Texas Almanac, 1954-1955 Page: 69
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BRIEF HISTORY OF TEXAS 69
plishmext of the administration was a
etterrment of the state's financial affairs
despite the growing pressure for expendi-
tures due to the business depression.
However, a new precedent under the
State Constitution adopted in 1876 was set
by the adoption of an amendment au-
thorizing $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 amendments repealing
the liquor prohibition amendment was
adopted during Mrs. Ferguson's adminis-
tration, permitting sales of 3.2 per cent
alcohol beer and wines. Full repeal was
provided by another amendment during
the next administration. A heated issue
was raised by the return to the Ferguson
policy of liberal pardons and paroles to
state prisoners.
Mrs. Ferguson, having served her sec-
ond term, did not stand for re-election,
thus closing a twenty-year chapter in
Texas politics, during which "Ferguson-
ism" was an almost constant issue. Mrs.
Ferguson re-entered the political arena in
1940, running for Democratic nomination,
but was fourth in a contest among eight
candidates. In this period, the two Gov-
ernor Fergusons, husband, and wife, par-
ticipated in twelve primary and four gen-
eral elections in races for the governor-
ship in addition to one race by Gov. J., E.
Ferguson for United States Senate.
The administration of James V. Alfred
(Jan. 15, 1935, to Jan. 17, 1939), who, in
the election of 1934, led a field of six op-
ponents in the first primary and defeated
Tom F. Hunter of Wichita Fails in the
second primary by 499,343 to 459,106, was
largely one of effor tp restore economic
prosperity, and remed evils thought to
have been responsible for the depression.
During his first administration the old.
age pension amendment to the Constitu-
tion was adopted and it was followed by
other social security effort, including an
amendment providing for a retirement
fund for school and college teachers and
employees. Other important amendments
to the Constitution under the A11red ad-
ministration were those reorganizing the
old Board of Pardons into the Board of
Pardons and Paroles instituting work-
men's compensation for state employees
and raising the salaries of Governor, Sec-
retary of State, Attorney General, Comp-
troller of Public Accounts, Treasurer and
Commissioner of the General Land Of-
fice. The raising of the salary of the
Governor from $4,000 to $12,000 a year
ended a political issue of many years'
standing.
Allred won in the primaries bf 1936
over Tom F. Hunter, F. W. Fischer and
two other candidates in the first primary.
Near the close of his second term he was
appointed by President Franklin D. Roose-
velt to a place on the bench of the Fed-
eral District Court of South Texas, but
served out the remainder of his term as
Governor.
Gov. W. Lee O'Daniel (Jan. 17, 1939, to
Aug. 4, 1941) won the Democratic pri-
mary of 1938 in one of the biggest upsets
in Texas political history. On a platform
of the Decalogue and the Golden Rule,industrialization of Texas and promising
old-age pensions and the end of political
rule at the State Capitol, the Fort Worth
flour salesman with:-his -"hillbilly band"
and radio, appeal swept all opposition be-
fore him,- winning 573,166 votes out of a
total of 1,114,885 cast in the first primary
which broke all records with this heavy
poll. Among his twelve opponents were
such well-known political figures as Atty.
Gen. William McCraw, Railroad Commis-
sioner Ernest O. Thompson, former As-
sistant Postmaster General Karl A. Crow-
ley and Tom F. Hunter, who was barely
beaten in two previous races for Gov-
ernor.
Governor O'Daniel's first term will be
remembered primarily for the long legis-
lative controversy over taxation to pro-
vide old-age pensions and other social se-
curity funds. The issue finally centered
around a proposed constitutional amend-
ment. Senate Joint Resolution 12, pro-
posed a combination of natural resource
and sales taxes. It was defeated in Leg-
islature. Legislature failed to find addi-
tional tax sources, and old-age pensions
were reduced. The general revenue fund,
which for several years had not been bal-
anced, accumulated further deficit during
the first O'Daniel term.
Governor O'Daniel won again in 1940,
but won a special election, June 28, 1941,
to fill a place in the United States Senate
made vacant by the death of Senator
Morris Sheppard.
Gov. Coke Stevenson (Aug. 4, 1941, to
Jan. 21, 1947), Lieutenant Governor, suc-
ceeded O'Daniel. Governor Stevenson
was elected to a full term in 1942 and
again in 1944.
During his administration the interests
and activities of the people were largely
devoted to World War II. One of the
principal achievements of Governor Stev-
enson's administration was the elimina-
tion of the deficit in the state's general
fund, which had existed and increased
through several preceding administra-
tions. This was accomplished without the
issuance of state bonds that had been pro-
vided by constitutional amendment.
The optional issue of bonds had carried
in conjunction with an amendment put-
ting the state on a pay-as-you-go basis by
requiring the State Comptroller of Pub-
lic Accounts to disapprove appropriation
bills when they exceeded prospective state
revenues to pay them.
Texas in World War II.
No other state had such a wide range
of military activity as did Texas in World
War II. An estimated 1,250,000 men in
all branches of the service trained in this
state. More than twenty combat army
divisions trained in Texas. At the peak
of training there were fifteen posts and
camps for the United States Army and
twenty-one prisoner-of-war camps. In
addition, headquarters of the Eighth
Service Command (operating agency in
the Southwest for Army Service Forces)
covering Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Louisiana and New Mexico was in Dallas.
Headquarters for the Fourth Army super-
vising training of men in nine states for
combat overseas was at Fort Sam Hous-
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Texas Almanac, 1954-1955, book, 1953; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117168/m1/71/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.