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TEXAS ST~TE LIBRARY
terestcdness which belongs alone to the truly meritorious and which must be admired by all however few may be able to imitate it. General Ripley, however, did not assume _the stati?n whi?h he h~d acc("J)tcd. The situation of his private ~~a;1rs, comb1~ed with the 111 health of his wife precluded the poss1b1hty of domg so; and of consequence, the enterprise remained under the ?onduct aud ~ontr~] of General Long. Bnt in the policy unfolded rn General Ripley's letter the reader will perceive the true design and character of the whol~ enterprise, and he cannot fail to appreciate in a_ proper man- ner, the motives and labors of those who were so heroically devoted to it.- Long's Enterprise
in Texas.
Chapter 4th.
Between General Long and his friends, there was a materi:il dif-, ference of opinion with regard to the manner in which the enterprise ought to be conducter. They were all looking to the independence ~ nd colonization of the country; but ,very oposite views were entertained as to the best mode of obtaining the desired ends. It wa-, the wish of Genrral Long - as soon as his force would justify the attempt - to advance into the interior; drive the enemy before him; establish Head-Quarters at Bexar, and then throw the country upen at once to a ieneral cmigratoin. He believed that the extinction of the Royal authority in the Province and the removal of the sent of government from Bolivar Point to San Antonio was almost essential to success. Until this should be done, the American People would have no confidence in the enterprise, nor would families remove into the country. Tfhi'> policy - which was evidently the true one - was strongly objected to, by those who held the purse-strings of the enterprise; and to their mistaken views upon this point, we at- tribute in a great measure, the disappointments which ensued. General I,ong was indebted exclusively to a few personal friends for his first out-fit; and was still dependent upon them for his future supplies. \Vithout their assistance he could do nothing. This necessarily compelled him, in a great degree, to be guided by their counsels. They were the sole fountain of his resources; and it was just and proper that they should have an equal voico in deciding upon the line of policy to be- pursued; and it is not impossible that this may have been one of the conditions upon which advances were made to him.-Be that as it may, it is very certain that the policy of the sleeping partners in the enterprise - that is,. the capitalists who furnished the means - prevailed over his own; and we cannot but repcar our conviction that the predomi-, nance of their views was the real cause of his failure. The policy which they recommended, and indeed, virtually constrained. him to
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