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209 R eturning to the Ferguson home on Austin’s Windsor Road in midJanuary of 1935 was a relief to Miriam, but the solitude was a burden to the restive Jim. At the family’s Bosque Creamery and stock farm outside of Austin, Jim continued to oversee the operation of raising pigs and cows, under the direction of farm manager O. E. Smith. The family still had small holdings in Bell and Bosque Counties as well where hired hands planted corn and tended livestock. But like most Ferguson endeavors, financial difficulties plagued the operations. Jim also held an office in the Nalle professional building in Austin, but with his failed sense of hearing, depleted energy, and a diminished tolerance for the Texas heat, the sixty-four-year-old ex-governor was increasingly forced to spend time at home. When he was able to make the trip to his office, Jim enjoyed the friendship of Jerome Sneed, whose law office was also housed in the Nalle building. In April, Jim again ceased publication of the Forum with this bold and unambiguous headline: “WE QUIT.”1 Stevenson held his position as House Speaker, a feat that allowed him the added distinction of being the first man to succeed himself in that role. It was no cinch; governor-elect Allred had openly supported Robert Calvert for the position. Just how much Ferguson’s influence had contributed to Stevenson’s triumph was anybody’s guess. At least one newspaper suggested that the answer to that question was less than “none,” opining, “Stevenson won not in consequence of the Ferguson favor, but in spite of it.” A more important concern for some House members was the possibility that Ferguson’s support might have earned him some level of influence with the speaker. Stevenson sensed that apprehension and addressed it. After his victory Stevenson addressed members of the House and offered the group assurances that he would not be manipulated or swayed by any outside influence. “You who have served with me know I never have been dominated by any individual or collection of individuals,” he said. But Stevenson was still clearly Chapter 23 Cross, Double Cross 210 In the Governor’s Shadow seen as a remnant of the Ferguson-dominated past. One member responded to Stevenson’s election, not mincing words. “I like Coke Stevenson but I do not want Ferguson to continue to run the state.”2 As the gubernatorial campaign of 1936 began, few doubted that Governor Allred, who was popular with both the public and the press, could be unseated. Texas voters had recently accepted an amendment authorizing an old age pension, but the most difficult aspect of the plan—the financing—had not been established. Allred’s pleas for revenue-producing taxes had gained no support from legislators. Logically, a remedy for that problem became one of the chief planks of each gubernatorial candidate. Among those candidates was Senator Roy Sanderford of Belton, Ferguson’s choice in the race. Sanderford, an anti-prohibitionist, had been in the state Senate for four years and was well-known as a strong Ferguson ally. As a solution to the pension financing problem, he recommended a 3 percent sales tax, even though previous suggestions for a sales tax had drawn heated resistance. Sanderford hoped to convince voters that such a tax could eliminate the need for the ad valorem tax on real estate while raising sufficient revenue to cover the pension plan. 3 So strong was the Ferguson sentiment in favor of Sanderford that the retired and silenced Forum printing press was again dusted off and placed in service. Though he could ill afford it in terms of stamina, Ferguson took to the campaign trail using Ouida and her husband, George, as drivers. The trio drove from city to city where Jim made his impassioned pleas in favor of Senator Sanderford. In Dallas, Ferguson drew laughs from the audience as he ridiculed Sanderford’s opponent Tom Hunter. “Tom is honest but he’s just as ignorant as he is honest,” he joked. To another Sanderford opponent, F. W. Fischer, Ferguson applied a nickname of “Fat Fischer,” and offered this comment about Governor Allred: “Allred is squalling like a pig stuck under a gate.” The crusade offered Jim a quick fix for his interminable need to be in command of a podium, as well as an opportunity to reminisce with his daughter and son-in-law about days and campaigns gone by, but any support his...

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