TEXAS INDUSTRIAL CONGRESS. The Texas Industrial Congress was organized at San Antonio on April 19 and 20, 1910. Nonpolitical, nonpartisan, and nonsectional, it had as its purpose the development of Texas resources in agriculture, commerce, and industry. With the slogan, "Equal Rights to All; Special Privileges to None," it proposed to work for legislation to develop Texas resources, to correct misimpressions about Texas and its laws, and to give publicity to Texas advantages and opportunities for homeseekers and investors. Annual conventions were proposed to discuss state welfare and outline action. Robert J. Klebergqv was elected president and Roy Miller secretary. As a result of the 1915 depression following the outbreak of World War I,qv a "Buy It Made in Texas" movement was supported by the Industrial Congress, which also worked for the help of unemployed laborers, for unemployed manufacturers, and for the establishment of factories. By 1917 the "Buy It Made in Texas" movement resulted in legislation allowing corporations to make contributions to commercial organizations. The influence of the Industrial Congress dwindled with the development of the regional chambers of commerce.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Texas Magazine, October 1910. Ralph W. Steen, The Economic History of Texas, 1900-1930, with Some Attention to Social Aspects (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, 1934).
Jeanette H. Flachmeier
