The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-03-16
A,.PRo|DIe;AL STATE:

"Wilful Waste and Wagon Tramps"
is the title of o. story about Texas
by E. B. Russell in the. ;Nonpartisan
Leader of February 49, It deserves
a wide circulation, for it does not con-
Germ Texas alone. It ~ia the story
of a state that wasted its heritage, a
story that should be lesson to every
commonwealth that has not yet sold
or given away it's common lands
When Texas achieved it's independ-
ence 1t owned an empire of public
lands. The legislature at once got
busy with getting rid: Of it: Although
Sam Houston, the hero Of the war
for Independence, urged against a
policy Of extravaganza, he was unable
to check the spendthrifts very long.
Some millions Of acres were set aside
for schools and a capitol building.
Then the legislature gave every head
of a. family 1905 acres, and tracts
one-fourth of that size to every single
man. Veterans of the war for indie
pendence received even larger grants.
But even then there were left 160,-
100000 acres to the state. Most of
this was turned over to railroads, but
not without a hard fight. The state
needed the railroads, and there was
even then a progressive group of citi-
zens who held that the state should
build and own the roadbeds and ter
minal facilities and then lease them
for operation to private corporations,
on terms that would enable the state
to do that function should it find it.
self In position at any time to do so.
But the railroad grafters won. Twen-
ty sections Of land were given the
corporations for every mile of road
built. Then the roads borrowed the
funds held in trust for schools and
had themselves exempted from taxa
ton.
The 100000 acres held for a cap
itol building were handed over to a
Chicago corporation headed by J. V.
Farwell. Mr.. Russell does not state
what the land was valued at then.
But so cents an acre was the price.
The corporation did not pay any in
money but built a magnificent state
house in payment. The land is worth
$50 an acre today. The state house
is the most expensive
legislative building in the world, and
the quality of legislation that comes
out of it by no means proportionate to
the price.
Sam Houston had protested against
this. But in spite Of his personal pop
ularity he was unable to stem the tide,
On the admission of Texas into the
Union he had been sent to the United
States senate. His democracy and
courage there sustained a severe test
Representing slave-holding state he
took sides with anti-salvery senators
in opposing admission of new slave
states. Needless to say the slave
owners Joined with their land grab
bling fellow plutocrats in denouncing
him. In spite of this he was elected
governor on the eve of the Civil war.
But he did not want the state to go
to war to defend the slave owners
property and obstinately refused to
sanction secession. This shocked and
offended those who held it his duty
to stand by the state right or wrong.
The plutocrats who controlled the
legislature had him impeached and
removed, and he died before the war
ended, a discredited man. To-day, how
ever, Texas honors his memory, but
not quite enough to restore to the
people the heritage that he vainly
fought to conserve for them.
Because the state thus falls short
in its respect to this great man, it
shares with Oklahoma the distinction
of being the most landlord ridden
commonwealth in the United States.
The census Of 1910 showed SO per
cent of it's farmers to be tenants. But
the situation is not hopeless. There is
a strong movement to get the land
back through the taxing power. The
State Single Tax league is pushing
a measure for land value taxation
which has the endorsement of or
ganized labor. The Nonpar:tisan league
has taken a similar position. There
is no reason why there should not be
a union of forces to recover Texas
for the Texans. The spirit of old
Sam Houston sti11 fights for the indie
pendence of Texas from q worse op-
pressor than the old Mexican rulers.