Politics

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Politics Progress

• Chapter 19

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Main Idea Politics Progress

• Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads Era
• During the late 1800s, Texas experienced a lot of
  growth.
• Railroads expanded, farming boomed, and
  industries and populations grew.

Main Street Waco, Texas in late 1800s
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Democrats Control State Politics

• In 1874 Democrats returned to power in Texas and
  a new state constitution was written in 1876
• This is the states current constitution! (more
  than 400 amendments have since been added).

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Democrats Control State Politics

• The new Constitution created a government with
  limited powers.
• Provisions included
• 1) it limited the power of the governor
• 2) made the legislature meet every 2 years
• and set term limits on the legislature
• 3) lowered state employees salaries
• 4) guaranteed low taxes
• 5) reduced money to be spent on education

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Democrats Control State Politics

• Sometimes African Americans were threatened,
  denied jobs, or harmed if they tried to take part
  in politics or vote.

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Women Fight for Their Rights

• Although women in Texas made up about half of the
  population by 1900, they did not have the same
  legal rights as men.
• The Womens Christian Temperance Union was the
  first Texas group to endorse suffrage.

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Women Fight for Their Rights

• The women of Texas would not get the right to
  vote (nationally) until after World War I.

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Texans Demand Railroads

• Before 1900 most people traveled by wagons and
  buggies.
• Poor transportation slowed Texas development.
• Farmers and Merchants could only market goods in
  nearby areas not many opportunities to make
  profits.

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Texans Demand Railroads

• Before the Civil War, only 400 miles of railroad
  in Texas.
• 1872 First Rail connections with other states
  made.
• Towns paid railroads to build tracks in their
  cities.

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Texans Demand Railroads

• By 1900 10,000 miles of track in Texas.
• Travel times across the state went from days or
  weeks to hours.
• New towns built near railroads. Existing towns
  near railroads grew up. Towns located away or
  outside of railroads dried up.
• Towns where rail lines met became center of
  business Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin,
  San Antonio grew into major cities.

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Texans Demand Railroads

• Results of the growth of railroads
• Allowed raw material in Texas to be sent to
  northern markets
• Texans had fast, inexpensive, and reliable
  transportation
• Caused the industrialization of Texas

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TP 610 owned by TX State Railroad
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Monopolies Use Unfair Tactics

• In the late 1800s, large companies that operated
  in Texas joined together and formed trusts.
• These trusts
• Prevented other companies from selling the same
  product or service
• Reduced or eliminated competition
• Could hold a monopoly on a business, which
  allowed them to pay very low prices for materials
  they bought and charge very high prices for the
  goods they sold
• Overall, companies formed trusts to ensure their
  business partners would have control over an
  industry.

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Cycle of Debt

• Farmers worried about shrinking profits received
  from their crops.
• Farmers found themselves in a cycle of debt they
  could not get out of.

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Cycle of Debt

• 1. Cotton prices fell during 1875 and remained
  low through 1900.
• 2. To offset the drop in prices, farmers borrowed
  extra money to buy more land, equipment, seed,
  and other supplies to produce more crops
  overproduction.
• 3. This overproduction dropped the price of
  cotton even more.
• 4. With lower crop prices and increased debts
  from land/equipment/seed purchases, many farmers
  could not get out of the cycle of debt. They
  must produce more and more crops to try to pay
  debts and make profits.

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Cotton prices drop
Overproduction
Overproduction
Cycle of Debt
Cotton prices drop
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New Laws Prohibits Trusts

• 1889 - TX legislature passed antitrust laws
  stopping companies from joining together to fix
  prices or limit production.
• Main reason for antitrust laws - unfair business
  practices by railroads.

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Governor Hogg Regulates the Railroads

• At the request of Governor James S. Hogg in 1891,
  the legislature created the Texas Railroad
  Commission, a state agency to regulate railroads
  operating in Texas.
• Soon, many railroads ceased unfair practices,
  such as fixing prices and charging more for short
  hauls than for long hauls.

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Governor Hogg Regulates the Railroads

• Since then, the Railroad Commission has been
  expanded to regulate other industries,
  particularly the oil industry.
• Governor Hogg is remembered as one of Texass
  most important governors, in part, because of his
  establishment of the Texas Railroad Commission.

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Advancements in Agricultural Industries

• Barbed Wire fencing that prevented cattle and
  other animals from destroying crops
• Windmills allowed cattle, sheep, goats, and
  crops to be watered on a farmers land, they did
  not have to be near a river or water source
• Irrigation is an artificial application of
  water to the soil usually used to assist the
  growing of crops in dry areas and during period
  of inadequate rainfall

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