Texas Almanac, 1970-1971 Page: 91
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TEXAS RANGERS 91
under a new Department of Public Safety. Provision
was made for the adoption of modern methods of de-
tecting crime.
Texas Rangers today are a division of the State De-
partment of Public Safety. Their duties include en-
forcement of the law in instances of major crimes, mob
violence, and occasionally in assisting local officers
when they are unable to enforce the law.
Richard B. Hubbard, lieutenant governor, became
governor (Dec. 1,. 1876-Jan. 21, 1879), when Coke re-
signed to become U.S. Senator. Strengthened border
defense, reorganization of the penal system, suppres-
sion of land frauds and further reduction of the state
debt were achievements of his administration.
Gov. Oran M. Roberts (Jan. 21, 1879-Jan. 16, 1883),
inaugurated his pay-as-you-go policy to end a state gov-
ernment deficit. His two terms were distinguished also
for educational legislation. An act provided for a Uni-
versity of Texas in compliance with constitutional man-
date, and the Sam Houston and Prairie View normal
schools for white and Negro students, respectively,
were established.
After his retirement as governor, Roberts joined the
law school faculty at the University of Texas where he
was known as the Old Alcalde.
The administration of Gov, John Ireland (Jan. 16,
1883-Jan. 18, 1887), was characterized by continued im-
provement of the educational system. In 1883 the Uni-
versity of Texas was opened at Austin.
Fence cutting in West Texas brought a threat of civ-
il war. Barbed wire, invented in 1873, was first used in
Texas about 1879 and spread throughout the range by
1883. Conflict arose between cattlemen who continued
to depend on the open range and those who were buy-
ing and fencing land, also between the big rancher and
the little farmer who sometimes found his holdings
fenced within a big ranch. Strife arose also among big
ranchers.
Fence cutting became general. Millions of dollars of
damage was done. A special session of Legislature,
called by Governor Ireland in 1884, made fence cutting
a felony but required that gates be placed every three
miles and made it a felony to fence unowned land. This
act, together with the efforts of the Rangers and local
officers, ended the strife.
Cattle raising entered a new era with the fencing of
the range. Cattle breeding and ranch improvement be-
came practicable. The search for underground water
was increased. The windmill came into use,
Antitrust Movement
Texas' first antitrust law was passed during the ad-
ministration of Gov. L. S. Ross (Jan. 18, 1887-Jan. 20,
1891). It came from popular reaction to the growing in-
dustrialization of state and nation. There had been an
increasing agitation against "foreign corporations,"
that is, corpbratlonswith headquarters in other states.
It was accompanied by the rise of the People's
(Populist)- party which was active in Texas politics
during the last thirty years of the century.
The eleemosynary institutions were improved.
Taxes were reduced, largely through a payment of Ir,-
000,000 by the federal government to Texas in return
for state expenditures for border protection. The disas-
trous drouth of 1887 and dedication of the present State
Capitol in May, 1888, were other events of Ross' admin-
istration.
The Jaybird-Woodpecder War, 1888-90, was a feud
between factions seeking political control of Fort Bend
County. Jaybirds were the regular Democrats seeking
to end rule by Negro-dominated Republicans who still
controlled the county (called Woodpeckers). Fights and
killings resulted, and the Texas Rangers were called in.
Late in 1889 Jaybirds gained control and the Jayblrd
Democratic Organlzation' of Fort Bend County ruled in
politics for many years afterward.
Gov. James Stephen Hogg (Jan. 20, 1891-Jan. 15,
1895) was. elected on a platform demanding monopoly
regulation; especially of railroads. Hogg was the first
native Texan tobe governor. The Railroad Commission
of Texas was established in 1891.
Other legislation included that providing "Jim
Crow" coaches on railroads, reduction of legal.maxi-
mum rate of ;interest, the alien land law forbidding
ownership of land by aliens, with certain exceptions, a
law requiring the issuance of stocks and bonds and pro-
tecting investors, and an act establishing the Board ofPardon Advisers.
Hogg's policies aroused strong support and bitter
opposition. Democrats opposing Hogg nominated
George W. Clark, and the Hegg-Clark campaign of 1892
was one of the hottest in Texas history. The vote was
Hogg (Dem.),190,486; Clark (Dem.), 133,395; T. L. Nu-
gent (Populist), 108,483.
People's Party at Peak
The People's (Ppulist) party reached its peak
strength In 1894 and 1896, but faled to get control of the
state government. Charles A. Culbersen (Dem.) defeat-
ed T. L Nugent (Populist) by 207,167 to 152,731 in 1892.
In 1894 he defeated J. C. Koarby (Populist) by 298,528
to 238,692.
Antitrust laws were strengthened during Culberson's
administration (Jan. 15,1895-Jan. 17, 1899. It was nota-
ble also for the collection of delinquent taxes, enact-
ment of a law for arbitration of employer-employe dis-
putes and reduction of excessive fees to public officials.
In 1895, Culberson called a special session of Legisla-
ture to prevent prize fights, preventing a scheduled
bout in Dallas between James J. Corbett and Robert P.
Fitzsimmons. ,
The first of the famous ouster suits against the Wa-
ters-Pierce Oil Co. was brought by Atty. Gen. M. M.
Crane under this administration. It charged thatthis
company had obtained a practical monopoly on the oil
market of Texas, and sought to bar it from operation in
the state. The state won, carrying the suit to the United
States Supreme Court. A reorganized Waters-Pierce Oil
Co. was sued in 1906, under the Lanhamadministra-
tion, by Attlly. Gem. R. V. Davidson. The state again won
its ouster suit with a fine of $1,623,000.
The last year of the Culberson administration, and
the first year of the following Sayers administration,
witnessed the Spanish-American War. Texas sent about
10,000 soldiers to the front. The famous Rough Riders,
commanded by Col. Leonard Wood and Lieut. Col.
Theodore Roosevelt, were organized at San Antonio.
First Quarter of Twentieth Century
As the Twentieth Century began, about 3 million
persons lived in Texas. More than 2.5 million lived in
rural areas, or 82.9 per cent of the total. Agriculture
strongly dominated the economy; neither mineralsnor
manufacturing had become significant. The Texas Al-
manac then was filled with advertisements of farm
lands and its text rightfully concentrated on agricultur-
al information.
But revolutionary changes soon came. Near Beau-
mont, in 1901, Spindletop well was the state's first great
gusher, though not its first oil discovery. This was the
forerunner of many huge oil fields and of the refining
and associated industries that were to come.
Two large meat-packing plants were built in the
same year at Fort Worth, launching large-scale pro-
cessing of one of the state's principal raw materials.
Other agricultural processing industries developed rap-
idly.
Gov. Joseph D. Sayers (Jan. 17, 1899-Jan. 20, 1903)
was confronted by two greet disasters during his two-
term administration. They were the Brazos flood of
June, 1899, and the Galveston hurricane and flood of
Sept. 8-9, 1900, which took a toll of lives that has never
been accurately computed but has been estimated at
5,000 to 8,000. The property damage amounted to a
large percentage of the total wealth of the city.
Primary Election Law
The administration of 6ov. S. W. T. Lanham (Jan.
20, 1903-Jan. 15, 1907) was distinguished by the adoption
of the Terrell election law and the inaugurationof the
popular primary. This law, named for Judge A. W. Ter-
roll, author of the bill while serving in Legislature, did
away with the convention system of nominating candi-
dates for political parties having more than a scatter-
ing support.
During this administration the second ouster suit by
the state against the Waters-Piorce Oil Co. was won.
Thomas M. Campbell (Jan. 15, 1907-Jan. 17,1911)
was the first governor elected under the new law. The
popular primary-convention combination was required
for his nomination over three opponents--M. M.
Brooks, 0. 8. Colquitt and Charles K. Bell. He was
elected in the general election with smallopposition.
Campbell was nominated for his second term over R.
R. Williams.
Although the two terms of Governor Campbell wit-
nessed the panic of 1907 and its following bad effects,
there was rapid economic development.
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Texas Almanac, 1970-1971, book, 1970~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113810/m1/94/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.