872
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
of the savage for his native forests, or at his despair at seeing them felled before the desolating sweep of civilization-desolating indeed to the happiness, and the home.of the natives. But so it is-- Nature has given to the whites, and to the red man a place _on earth, and habit and education, or superior intelligence, or .acci- dent, or what you may please seem to have so regulated matters that their interest should run in opposite directions-a shock is, of course, the consequence, and power settles the affair, whether justly or not is a question which belongs exclusively to theorists, for the reason that the current of events in this particular can not be stopped. It has flowed on, and onward it · will flow, until the indians are swept from existence as a people and amalgamated with civilization. It is more tba.n eleven years since I entered this country. It then was a wilderness, but it is not so now. 1Ve have advanced very con- siderably and far enough to advance rapidly. The situation of the Mexican republic at this time is such that in all human calculations the destiny of Texas will depend mainly upon itself. Our political affairs are assuming an aspect of the most in- tense interest. This fair and highly favored country, in many re- spects, presents an anomoly in the history of new settlements-that it should have remained unpeopled, unexplored, and even unknown except in name so long-that it should have been redeemed from a state of nature and its advantages developed by individual enter- prise alone--that a few pioneers should have resisted military mis- rule and removed to the west side of the Rio Brazos del Norte all the garrisons of regular troops-that we now sustain the constitution and laws of our adopted country and are true to our duty as Mexican citizens, although the whole nation is convulsed by :factions and revo- lution, the social compact virtually dissolved, and the constitution a. mere name, violated as it is from one end of the republic to the other, and morally destitute of power to restrain .military usurpations or to bind the confederation together, that events may possibly leave us with the rights of possession to a country of sufficient extent for a nation, and in a situation which will justify our taking care of ourselves without violating any moral or political obligation what- ever,-or that we ma.y be driven to attempt a political revulsion for causes which justice will sanction. . That Texas should be thus sus- pended, as it were upon the current of events, all taken together present rather a new, and I think an interesting picture. The agency which the first settlers have had in developing the resources of Texas, must always afford to them ·a gratification of the hiuhest character. Humble as the honor may be considered by 0 . many who are revelling in the " horse ,,nill _ 1·ound ." of wealth Ill
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