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Texas History Minute:
recently formed Railroad Commission in their efforts to regulate railroad practices
Just as Culberson’s second term as governor was ending in 1899, the new state legislature voted to make him the new U S Senator from Texas
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Charles Culberson was part of an influential Texas political family He would lead a notable career in his own right, serving two terms as governor and three terms in the U S Senate
Charles Allen Culberson was born in June 1855 in eastern Alabama Shortly after he was born, his ambitious father, David B Culberson, moved the family to Texas and set up a law firm in Upshur County and was a state legislator by 1858 and later a United States Congressman from 1875 to 1897
Culberson graduated from the prestigious Virginia Military Institute in 1874 and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1877 He served as an attorney in Jefferson in East Texas for several years before moving to Dallas in 1887
In 1890, Culberson made his first run for political office, announcing his candidacy for attorney general His father’s influence as a congressman helped Culberson gain the political traction he needed As a result, Culberson won the election handily
Like his predecessor, Jim Hogg, who had since risen to become governor, Culberson attacked the corruption in the railroad industry and the pricefixing practices many railroads used to hurt farmers shipping their crops to market His popularity by 1894 propelled him to the governorship as well
As governor, Culberson enacted a number of reforms, just as Hogg had done in the previous four years He signed laws aimed at combatting monopolies in the state, made modest changes in the judicial system, and gave new powers to the
He became an influential member of the Senate He ultimately served as chairman of four different committees in his twenty-four year Senate career Additionally, for two years starting in 1907, he headed the Senate Democratic caucus
For six years, Culberson served as chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversaw the Senate’s considerations of presidential nominations for federal judges His committee approved four nominees to the Supreme Court for consideration by the full Senate, including Attorney General James McReynolds in 1914 and Louis Brandeis, the first Jew to serve on the Supreme Court, in the divisive 1916 election year
That year, Culberson himself faced re-election to the Senate and had to face the voters directly instead of the election held in the state legislature, thanks to 1913 ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment he had supported Culberson won easily, as he had in most elections so far
Democrats lost control of the Senate in the 1920 election, Culberson still was able to chair a committee, given his seniority and respect among his fellow Senators He chaired the Committee on Private Land Claims, a small committee devoted to settling land disputes on property bought from the federal government Culberson was disgusted by the tactics, corruption, and violence of the Ku Klux Klan, which was rising quickly throughout the nation in the years following World War I He spoke out against the KKK on several occasions, but Culberson’s political influence was gradually
Receding
Culberson’s alcoholism continued to take its toll on him His health declined, and he neglected many duties to his constituents in Texas, which became even more important as the Senate was now elected by the general public rather than state legislators In 1922, he faced re-election but was unable to campaign The KKK threw everything it had into Railroad Commissioner Earle B Mayfield,
After Culberson’s term ended in January 1923, he stayed in Washington, DC, in general seclusion during his retirement He died in 1925
Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
Community picnic Saturday for fundraiser
Abby's Restaurant raises $803 for tornado victims
Bill McKeeman, plant manager of the Tyson plant in Sherman is soon to be a Howe citizen and he wanted Tyson to be involved with relief efforts After visiting with city leaders, they found that a community picnic fundraiser with Tyson supplying 500 burgers might be the best way to raise money
Paul Strunc, a Walmart executive and also a Howe resident was able to provide all of the extras such as buns, condiments, plates and all in between
The two mega companies will have a big hand in helping those in need after the EF1 tornade ripped through Howe leaving 23 homes damaged or at a total loss
The picnic will take place on May 21 at 2 pm at Bulldog Stadium on the field All local churches are working together to coordinate the efforts of putting this together
The contact person for this event is Carolyn Cherry She is coordinating efforts from First United Methodist Church of Howe, Howe Church of Christ, First Baptist Church of Howe, New Beginning Fellowship, Community Bible Fellowship, Kings Trail Cowboys Church and others
Abby's Restaurant is holding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser this Wednesday, May 11 from 5 pm - 8 pm dinner was $8 per plate and all of the $803 raised was deposited into be distributed on a needs basis by a committee of community leaders
Rep. Ratcliffe opposes administration's transgender bathroom directive
WASHINGTON – Rep John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) released the following statement in response to the administration’s directive Friday requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms of their chosen gender:
“The federal government has no role in regulating school bathroom use, and the President’s recently announced proclamation is nothing more than a blatant political stunt Threatening to withhold funding from schools for non-compliance represents a new low for the Obama administration in its pattern of disregard for the Constitution
“The laws as they pertain to this issue are crystal clear – gender identity is not included in the definition of sex discrimination as it relates to titles VII and IX of the Civil Rights Act If the president disagrees with the law then he can ask Congress to change it, but he cannot do so unilaterally through executive action I’m working with a coalition of dedicated conservatives to ensure that this attempt to circumvent the Constitution and the will of the constituents I represent will not stand.”
Pure Country to hold fundraiser for Grayson County tornado victims
Pure Country, a local bar and grill in Van Alstyne will hold a fundraiser on Saturday, May 21 that will feature five local bands including Shelby Ballenger, The Brent Splawn Band, The Slide Show Drifters, The Sean Franks Band, and Robbie White
They will have several silent auction items and raffle items
Pure Country says that 100 percent of the proceeds will go to help the Grayson County tornado victims Pure Country is located at 946 Van Alstyne Parkway in Van Alstyne
