THE AUSTIN PAPERS, 1571 ordinate officers who had charge of them had done them an injustice and should for that cause without first seeking the legal remidy condemn abuse and villify the whole american people and rise in open rebellion against the Govt. calling in the aid of savage allies· and desperadoes to wage a war of desolation and massacre against' the defenceless inhabitants of the frontier? "\Vlrnt would you think of such foreigners1 what would you do, if called on by your Govt. to march against them 1 as patriots, as friends to the cause of liberty and virtue and justice you would say reclaim them convince them of their delusions by reason and persuasion and should these fail put them down by force of arms and expel them [from] the country-you are now placed presisely in the situation above in- dicated-you are now Mexicans and you owe the same duties to the Government of your adoption, that you once owed to tha.t of your nativity and reason justice and patriotism will· at once point out to you what those duties are, and I feel no hesitation in pledging myself for you that you will faithfully perform them. And that whenever called on you will cheerfully rally round the flag of the nation that has received you with open arms and distributed its favors to you with the liberal and munificent hand of an indulgent parent- The mexican Govt, is yet in its infancy, the Govert. of this State of Quahuila and Texas is as it were just begining to be, its consti- tution is not yet formed, its organization is therefore as yet in- cipient and provisional and in such a state of things temporary embarrassments in the administration of justice are to be expected, they are a natural consequence, and those who will look back to the first organization of the State Govts. in the U. S. of the north will probably find more collision and as much cause of complaint arising out of the delays necessarily produced by overturning one Govt. and establishing another than can be found in this country besides, the new emigrants in general are wmcquninted with the language and the customs nnd existing laws of this country trans- lations of which have not as yet been furnished owing to the want of time to do it justice and candour therefore certainly requires that we should not hastily condemn the whole govt. even aJtho some might suppose from a want of tho necessary information to enable them to judge, that a subordinate officer had done them an· injustice-This Govt will never wantonly do an act of injustice to any person and the liberality of their policy towards emigrants is a convincing proof of the wise and broad principles of Liberty and Justice that govern their councils-- The inhabitants of this colony ha.ve by their good conduct their morality and industry _and their readiness to obey the calls of the
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