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THE AUSTIN PAPERS
AUSTIN TO THO.MAS H. BENTON
Colombia Texas Novr. 19. 1836
HoN. T. H. BENTON DR SIR,
Mr Wharton returns to Washington as the Minister plenipotentiary of this Republic- The main object of his mission is the annexation of this country to the U.S.- The people of Texas expressed thetr wish for this measure at the general election in September-only ninety three voting in the negative in all Texas, and about 4,0 of them were persons who had just come to the country from the U.S. and had not any permanent interests here- This vote has resulted from the warm attachment of this people to the country and govt. of their nativity, and their full confidence in the liberality and even munificence of that Govt. as relates to the terms or conditions of annexation Our basis is an equitable reciprocity, keeping in view the claims of Texas upon the toils and sufferings of years in redeeming this country from the wilderness, and achieving its independence- We took up arms against Mexico to secure the right of self Govt. We consider that we have secured that right, and consequently expect to retain it as a state when annexed to the U. S. The population of Texas is sufficient to become a state under the constitution and laws of the U. S. and it is therefore confidently expected that no objections will be made to going into a state Govt without passing through the intermediate stage of a territorial Govt.- I cannot see that any objection can be made to this course The officers in office and laws of this Republic in force at the time of the ratification should continue untill the state constitution was formed and the state Govt. organized Supposing that the treaty of annexation should be ratified by next spring-Military possession would be immediately taken by the U. S.- The civil govt. would go on as organized at that time-A convention would meet and form the state constitution ~o as to present it to the next congress of the U. S. for approval-there would be no interregnum no sudden changes of offi- cers etc There will in fact be only a change of name and we shall avoid all the confusion, and perhaps 1 should say, degradation, of descending from a Free Republic, to a dependent Territory, before we can be a State. As to the future subdivision of Texas into a plurality of states or terri- tories-equity evidently requires that it should be left intirely and exclu- sively to the option and decision of the·people of Texas I do not anticipate any difficulty as to the terms of annexation-we ex• pect nothing unreasonable, and have full confidence that what is equitable will be granted.
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