The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933 Page: 170

170 Southwestern Historical Quarterly
is told in an attractive way; how the South chose the principle of
independence without the Union is a story that will not let the
reader's interest lag.
The book is well documented throughout from many primary
and secondary sources. The select bibliography of thirty-five pages
and the index of fifteen pages add much value to the book. It is
unfortunate that the table on the sectional distribution of presi-
dential electors on page 23 is in error in providing for only four
United States senators during the entire period from 1789 to 1860,
as a comparison with the table on the sectional distribution of mem-
bership in the House of Representatives on page 22 will reveal.
Curiously enough the table allows five senators for the decade from
1830 to 1840. The error can be easily corrected by those who are
interested. Students of American history and of American
political thought will find Professor Carpenter's book very stimu-
lating and helpful. It is, indeed, a thought-challenging "analysis
of a minority philosophy traced through its successive epochs of
development."
R. L. BIEsEE.
Financial History of the Public Lands in Texas. By Aldon
Socrates Lang. (Waco, Baylor University, 1932. Pp. xii,
250. $1.50. Published as The Baylor Bulletin, XXXV,
Number 3, July, 1932.)
The history of Texas is a subject of many episodes, incidents,
and developments. Professor Lang has added a chapter to this
history with his work on the financial aspects of the public lands
in Texas. He acknowledges the value of certain printed sources,
largely secondary in nature. The reports of the Commissioner of
the General Land Office, State Treasurer, Comptroller of Public
Accounts, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Board of
Regents of the University of Texas, and of the State Game, Fish,
and Oyster Commission proved valuable sources. The constitutions
and laws of Texas, court decisions, and newspaper files were also
studied. The period covered by this study is essentially that from
1835 through 1928, but for Spanish and Mexican grants it goes
back to 1731.
Professor Lang's interest in the study is primarily that of the
student of public finance. The main objective of the study is the