Talking Texas History
Talking Texas History
Gene Preuss & Scott Sosebee
Texas Documents, Part 5: The Cleburne Demands II
35 minutes Posted Apr 17, 2026 at 9:00 pm.
Disclaimer And Show Setup
Cleburne Demands Return And Context
Labor Statistics And Worker Visibility
Company Scrip And The Company Store
Railroad Rates And Regulation Push
Convict Leasing And Labor Fairness
Alliances Unite And A New Party
Texas Populism’s National Impact
Wealth Concentration Then And Now
From Populists To Progressives To New Deal
Reading List And Episode Wrap
0:00
35:20
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Show notes
In this episode Scott and Gene wrap up their conversation on the Farmer's Demands. Farmers wanted company workers to get paid in real money instead of company scrip, stop railroad rebates that favored the rich and powerful of their day, end convict leasing, and force the country to look honestly at wages and living conditions. That sounds like a modern platform, but it’s Texas history and it’s rooted in the 1886 Cleburne meeting of the Farmers Alliances. We pick up the last demands from...