TK.XAS. 





the rangers to the .scone so that they could take the 

 trail. l>y the annual report of the ranger- for l^'.t") 

 it is shown that in that year t hey traveled H>?.(IOM 

 miles, and arre>ted 41? eriminals. who were turned 

 over to the civil authorities, and pursued 12U more 

 who made their escape into Mexico. They recov- 

 ered 486 head of horses and cattle that were stolen 

 from Texas ranches, and assisted the civil authori- 

 ties eighty-eight times during the year in guarding 

 jails and prisoners and keeping down mob law. 

 Thi.- statement does not include the services ren- 

 dered by 71 "special" rangers, who are enlisted 

 mostly in frontier and bonier counties on the rec- 

 ommendation, usually, of sheriffs and district oili- 

 cers. but are not paid by the Srate. 



Recent Laws. In reviewing the history of the 

 in is'.i.j and 1896 the Governor says : "Among 

 the laws enacted during the past two years which 

 have substantially benefited the public, the statute 

 of limitations was made applicable to married 

 women and land titles quieted ; contested elections 

 were regulated : the laws were revised and codified : 

 occupation taxes were made uniform; primary elec- 

 tions were legalized and regulated ; the colored 

 people were given control of their schools: ml 

 valorem taxation was equalized : railway land titles 

 were validated : connecting lines of common car- 

 riers were made responsible for freight losses: the 

 Confederate Home was made a permanent State 

 institution, supported by taxation ; the strongest 

 antitrust law in the Union was passed: the inter- 

 ests of labor were guarded by an arbitration act : 

 and extravagant and unconscionable fees of office 

 were largely reduced. Though the act appears to 

 need amendment in order to be more effectually en- 

 forced, the protective features of the fish and oys- 

 ter law have proved a decided benefit along the en- 

 tire coast. Oystera have been more abundant and 

 there have been more fish in the bays since Oct. 1, 

 when the reserved bays were opened, than at any 

 time for two years. The act regulating the collec- 

 tion of delinquent taxes has done much toward cor- 

 recting existing injustice. In 1894 the total State and 

 school delinquent tax collected was $29.473.2?. while 

 in 1895 and 1896. under this act, it was $45,433.59 

 and .$78.966.46. respectively. The delinquent coun- 

 ty taxes collected have increased in the same pro- 

 portion. 



The change in the school law reducing the price 

 of school lands to $1 per acre, leases to 3 cents per 

 acre, and interest to 3 per cent., is fully justified by 

 the operation of the present law. Previous to this 

 purchasers and lessees of public lands were forfeit- 

 ing their claims and defaulting in the payment of 

 interest in unprecedented numbers, while since 

 then forfeitures and defaults have lessened and 

 both sales and leases have rapidly multiplied. For 

 the year ending Aug. 1. 1895. the sale of school 

 lands amounted to 209.948 acres and leases to 1,712.- 

 301 acres. For the year ending Aug. 1. 1896. with 

 the new law in force, the sales amounted to 1.179.64? 

 acres and the leases to ."5.126.96? acres. 



Political. The Democratic State Committee 

 decided in February to hold two State conventions 

 with only one primary, the conventions to be June 

 23 and Aug. 18, and the primaries June 6, at which 

 time voters should have the opportunity of express- 

 ing their preference for or against free coinage : 

 and the majority should determine the action of 

 the State convention and the kind of delegation to' 

 be <eiit to the national convention. This decision 

 was understood to settle the question in favor of 

 free coinage: and the leaders on that side issued an 

 address to the people saying: "It is conceded that 

 an overwhelming majority of the Democrats of 

 Texas earnestly favor a return to the currency sys- 

 tem adopted by the framers of the Government and 



the iv-toratioi, ,, ,,f 



equality with gold at the public m,< 



cut coinage ratio ,,( 10 t.. 1. We ., 



member of the party and to every citi/-* 



willing to accept the liberal invitation .f tl. 



tioiial and Slate I),..,. ,, eiitivc Coinn.. 



in joining to make the verdict of the Dei, 



Texas in favor of bimetallism BO coinple'. 



phatic that the advancing cause of financial reform 



may receive an impel u- that will furth 



era! sie 



The ( (old-standard Democrat - l;e!d ; 

 Feb. 15, in Galveston, with about I'.oin attend: 

 A division in the party seemed imminent: I 

 was decided not to repudiate the action of the S 

 Committee, and to make the struggle in the prima- 

 ries. In May ex-Gov. Koberts announced hi: 

 as a candidate for the otlice of (Jovernor. charging 

 that the present Governor and other silver }< . 

 were trying to lead the Democratic party of the 

 State into the National Silver party at its meeting 

 at St. Louis in July. The ballots used at the pri- 

 maries were marked "For bimetallism" and 

 " Against bimetallism and for the single gold stand- 

 ard." and the vote wa- overwhelmingly in favor of 

 bimetallism, meaning free coin 



The "Sound-money Democrats met in Dallas. April 

 21. The resolutions adopted proposed to reorganize 

 the party, call a nominating convention to place a 

 straight ticket in the field for State offices, and 

 name Sound-money candidates for Congress. Ac- 

 cordingly, they held a separate convention in June 

 at the time and place named in the call of the State 

 Committee. Therefore two conventions were in 

 session in Austin. June 23. 



The Gold-standard wing numbered 300 to 400 in 

 their convention. They declared their intention of 

 reorganizing the party on sound Democratic prin- 

 ciples, chose a delegation to the national conven- 

 tion, and adopted a platform commending the ad- 

 ministration, opposing free coinage, and demand- 

 ing " the immediate retirement of this Government 

 from the banking business, ami that the law author- 

 izing the issuance of the Treasury note should be 

 repealed and such promises be retired and canceled, 

 and favoring the "establishment of a safe system 

 of banking under rigid governmental supervision 

 in order that the people may have at all times a 

 safe, sound, and elastic currency, amply sufficient 

 for the transaction of their busit 



In reference to the action of the silver wing of 

 the party, the resolutions said : 



" Having heretofore formally repudiated the 

 methods and actions of the fraudulently consti- 

 tuted so-called Democratic Executive Committee, 

 we hereby reaffirm such denunciation and announce 

 our purpose not to vote for or in any manner give 

 political countenance to any candidate for political 

 office who either approves such action or who pn> 

 - in any manner to profit thereby. The action 

 of this so-called committee was deliberately con- 

 ceived and executed for the purpose of effecting 

 a complete disfranchisement of brother Demo- 

 crats, and it has resulted in the destruction of 

 Democratic methods and procedure, consecrated 

 by party use for more than half a century, the pres- 

 ervation of which are essential to the purity of 

 action and the stability of party ascendency. This 

 destructive action has necessitated the reorganiza- 

 tion of the Democratic party in Texas, and we an- 

 nounce that our separation from those who would 

 destroy the party for the sake of gaining a tempo- 

 rary advantage for their peculiar financial heresy is 

 final and irreconcilable until they return to the ad- 

 vocacy of true Democratic principles." 



A convention was called to meet at Waco, on 

 August 23. 



