The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Volume I

178

TEXAS STATE LmnARY Ko. 189 [1834 Nov.], EXPLANATORY REMARK 0.N THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT, SECURITY FOR TEXAS, [BRAZORIA]2•

EXPLANATORY

REMARKS on the OFFICIAL DOCUMENT, under the title of Security f 01· Texas, with a fair view of her present political situa. Lion; by IIENRY S~IlTII, Political Chief of the department of Brazos: l<'ELLOW-CITIZENS :- My official address under date of the 20th of October last, directed to the consideration not only of the citizens of my Department, bnt to iny fellow-citizens generally of all Texas, exibited an outline o!'. what I conceived to he our political situation; and furnished at the same time, the data from which I drew my conclusions. Before this official had been thrown into circulation to any extent, which wai; principally intended to spread the information due from me to the people, & to endeavor to bring about the co-operation of all Texas, for the purpose of adopting proper ways and means to prevent the further encroachments of the much to be dreaded e\·ils of anarch;-1·; I received from our two Representatives of the state congress, a statement of facts certified by the superior judge of Texas, in fur- ther confirmation of the destrnction of all our civil institutions, an<l that our constitution was violated and scattered to the four winds of Heaven. That the constitutional time for renovating all the im- Jiorant offices of the state had passed by and no election was had, M such the constitution [hadl become ipso facto, a dead letter, and now exists only in name; and that indefX?ndent of the mob Govern- ment which had been estahlished in the city of Saltillo for some time, and exercising its functions in direct opposition to the con- stituted authorities; that on the 30th day of August an officer of the permanent army assumed the Executive chair in ~Ionclova-issued his proclamation as Governor-and completely dissolved all the legitimate authorities of the state. In consideration of these diffi- culties the citizens of the department of Bexar, transmitted to me, through his Excellency their Political chief, a rnanifesto, 28 in which they took a fair view of theil- critical situation; and called on me as the Political Chief of this department, to co-operate with them in forming a provisional congress. to meet in the city of Bexar, on the 15th inst. for tho purpose of taking into consideration the propriety (Jf forming in 'fexas, a provisional government; on the principles of justice-of necessity-and of the constitution which had been vio- lated an<.l totally disregarded. Or if that i:;hould be deemed inex- pedient, then to do whatev<!r to them shoul,d seem necessary under "Broadside. Reprinted In no. 192. "In the Bexar Archives, dated Oct. 14, 1834, Is J. N. Segutn's Tough draft of his letter transmitting the "manifesto"; In tho Nacogdoches Arctr:lves le a letter from Seguin to the Political Chlet at Nacogdoches transmitting another copy of the "mablfesto"; but the document lt11elf has not been found.

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