USA > Texas > Tarrant County > Fort Worth > History of Texas : Fort Worth and the Texas northwest edition, Volume II > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
"The portraits of the presidents and governors of Texas, painted by Mr. William H. Huddle, a young man who was raised in Northern Texas, were purchased by the state, by an act of the Legislature of May 20, 1888, He also painted the large picture which hangs in the front corridor of the Capitol, representing the scene after the battle of San Jacinto, when
480
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
President Santa Anna was brought into the Texas camp a prisoner, and also a portrait of Davy Crockett, which were also purchased by the State. The portraits of the presidents and governors are hung up in the library of the Supreme Court, in the north room of the second story of the building."
During the second administration of Governor Roberts, disposition was made of nearly all of the public lands, the title of which remained in the State. Two million acres were equally divided between schools and the university and its branches; the mineral in lands belonging to the school fund, and other funds were reserved to the State; a State Land Board was created, consisting of the Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Comptroller and Commissioner of the general land office to have charge of the sale and leasing of all land surveyed, or to be here-
TEXAS WHEAT FIELD
after surveyed for the Common Schools, University, the Lunatic, Blind, Deaf and Dumb and Orphan Asylums funds, with general power for the management, sale and leasing of these lands. The minimum price fixed for the sale of the land was two dollars per acre, to be paid in thirty equal installments ; five dollars per acre for land with timber, and three dollars for land with water.
The amount that might be sold to each person was limited to one sec- tion for land sold as agricultural or watered land and to seven sections of unwatered pasture lands. It was provided that pasture lands not tim- bered might be leased in quantities for stock and ranch purposes for not less than four cents per acre per annum, and for periods not exceeding ten years ; a league and labor of land, which was equivalent to about 4,400 acres, was set aside for the school fund of unorganized counties which had not theretofore received any portion of the public domain.
The land commissioners put a larger price on the lands than the mini- mum price fixed by the Legislature. Dry lands were placed at eight cents an acre and watered lands at twenty cents per acre. This caused no little
481
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
disturbance throughout the unsettled portion of Texas, the ranchmen declining to pay what they considered an exhorbitant price, preferring to take their chances for "free grass" until such time as the land was taken up by the actual settlers, which to them seemed very remote.
The inauguration of the University of Texas also occurred during the latter year of Governor Roberts' administration.
Among the disturbing incidents of the times was "fence cutting." The ranchmen, having enclosed large bodies of the public domain to which they had no title, were greatly annoyed and put to great expense by inen who resented their action and showed their resentment by cutting the wire fencing, and the ranchmen, by their long use of other people's lands for grazing their stock, conceived that they had a vested right in the grass on these lands. It therefore became necessary to provide greater penal- ties to arrest the evil that had grown up, and Governor Roberts' successor, soon after his inauguration, convened a special session of the Legislature for that purpose.
The next convention was held at Galveston in June, 1882. At this time it seemed that there were very few aspirants for the office of gov- ernor, and it was handed to John Ireland of Guadalupe, almost by de- fault. Marion Martin of Navarro was nominated for lieutenant governor.
By this time the Greenback party was developing more strength, and it nominated George W. Jones of Bastrop County for governor, E. W. Morton of Tarrant County for lieutenant governor. J. B. Robert- son was nominated for governor, with Andrew Young for lieutenant governor, the latter being on the Prohibition-Union Labor ticket. At the ensuing election Ireland received 150,809 votes, Jones 102,501 and Robertson, 19,334 votes. Following a democratic custom Ireland was renominated in 1884 with Barnett Gibbs of Dallas for lieutenant governor.
George W. Jones ran again on the Greenback ticket and A. B. Norton of Dallas on the republican ticket. The vote at the ensuing election was proportionately the same as in the preceding election.
Governor Ireland's second term was characterized by a season of great unrest throughout the unoccupied section of the State. Ireland himself was opposed to any effort to increase the population of the un- settled districts, predicting that it would be but a few years before the people of Texas would be crowding each other into the sea.
Fence cutting was rampant throughout the Panhandle and Western area of the State, and the rangers were appealed to and detailed to put down the evil and to see that the laws made for the suppression of this evil were rigidly enforced. The result was that Ireland's administration was very unpopular with the masses of that section of the State.
A convention was held at Galveston August 11, 1886, for the selec- tion of candidates, at which time L. S. Ross, D. C. Giddings, W. J. Swayne and Marion Martin were the candidates. It was demonstrated early in the convention that Ross had a very large majority of the dele- gates, and on the first ballot he received 438 votes ; Swayne, 99; Martin, 99; and Giddings, 67. Ross was then nominated by acclamation with T. B. Wheeler of Eastland County for lieutenant governor. A. M. Coch- ran was the nominee of the republican party and E. L. Dohoney on the prohibitionists ticket.
482
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
At the ensuing election Ross received 228,776 votes, A. M. Cochran, 65,236 votes and E. L. Dohoney, 19,186 votes.
In 1888 the convention met in Dallas on the fifteenth day of August. Ross and Wheeler were re-nominated without opposition. At the con- vention resolutions providing for the regulation of railroads and favoring prohibition were voted down by an overwhelming majority. Later on it will be seen how rapidly public sentiment on these two important questions were undergoing a change.
Marion Martin, disappointed at not having received greater recog- nition from the democratic party, ran as an independent candidate. At this convention James Stephen Hogg "the stormy petrel" of Texas politics was nominated for attorney-general.
At the ensuing election Ross received 250,338 votes; Martin, inde- pendent candidate, 98,447 votes and W. A. Moses, running as a repub- lican and prohibitionist, rceived 87,614 votes.
Several acts of Legislature of paramount interest were passed during the second administration of Governor Ross. Among these acts was the establishment of agricultural experimental stations in connection with the Agricultural and Mechanical College ; provision for the location and erection of a lunatic asylum west of the Colorado River, the asylum at Austin having proved inadequate for the number of these unfortunates throughout the State. This asylum was located a few miles south of San Antonio. An act was passed to validate the act of the State Land Board, which was heretofore placed in charge of the disposition of school lands, it being claimed that they had exceeded the authority given them by the law; an act requiring railroad companies to keep their general offices within the State and for the President or Vice President and other principal officers to reside in the state; an act requiring railroad com- panies to provide separate coaches for white and colored passengers and an Anti-Trust Law.
These latter acts referring to railroads and the trusts were sponsored by Attorney-General Hogg, and it was by reason of his influence and activities that these laws were enacted. He insisted that if this legislation was passed that he could put the trusts out of business and Jay Gould in stripes. How much he lacked in accomplishing these purposes is known to every one familiar with the history of the state. An amendment to the state constitution having for its object the creation of a railroad commission for regulation of railroads in this state was adopted by the Legislature, submitted to the people at the succeeding general election and ratified by a vote of the people.
Before the close of Ross' second administration another organization. styled the Farmer's Alliance, which originated in a meeting at Pleasant Valley, Lampasas County, became a factor in Texas politics.
The "Grange" had existed for some years and had co-operated with the Labor Unions but had made but little progress in directing state affairs. The Alliance spread with great rapidity, and while it professed to be non-political it never failed to take an active interest in political matters. It did not, as an organized body, put forth candidates for office but contented itself with giving its support to the man whom it considered best to serve its purpose. They were impelled to take an active part in
483
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
politics for the protection of their interests. This was caused by the general belief that railroad charges were exhorbitant and detrimental tc the interests of the farmers.
The administration of Governor Ross, taken as a whole, was the most universally approved of any administration prior to or since that time.
On August 12, 1890, the Democratic State Convention met in San Antonio and James Stephen Hogg, T. B. Wheeler and Gustave Cooke were candidates for governor.
Before the first ballot was concluded it was evident that Hogg had a more than two-third majority of the delegates present and Wheeler and Cooke withdrew and Hogg was nominated by acclamation. George H. Pendleton of Bell County was nominated for lieutenant governor. The platform followed closely after the last platform of the National Democratic Convention, declaring for a tariff for revenue only ; opposed to federal aid to education and the loan of money upon any kind of security ; the prosecution of trusts and in favor of free silver.
Webster Flannigan was a candidate for the republican party, E. C. Heath of Rockwell County for the prohibitionist party.
At the ensuing election Hogg received 262,432 votes; Flannigan, 77,742, and Heath, 2,235 votes.
As before stated, Hogg was the "stormy petrel" of Texas politics. He favored and secured the passage of an act providing for a railroad commission to be appointed by the governor with authority to fix rates, to hear and determine controversies between the railroads and their patrons, abolishing maximum freight rates, prohibiting the issuance of free passes and many other drastic regulations. He also secured the passage of a law authorizing the formation of corporations for the pur- chase of insolvent railroads by order of court. He advocated and carried into effect the passage of laws against fraudulent and fictitious issuance and circulation of railroad stock and bonds; and to restrict counties and municipalities in the issuance of bonds; to enact amendments ; strengthening the laws in regard to trusts and conspiracies against trade ; to hold receivers of railroads liable for damages or injuries causing death to persons ; strengthening the law passed by the Twenty-second Legislature limiting and regulating the rights of aliens to own real-estate in Texas : to prohibit corporations from owning land in this State on prescribed conditions ; the Election Law providing for the registration of voters in cities of 10,000 population, known as the "Australian ballot" system. All of these laws had been prominently discussed for many years, but it was left to the potent influence of J. S. Hogg to see them written in the statute books of the State of Texas.
Governor Hogg appointed on the railroad commission John H. Raegan. at that time a member of the United States Senate, Judge W. P. McLean and L. L. Foster as railroad commissioners.
The railroad commission did not have plain sailing at the outset. The Farmers' Loan and Trust Company of New York, acting for the security holders of the railroads, secured from the United States courts an injunction against the railway commission and the state authorities. prohibiting them from carrying into effect the provisions of the act creating the commission. The case was carried to the United States
484
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
Supreme Court and decided in favor of the state, and the commission proceeded to the exercise of the function for which it was created. This litigation continued nearly to the end of the first term of Governor Hogg. Meanwhile strong opposition was manifested throughout the state against the commission as a whole, and particularly the provision making the commissioners appointive by the governor. The opposition proceeded to the formation of a faction within the party and was supported largely by the daily press of the state and a large number of the leading and prominent members of the party. The weekly press and country papers were practically unanimous for Hogg and the commission.
Organizations were perfected in nearly all counties of the State, and the Honorable George Clark of Waco, who had been the attorney for nearly all of the railroads, in fact all but two of them, was selected as the man who was to lead the opposition against the nomination of Hogg for a second term. The canvass was spirited and enthusiastic, and the lines between the Hogg and Clark factions of the party were closely drawn. It was admitted that the question of a railroad commission had been settled, but objection was made to the terms of the law as adopted. and that the commissioners should be elected instead of appointed by the governor. In no previous campaign had there ever been such universal public interest manifested in a state election, and popular feeling at times and in certain locations rose to a high pitch of partisan furor. Leading men in all parts of the state took the stump, and there was a very thorough public discussion of the points of division throughout the country.
In support of Clark were most of the leading and prominent men of the State. The final trial of strength came at the State Democratic Convention, which was held at Houston on August 16, 1892. When the convention met it was discovered that the attendance was greater than had ever been known at a state convention. There was no hall in the city large enough to accommodate the immense crowd of delegates, to say nothing of the great mass who was interested in the result and who had attended the convention to use its influence on the side favored by it. The convention was held in a building constructed for housing street cars and afterwards became known as the "car-stable" or "car-shed convention" to distinguish it from the separate body, which organized in Turner Hall after the split in the regular convention. The body was called to order by N. W. Finley. Chairman of the State Democratic committee, who, after reading his address, called for nominations for temporary chairman. Jonathan Lane of Fayette County, representing the Clark faction, was nominated by A. L. Matlock of Tarrant County and John L. Shepard of Camp County was nominated by T. J. Brown of Grayson for the Hogg faction. Mr. Finley called for a roll call of counties, to which Mr. Mat- lock objected, and demanded that the vote be taken viva voce for the reason that there had been no report of a credentials committee and no one knew the number of votes to which each county was entitled. The chair ruled against Mr. Matlock's contention, and the roll call proceeded amid scenes of great violence and riotous disorder. On completion of the roll call Mr. Shepard was declared elected temporary chairman. Meanwhile the Clark faction had put the nomination of Mr. Lane to
485
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
a viva voce vote, and he was declared elected. Both men took the plat- form and proceeded to call the roll of counties for the selection of com- mittees on platform, permanent organization and credentials. It was feared, for a time, that serious violence would occur, and it was only prevented by the firmness of a few men. The whole afternoon was consumed in the appointment of these committees by the opposing fac- tions, and night fall came by the time it was concluded and the convention adjourned until the following morning.
A majority of the democratic state committee was favorable to the Hogg faction, and at a meeting held that night it was ordered that badges be distributed to the various county delegations, and no one should be admitted to the convention hall the following morning except such as were in possession of the badges. The police department of the city
IRRIGATED FIELDS
was appealed to and furnished policemen to see that this order was executed. The Clark men as a rule were not provided with these badges. and when they presented themselves at the door of the convention hall they were denied admittance. After a hasty consultation they repared to the Turner Hall and proceeded to the organization of a separate con- vention with Jonathan Lane as chairman.
The proceedings of the two bodies went on without further incident until the adoption of a platform came up in the carshed convention. There were two reports from the committee on platform and resolutions which had had an almost all night prolonged and stormy meeting. The majority report was signed by John H. Reagan, chairman of the com- mittee, and the minority report by D. C. Giddings, Dudley G. Wooten and E. P. Hamblin. The main point of divergence in these two reports was on the currency and coinage issue. The majority report favored free and unlimited coinage of silver and the minority report was for sound money. The minority report was defeated after a prolonged debate, and Colonel Giddings moved as a substitute for the financial part of the majority report the exact language of the national democratic platform on the same subject, which was voted down, and the majority
486
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
report was adopted. The supporters of Clark, a few of whom had gained admittance, considered this an equivalent to the deliberate repudiation of the national democratic party platform, and they took no further part in the proceedings, but did not join the Turner Hall convention.
The "car-shed convention" then proceeded to the nomination of the various candidates for state offices, and J. S. Hogg was nominated for governor and M. M. Crane of Dallas for lieutenant governor. The re- mainder of the ticket consisted of Charles A. Culberson for attorney- general, W. B. Wortham for treasurer, John D. McCall, comptroller ; WV. L. McGaughey for land commissioner.
The Turner Hall or Clark convention nominated George Clark of Waco for governor, C. M. Rogers for lieutenant governor, E. A. Mc- Dowell for attorney-general, C. B. Gillespie for comptroller, T. J. Gores for treasurer and W. C. Walsh for land commissioner. A. L. Matlock of Tarrant County was chosen as chairman of the state executive com- mittee on the part of the Clark faction and Waller S. Baker of McLennan County chairman of the executive committee for the Hogg faction. The campaign which followed was the most spirited, enthusiastic and bitter of any ever experienced in the political history of the state. Lead- ing men of both factions closed their offices, abandoned their business and professions and took the stump for the candidate whom they favored. Mass meetings, huge in numbers and attended with all the pomp and cir .. cumstance which the ingenuity of their promoters could devise, were held in all parts of the state.
The republicans held a convention in Fort Worth in September and endorsed the Clark wing of the democratic party and recommended the election of George Clark. This was done with a view to still further aggra- vate the dissension in democratic ranks and with the hope of gaining some prestage for the republicans. The split in the republican ranks followed this action, and a small faction put in the field candidates of their own, Andrew J. Houston of Dallas, a son of Sam Houston, being their candidate for governor. Opposed to the democrats were the populists or people's party, whose nominee for governor was Thomas L. Nugent of Tarrant County. He was supported by the Farmers' Alliance, the Grange. the populists and many prohibitionists.
Marion Martin, who had abandoned the democratic party, it having failed to recognize his claims for place and position, was nominated for governor.
The general election, which was held on the eighth day of November. resulted in the election of the Hogg ticket, Hogg receiving 190,486 votes. Clark, 133,395; Nugent, 108,483; Houston, 322 votes. The candidates on the Hogg ticket were inducted into office the following January.
The Legislature, which convened in January, 1893, submitted an amendment to the constitution providing that the railway commissioners should be elected by the people, the tenure of office being for six years, and after the first election one of the commissioners should be elected every two years. This amendment was adopted by the people by a very large majority, which was the only measure advocated by Clark democrats which received the approval of the democracy of the state.
487
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST
The Legislature proceeded with due diligence to the amendment of the laws suggested and advocated by Governor Hogg. Prominent among these amendments was a law which provided that no private corporation whose main purpose was the ownership of land by purchase, lease or otherwise should be allowed to acquire land in this state; all such cor- porations, at that time owning land in this state, were required to sell the same within fifteen years; all corporations authorized by previous laws to do business in this state whose main purpose was not the acquisi- tion of land should sell the same within fifteen years, except so much thereof as might be necessary for the transaction of their business ; no private corporation to be permitted to purchase land unless the land so purchased was necessary to enable said corporation to do business in this state, except where land was purchased in the due course of business to secure a debt previously incurred. This law was not made applicable to lease, purchase or sale within incorporated towns or cities and the suburbs thereof, or within two miles of the limits of said incorporation ; an act to give the state through its officers supervision and control over the issue of bonds, stock and other securities by railroad companies, and to prevent an illegal and injurious increase of their indebtedness by watering stock or bonds or by any other improper means so that the rail- road commission might be enabled to justly fix freight rates with reference to the value and expense of operation of the roads ; to provide penalties for violation of the law and to prescribe the duties of the railroad commission and the attorney-general in relation thereto; to give the state regulation and control of the issuance of bonds by cities, counties and towns; and to prevent the excessive and illegal issue of such bonds to secure their validity when issued; to provide for the manner of their payment; and that when such issues were approved by the attorney-general and regis- trated by the comptroller their validity should not be questioned in judicial proceeding except for fraud and forgery.
This amendment, while severely criticised at the time, came to be heartily endorsed and approved by the public as being calculated to en- hance the value of municipal securities.
Before following farther the current of political events, as directly applicable to state affairs and because of its relation to succeeding cam- paigns, an account of proceedings of the state convention called to name delegates to the national democratic convention and presidential electors will be of interest.
A state convention for the purpose above mentioned was called to meet at Lampasas in May, 1892, at which a resolution was introduced to instruct the delegates to the national democratic convention to vote for no man who was not known to be in favor of the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one of gold. This was con- sidered equivalent to instructions against the nomination of Mr. Cleve- land. A heated and exciting debate followed, participated in by the leaders of both sides, which resulted in the defeat of the resolution and the adoption of one that declared Cleveland to be first choice of Texas democrats.
The agitation thus begun on the coinage and money issue originated in the division in democratic ranks, which continued with increased vio- VOL. II-4
488
FORT WORTH AND THE TEXAS NORTHWEST'
lence and antagonism until the issue was finally settled and was eliminated from both national and state politics.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.