PAPERS OF 1\11R,IBEAU BuoN,\PARTE LAMAR 179 existing circumstances, to pre erve Texas from the further en- <'roachments of that evil, and promote her general tranquility. See- ing myself the same necessity for provisional action, that the De- partment of Bexar did, I without hesitation informed that Depart- ment that I would co-operate with them on the plan propo ed, and immediately called on the different Ayuntamientos of my Depart- ment to elect and s·end their members to the provisional congress for the purpose, if found consist€nt, of forming for Texa a provi- sional government, on the scattered fragments of our violated con- stitution. This call was made on the people rather precipitately; before they had time to become acquainted with their true politic.a~ situation, and as such met with much opposition. The reasons why the call was made in such haste were, that the Department of Bexar formed the plan, and set the time for the congress to meet. They seemed to have taken a fair view of their critical' situation, and to have thought that immediate action on their part was indispensi- bly necessary to their well being and preservation. Well knowing (as most of my fellow-citizens do) the situation of that Department; .surrounded by savages on the one hand who can lay them under con- trihution at will, and on the other by anarchy and military misrule; and being time out of mind a d€pot for public troops, these lawless military despots, can, under any pretext, whatever, throw their troops in upon them and awe them into any measure they may think proper; I£ they cannot get the co-operation of the other departments of Texas, they, from necessity, must await events; and submit them- selves to circumstances whatever they may chance to be. Thus con- i;id,ering the matter I was induced to make the call in the hasty manner in which I did, believing it to be the duty and the interest of the other Departments to co-operate with her as s_peedily as pos- sible, in order to relieve the people of that Department from that anxiety of mind, necessarily pr-oduced by their exposed and de- pendent situation. I also considered it a courtesy which was properly due to our J\1e.."{ican brethren; to give them the lead in this important matter. fy·view and wishes, however, have met with a violence of opposition, on account of misconstruction, and want of proper in- formation on the suhject in my Department; and the congres will not be filled out as was intended. Texas must therefore remain in her present state of anarchy. The Central committee of San Felipe appointed, as they t~ll you, for the purpose of guarding the people of Texas ;from any irnpendina danger, have published a report 20 to the people intending to give it a wide range for the purpose of en- tirely defeating the measure, recommending to the people to quietly yield and submit themselves to a state of anarchy and military mis- rule.-Their repott evidently amounts to this and nothing less. The intemperate spirit in ,vhich it seems to have been written-the il- liberal views and mi construction, which pervade the whole pro- duction; are only calculated to elicit from me that degree of charity nnd forbearance which I deem ever due to my fellow-citizens, ~ho suffer themselves to be dictated to, and unwarily led a tray, and ..A broadside, dated Oct. 28, 1834, a copy of which will be found In the Austin Papers.
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