'382
TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
The foregoing constitute the basis of the proposition I make- I have made the calculation that five hundred thousand dollars .will effect ·the object I have in view, and will submit a statement of ex- penditures- I have put the bonds for five hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars, [belie] ving that negotiations and commissions on bills [will take] the $50,000- It is my belief that I in conjunction with such persons as the Government may please to associate with me, can negotiate the bonds at par- If one half can be negotiated- I know that all the principal contracts for arms, and supplies can be made by paying one half cash and the other half in bonds. If this power is entrusted to me, I shall desire to act cautiously and not to make any move to obtain men until the money is obtained and every contract put into a train for compleation- And if the money can not be obtained, the whole plan must fail, and the country then will be no worse than it is now- It is desirable that the general out- lines should be known to those who may be employed in its conduct and execution but that no general publicity should be given to it until time for action arrives. As to raising the men necessary, I can pledge myself tha-t by engage- ments which I have already in progress that portion of the plan is sure to succeed, if the money can be obtained. [L] ooking forward to the time when the country would arrive at its present condition which I long since foresaw, and have often expressed in my correspondence with the Government- And believing that the late administration would not second my views, I determined to prepa-re for a time when· I believed that a change of policy would take place, and every means used to put an end to this protracted and unfortunate war. For the last 12 months I have been actively engaged, and can say with confidence that I a,m in personal and written correspondence with at least one thousand active, influential and energetic men; the greater part of whom I am assured will cooperate with me in earrying into operation the plan proposed. I cannot see what inducement Mexico, can have to acknowledge our Independence, whilst we have no army or navy, and I plainly admit that the policy I recommend is to force her to do so by invasion and at [the same time] to derive all the advantages tha-t successfu[l] [war can] give us- And this is undoubtedly the best means of drawing to us the assistance we so much need- The higher the aim and nobler the inducement held forth, the more certain we will be to draw to us the immense mass of enterprise and talent-now lying dorma-nt in the United States. The life of New countres is excitement and that cannot be created by a tame and temporising course.- I have made [this] proposition as connected with an enlarged and liberal national policy, and for national purposes- I have never and shall never make any other; it is my hope to unite and cooperate in any measure that may secure the Independence and lay the foun- dation of the greatness of this country, for which I have sacrifised as much or more than any man in it.- I hope therefore that your Excellency will lay my views before Congress in such a manner as you may deem best-a-nd I will cor-
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