40 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
constitution in Texas. We just simply can not appropriate money for 
that purpose. ‘ 
Mr. HavucEn. But you can appropriate money for your experiment 
station there. How much money are you appropriating each year?! 
Mr. Frexp. I really am not able to inform you of the amount that 
is appropriated, but the agricultural college is provided for under the 
constitution. We have, however, never been able to appropriate one 
dollar. An effort was made for the relief of the Galveston sufferers 
in the great calamity, but it could not be done. An effort was made 
to aid in the St. Louis Exposition, but the constitution stands in the 
way. Whether good or bad, it was passed at a time that we speak of 
as ‘‘the Alliance days” in Texas, when the farmer left his plow and 
went into the legislative halls, and the grip of that constitution, whether 
for good or evil, binds us close in the stg Gea of money. 
Mr. Hocan. But is not this of enough importance to amend your 
constitution ¢ 
Mr. Frexp. It is a big thing to call a constitutional convention; and 
then we are afraid of one thing in Texas. The argument there against 
a constitutional convention is this: We have got the corporations 
gripped, and whenever you talk about calling a constitutional conven- 
tion in Texas they say it is the corporations that are struggling, and 
if you ever loosen the bonds you never will get them bound again. 
Mr. Grarr. You can not quite trust yourselves on that. 
Mr. Frevp. We can not trust ourselves on that; no, sir; but some 
of us have been advocating the calling of a constitutional convention 
in Texas for years. 
Mr. Lorimer. Can you not amend your constitution in any other 
way? 
Mr. Fietp. No, sir; it must be done by a constitutional convention, 
and just as soon as they raise the cry that the corporations are trying 
to get out of their swaddling clothes the convention dies. That is the 
trouble in Texas. 
Mr. Henry. Is it not possible to change your constitution by 
amendment? 
Mr. Freip. Oh, of course, we could adopt an amendment to the 
constitution. 
Mr. Haskins. What is the authority for the offering of the reward 
you have spoken of? 
Mr. Fretp. I suppose it was not challenged. Perhaps it is within 
the present powers of the government. We can unquestionably amend 
our constitution. We have time and again offered amendments. 
Mr. Haucen. If you have authority under the constitution to check 
this boll weevil by offering a reward, have you not also the authority 
to Nepronne money for the same purpose? 
r. Frevp. I rather think not. I know they have held we could 
not appropriate money. 
Mr. Apams. The constitution of Texas is not peculiar in that re- 
spect. There are a number of State constitutions with the same pro- 
vision, and they usually whip the devil around the stump in order to 
arrive at such a purpose as you are aiming at there. 
Mr. Frexp. But we feel that way. We are poor people, and.Uncle 
Sam is very rich. We do not feel that we are begging it. We feel 
that here perhaps is a time when some of the money that has been 
going in might very properly come back to us. 
