289
THE AUSTIN PAPERS
JoHN W. DORSEY TO AUSTIN
[Liberty Town, Maryland, December 22, 1835. See Calendar.]
AUSTIN TO F. W. JOHNSON, ET AL. 1
Quintana, December 22, 1835. DEAR Sms: We expect to get off to-morrow in the Wm. Robbins; Archer, the two Whartons and myself and several other passengers. There has been a great deal of low in:rigue in the political maneuvering of a party who I am at last forced to believe have their own personal ambi- tion and aggrandizement in view, more than the good of the country. These men have operated on Archer until they have made him almost a political fanatic, preaching a crusade in favor of liberty against the city of Mexico, the only place short of which the army of Texas ought to stop, etc. The Mexicans say lhat it is rather curious that the people of Texas should fight against military rulers, and at the same time try to build up an army that may, in its turn, rule Texas as it pleases. I :hink it probable there will be some thousands [of] volunteers from the United States in a few months. They nearly all wish to join the regular army on the basis of volunteers. What shall we do with so many? How support them? I fear that the true secret of the efforts to declare independence is, that there must then be a considerable standing army, which, in the hands of a few, would dispose of the old settlers and their interests as they thought proper. The true policy for Texas is to call a convention, amend the declaration of the 7th of November last, by declaring Texas a State of the Mexiqin Confederacy under t~e basis l~id down in the fifth and other articles of said declaration of the 7th of November, form a consti:ution, and organize a permanent government. Every possible aid should be given to the Fed- eral party in the interior; but it should be done as auxiliary aid, in con- formity with the second article of the declaration. By doing this the war will be kept out of Texas. This country will remain at peace. It will fill up rapidly with families, and there will be no great need of a· standing a~my. I believe that the combinations in the state of Tamaulipas are very extensive to form a new republic by a line from Tampico, west to the Pacific, and it is probable that the capitulation at Bexar was made to pro- mote that object. In short, it is much easier to keep the war out of Texas, than to bring it hack again to our own doors. All that is necessary is for us not to do anyliing that will compel the Fede,al party to turn against us, and if they call on us for aid let it be given as auxiliary aid, and on no other footing.
IFrom Brown, Hutory of Texas, I, 4~.
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