyer, of Washington; 20. Dr. E. P. Wilmot, of Travis; 21. Frank Maynard, of Caldwell; 22. blank; 23. J. W. Durst, of Nueces; 24. blank; 25. Joseph Tweedy, of Tom Green; 26. W. B. McCain, of Erath; 27. blank; 28. John H. Morrow, of Taylor; 29. blank; 30. John B. Hawley, of Tar rant; 31. John B. Schmitz, of Denton.