Texas Almanac, 1941-1942 Page: 64
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64 TEXAS ALMANAC.-1941-42.
ries of 1924, the Klan supported Felix D.
Robertson in a nine-sided contest, in-
cluding Mrs. Ferguson, Lynch Davidson
and T. W. Davidson. Mrs. Ferguson
made the race for her husband, former
Governor, who had been barred from
holding office by the impeachment pro-
ceedings of 1917. Robertson led Mrs.
Ferguson in the first primary, but the
combined vote of the two leading
candidates was less than half the total
vote polled. Furthermore, the other
leading candidates were opposed avow-
edly to both Ferguson policies and Klan
rule. After winning in the second pri-
mary, Mrs. Ferguson met stiff opposi-
tion in the general election by George C.
Butte, former University of Texas pro-
fessor, who ran on the Republican ticket
and drew large support from bolting
Democrats. However, Mrs. Ferguson
won, 422,558 to 294,970. Mrs. Fergu-
son's first term was characterized by
economical administration, but there
was a return to the liberal policy of
pardons for convicts which had charac-
terized James E. Ferguson's administra-
tion, and it met popular opposition.
During the administration of Dan
Moody (Jan. 17, 1927, to Jan. 20, 1931)
there was increased effort at law en-
forcement, especially the prohibition law,
violation of which was now becoming a
very serious problem in Texas and else-
where. Moody, as Attorney General dur-
ing Mrs. Ferguson's administration, had
caught the popular imagination by his
prompt steps to enforce the law and his
unfaltering opposition to the Ku Klux
Klan. In the primaries of 1926 he failed
by a narrow margin to gain a majority
over Mrs. Ferguson, Lynch Davidson
and several other candidates in the first
primary, and defeated Mrs. Ferguson by
a vote of 495,723 to 270,595 in the sec-
ond primary. Moody reversed the Fer-
guson policy of liberal grants of par-
dons to convicts, favored education and
lent his energies through his appoint-
ments to the Highway Commission to a
constructive highway program for the
state.
The administration of Ross S. Ster-
ling (Jan. 20, 1931, to Jan. 17, 1933)
followed that of Moody. Sterling had
served as chairman of the State High-
way Commission under Moody, achiev-
ing remarkable results in bringing Tex-
as "out of the mud." The State Highway
Commission \of Texas had been estab-
lished in 1917 and, intermittently, had
done effective work. However, it may
be justly said that it was under the
chairmanship of Sterling in the admin-
istration of Moody that a really effec-
tive and consistent highway program
was established. Sterling maintained the
effective highway program during his
administration as Governor by follow-
ing Moody's policy of nonpolitical an-
pomtments to the commission. Ster-
ling's administration did not prove popu-
lar, however. Unfortunately for him,
the ending of his first term coincided
with the depth of the depression, and itwas the perverse psychology of a dis-
tracted public, probably, rather than
any shortcomings as an administrator,
that led to his defeat in his race for re-
election. For his first term he had de-
feated Mrs. Ferguson in first and second
primaries. In 1932, Mrs. Ferguson was
m the race again and, after leading in
the first primary by an appreciable plu-
rality, defeated Sterling in the second by
the close vote of 477,644 to 473,846.
Texas During the Depression.
The economic catastrophe which
spread over the world following the col-
lapse of security markets beginning in
October, 1929, held Texas in its grip,
slackening the state's industrial progress,
especially during the years, 1930-1934, in-
clusive. However, Texas was never as
seriously affected as most other parts of
the country, a fact due to the wide di-
versification of products of Texas' basic
industries. Until the beginning of the
present century, Texas was primarily a
cotton and beef producing region. The
discovery of the Spindletop gusher near
Beaumont in 1901, though not the first
commercial oil production in Texas,
marked initiation of the petroleum era.
The extensive drilling for oil through-
out Texas resulted in discovery of many
other mineral resources such as natural
gas and sulphur. The rise of the min-
ing industries gave great impetus to the
manufacturing industries and aided in the
building of cities which in turn furnished
home markets for diversified crop and
livestock products. Today the annual sale
of milk brings a much greater income
than the sale of beef cattle. This is cited
as an example of the trend of Texas eco-
nomic development. Today cotton and
beef cattle account for less than one
sixth of the state's annual production of
new wealth in the form of oil, gas, sul-
phur, cotton, wool, mohair, wheat, corn,
grain sorghums, citrus fruits, truck crops,
milk and other dairy products, poultry,
lumber and the net values of manufac-
tured products. It was this diversity of
production of mankind's essentials that
sustained the Texas economy at a high-
er-than-average level throughout the de-
pression.
It was in the midst of the depression
that Mrs. Miriam A. Ferguson's second
administration (Jan. 17, 1933, to Jan. 15,
1935) began. The outstanding accom-
plishment of the administration was a
betterment of the state's financial af-
fairs despite the growing pressure for
expenditures due to the business depres-
sion. However, a new precedent under
the State Constitution adopted in 1876
was set by the adoption of an amend-
ment authorizing $20,000,000 of "bread
bonds" to feed the hungry. This was the
first state bond issue under the present
Constitution. The first of the amend-
meats repealing the liquor prohibition
amendment was adopted during Mrs.
Ferguson's administration, permitting
sale of 3.2 per cent alochol beers and
wines. Full repeal was provided by an-
other amendment during the next ad-
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Texas Almanac, 1941-1942, book, 1941; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117164/m1/66/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.