Since its return to power in 1874 the Democratic Party has continued in control of the State Government. Its supremacy was threatened by the Populists in 1894, but the adoption of the free silver plank in 1896 saved the situation for the Democrats. The primary elections which determine the Democratic candidate are usually the hardest fought. Texas in 1924 elected as governor, Mrs. Miriam A. Ferguson, one of the first two women in the United States to hold the office. She was the wife of James E. Ferguson, governor from 1915-17, who was impeached. Opposi tion in Texas to the so-called "Ferguson regime" mobilized suffi ciently to defeat Mrs. Ferguson in 1926, but she was reelected in 1932. In 1928 the State voted Republican for the first time in a Presidential campaign.
The unprecedented economic depression which began in 1929 dealt Texas a severe blow, causing disastrous price declines, wide spread bank and business failures, unemployment and suffering.
After a century of rapid and unregulated economic expansion, the action of the State Legislature in 1931 in curtailing cotton acreage and restricting wasteful petroleum production marked a distinct departure from the traditional sphere of governmental ac tion. The oil-restriction legislation was considerably modified as a result of adverse decisions by State and Federal courts. The severe drought of 1934 greatly retarded the State's recovery from the economic depression. In August of that year some 240,00o families were dependent upon public relief.
An excellent guide to earlier publications on the history of Texas is C. W. Raines, Bibliography of Texas (1896). The best histories are G. P. Garrison, Texas: A Contest of Civilizations (1903) and L. J.
Wortham, History of Texas, from Wilderness to Commonwealth (1924). Some of the older histories still valuable are D. B. Edward, History of Texas (1836) ; H. Yoakum, History of Texas (1856); H. H. Bancroft, History of Texas and the North Mexican States (1884-89) ; T. H. Brown, History of Texas (1892) ; D. G. Wooten, ed., A Comprehensive History of Texas (1898) ; E. C. Barker and others, A School History of Texas (1912). Many scholarly articles are to be found in the Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Asso ciation (1898 seq.), title changed with vol. x., 1907, to Southwestern
Historical Quarterly. See also the Publications of the Texas State Library and Publications of the Texas Folk-lore Society. Books dealing with phases of Texas history are: R. C. Clark, The Beginnings of Texas, 1684-1718 (1907) ; W. E. Dunn, Spanish and French Rivalry in the Gulf Region of the United States, 1678-1702 (1917) ; H. E. Bolton, Texas in the Middle Eighteenth Century (1915) ; M. A. Hatcher, Open ing of Texas to Foreign Settlement, 1801-1821 (1927) ; N. P. G. Tiling, History of the German Element in Texas from 182o to 1850 (1913); G. G. Benjamin, The Germans in Texas (1909) ; S. H. Dixon, The Men Who Made Texas Free (1924) ; D. Crockett, .Autobiography (1923) ; E. C. Barker, Life of Stephen F. Austin, founder of Texas (1925) ; G. Creel, Sam Houston, Colossus in Buckskin (1928) ; J. H. Brown, Life and Times of Henry Smith, the first American Governor of Texas (1887) ; E. D. Adams, British Interests and Activities in Texas, 1838-1845 (Iwo) ; W. C. Binkley, The Expansionist Movement in Texas (1925) ; W. J. McConnell, Social Cleavages in Texas (1925) ; "Diplomatic Cor respondence of the Republic of Texas," (3 vol.) in American Histor ical Association, Annual Reports, 1907, vol. ii. and 19o8, vol. ii., parts 1-2 ; E. C. Barker, ed., "Austin Papers," (3 vol.) in American Histor ical Association, Annual Report (1919), vol. ii., parts 1-2, vol. iii. published by University of Texas (1926) ; A. K. Christian, Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (1922) ; N. W. Stephenson, Texas and the Mexican' War (1921) ; J. H. Smith, The Annexation of Texas (19ii) ; E. W. Winkler, ed. Journal of the Secession Convention, of Texas (1912) ; C. W. Ramsdell, Reconstruction in Texas (Iwo) ; A. Santleben, A Texas Pioneer (Iwo) ; J. B. Gillet, Six Years with the Texas Rangers (1925) ; A. J. Lowell, Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of South west Texas (1900) ; J. W. Willbarger, Indian Depredations in Texas (1889) ; H. G. Bedford, Texas Indian Troubles (19o5) ; J. H. Brown, Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas (1904) ; J. M. Hunter, The Trail Drivers of Texas (1920) ; G. Jackson, Sixty Years in Texas (19o8) ; C. A. Siringo, A Lone Star Cowboy (1919) ; W. S. James, Cowboy Life in Texas (1898) ; W. J. Maltby, Captain Jeff (1906) ; D. W. Roberts, Rangers and Sovereignty (1914) ; E. Rye, The Quirt and the Spur (1909) ; 0. P. White, Them Was the Days (1925) ; C. S. Raht, The Romance of Davis Mountains and Big Bend Country (1919) ; A. J. Shipman, Taming the Big Bend (1926) ; F. C. Pierce, A Brief History of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (1917).