During the first half of the 19th century, Western Texas was a “trap baited with grass” that attracted migrants hoping to farm. When settlers on the wrong side of an unknown, invisible line could not build successful farms, residents in those counties voted to remain in the Union at far higher rates than residents in neighboring counties who could farm. The connection between the vote and economic interest was obvious, as those without suitable land could not make use of enslaved labor, which was too expensive given the implicit marginal product of labor. Because the location of settlement was plausibly random, these results highlight the importance of economic interest as a determinant of even fundamental moral beliefs that affect vote choice.

在19世纪上半叶，得克萨斯州西部是一个“用草饵诱集的陷阱”，吸引了希望耕种的移民。当定居者沿着一条未知的，看不见的线的另一端无法建立成功的农场时，这些县的居民投票决定以比邻国可以耕种的县居民高得多的比率留在联盟中。投票与经济利益之间的联系是显而易见的，因为那些没有合适土地的人无法利用奴役劳动，鉴于劳动的隐性边际产品，这太昂贵了。因为和解的地点似乎是随机的，所以这些结果凸显了经济利益作为甚至影响投票选择的基本道德信念的决定因素的重要性。