THE AUSTIN PAPERS 189 tion, if injustice is done, the arbitrators and not the Alcalde are to blame- The party who looses a suit will always make a clamor, it is a matter of course in all [countries], and more so in this than in any other and for the single reason that every body believes that the people here can be operated upon and gulled by clamorous men- Ap, regards the personalities that have existed in this place between a few individuals, there has been too much of it, and some of our best men have displayed a childish pettishness and sufl'ered them- selves to be enraged at trifles and at low bred and unprincipled men, when they ought in fact to have paid no attention to them. This is an infirmity of human nature. It is not every man who can com- mand his temper at all times and especially when he is abused a.nd slandered by others. As a general rule which never ought to be departed from, a person in office should never, at no time, act offi- cially while under the influence of irritation or passion-he ought to execute the law calmly and firmly, but not pationately-and he should do his duty totally regardless of clamor or nbus~ My own temper is hasty to a fault and violent when excited and I therefore laid down the above rule for my own Govt when I first began the colony. I have violated it in some inst.ances and have sometimes suffered my temper [to rise] at the unjust abuse and misrepresenta- tion that has been _heaped upon me. I always regretted it after- wards, for a man in a passion most generally says or does things that he ought not to have said or done. :My fits of irritation how- ever have been but momentary. Reason and the Public good told me that I must bear abuse and clamor and do my duty regardless of what was said, and I have done so, tho the best personal friends I have in the country have blamed and censured me for not taking up the cudgels and adopting harsh measures. It is truly fortunate for this colony that I had sufficient reflection, not [to] be influenced by the inflamitory advise of my friends, nor by my own irritable temper, to an extent tha.t would have caused me to adopt violent measures, for I had legal power from the Govt to do a grent deal- my authority up to the time the constitution was published was very great, and I am now convinced that the rule which I la.id down from the beginning to controul my own temper and to bear all things patiently as a dray horse [has] saved the colony from total ruin- There is however reason in all things, and the people of this colony must not expect to find many men who will bear abuse for the sake of public good as I have done, and they should be more prudent and cautious and judicious in their complaints and clamors than they have heretofore been, for otherwise they will distroy them- selves- Nothing is more necessary and beneficial to the well being of a community than confidence in the public authorities, and noth-
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