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PAPERS OF MIRABE.\U B ONAPARTE L.\l\IAR
an<l of Law I as the .Acting Governor of Texas, now SOLElD "LY call. To all it~ enemies to all those who are endeavoring to und r- ruine its foundation. to ~11 who shall refuse to lenJ their aid in us- taining it. I SOLE INLY declare that all the legal mean in my power shall be resorted to, to reduce them to obedience, and should the government in the effort made, fall and ruin and destruction en ue I will be found among the victim , and I will perish with the consoiing reflection, that as your Acting Executive officer I did my duty to my country. I am not to be detened from a faithful and vigorou disch.aro-e of my duty, from, any consideration that my office is held by a doubt- ful tenure. I am, Fellow Citizen , fully apprised of the objections urged against the manner of my elevation. I wa elected by the Representatives of the people, to continue in office hut for a short period. '!'he mode o-f el ction wa not in accordance with either their or my own Republican notiqn . I consider that the election hould be direct by the people. But the peculiar situation of our country did not then admit of delay. and the mod thouih objection- able was the only practicable one at the time. U:ider the bles. :ng of Divine Provide.nee you will shortly have an opportunity of cor- recting these d fects, an l establishing upon a better .and, l trust, a firmer basis a government more in uni on with Republicanism. But the objection that the council had no authority to u~pend from office Henry mith, is without force, and cannot be ustained. It i alledged that "the council did not make him, and con"'eqiuently cannot break him." A moment's reflection will convince any mind, that in a propo ition of that sort there i neither argument or ensc. By the i\Iexican Constitution Congr s i con tituted a Grand Jury, to impeach and di mis from office the Pre idcnt. o al o th Con- gre 0£ the different states are a Grand Jury, to impeach and dismiss from office the Governor; and yet the Congres, neither "made" the Pr sident or the Gov rnor. In the United States the same principle exists. Tile Congre can alone impeach and dismi c; from office, the President, and in the various state the Leo-islatures exerci e the same power over the Governors, and yet the Congre s does not lect the Pre ident, nor the Legi latures the Governors. The ri..,ht grows out of the very natur of a Republican Government. The people as a body can do nothing and they only can act thro' the medium of Repre entatives cho en by themselves. I£ the Governor is not answerable to the council, to whom is he an werableY It cannot he to the people in mass. They have not the means to try him. And to sav that he i ~ot answerable to the council, is to ay that he is Supreme and Absolute, dependant on no one. and that his own will and pleasure is alone to guide his action . Under reasoning of that sort, he would be a despotic a any l\fonarch in Europe. But the right of the Council will be unque tioned by reference to the 11th article of the Or"'anic Law, in which the authority i expre ly given. Having thus demon trated to you the right of the Council to remove from office H nry Smith, I will proceed to shew to you in what manner he has o offended as to authcrisc his uspen ion. J st. Ile in ulted not only the representatives of tbP people, but
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