43
THE AUSTIN PAPERS
days, tho I cannot say to a certainty- I have some idea of employing this interval in trying to get some aid of the Genl. Govt. towards opening a road from Texas to the Paso del norte, or in a direct line (or as nearly so as the country will admit) to Chihuahua I speak of this interprise in my exposicion copies of which I have sent to Monclova and by this mail I send you one, I sent one to you two days ago directed to Austin- It has been very well received here, and has satisfied every reasonable man- I believe that Texas has more friends in the Govt- and in Mexico now, than it ever had before. I can say the same as to myself- I cannot believe that such men as Robertson and Chambers can have any influence at Monclova and I confidently expect that the evil they -have done will be remedied- There was [never] a more outrageous injustice done to anyone than that committed by Vidauri in renewing the contract for the upper colony in direct violation of our rights- you must attend to that business 1 - I will be there as soon as I can to aid in putting things to rights once more. I have reason to believe that Mason and Mexia 2 tryed to do me all the injury they could and to perpetuate my imprisonment as long as they could- they never forgave me for opposing their schemes to make a territory of Texas and their monopolies of land etc and I shall be well satisfied if they ,vill remain my enemies for the balance of their lives- T ony 3 and them are birds of the same feather- An effort was made in JanY· to make a territory of Texas, but it failed- another effort was about to be made when my esposicion came out, which has also died away. The last clause of my esposicion was intended to kill this project, and it has had the effect. A proposicion was made sometime since to renew the 11 article of the law of 6 april~ which I am told will die en commis- sion-so that upon the whole my personal sufTerings will result to the advantage of Texas, by removing prejudices and leading to inquiries that have satisfied everyone- This is some consolation at least- It is in fact a full reward for all my trouble and persecution. 1 For the history of the Robertson Colony controversy to which this paragraph refers, see Barker, The Life ~; Stephen F. Austin, Chapter XI. :?John T. Mason and Jose Antonio Mexia. They represented the Galveston Bay "and Texas Land Company in Mexico, trving to induce the government to recognize the company, which had taken over the empresario contracts of David G. Burnet, Lorenzo de Zavala, and Joseph Vehlein. 3"Tony" was Anthony Butler. •The eleventh article of the Law of April 6, 1830, excluded from Texas· emigrants from the United States. Austin had obtained the repeal of the article in December, 1833.
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