[2211] [WILLIAMSON to CITIZENS]
Fellow Citizens of Texas:
By express from . . . [tom] date of the 23rd Inst infor- malion which I could . . . [torn] that Two Thousand Mexicans under the command of Seizma have arrived and are in possession of the public square of Bejar-The American Troops under the command of Col. Travis and Bowie (150 men in number) have been compelled to confine themselves to the Walls of the Alamo where they are at present. ... [torn] If there is one in the land (that will go] forward for his country's cause now is the acceptable moment. Now let him forward: for every man is a host.-Let us rally to their aid! Let us defend our frontier-Let us save our women and children secured from the rapacity of Mexican Soldiery-Texans only Arouse! Up in a moment aid ... [torn]. We are drying beef for them; we are hunting and also grinding corn.... [February, 1836] R. M. Williamson [2212] [COLLINSWORTH to LAMAR] A convention of the people of Texas met at Washington on the first day of March 1836. When I arrived it seemed to be understood that Richad Ellis from that part of Red River under the Convential Jurisdiction of the U. States was to be President. He was accordingly nominated to that station without opposition. And the very first acts done by him in the appointment of his committes he clearly exhibited the course he subsequently intended to pursue. He United himself with Robert Potter of famous memory and other avarious [sic] land speculators who in order to carry their own speculations where they had pretended to purchase & had actually procured conveyances to head many of [them] had never been bona fide settled: Attempted to pass the famous agararian law declaring all grants of land for [more] than one league of land absolutely void. This measure was warmly opposed by myself in the Judiciary the committee in a speech which I shall shortly lay before the world. The committee voted down the proposition by a small majority. But ~Ir Childress who together with Ellis Hamilton Robertson & others were deeply interested in defeating these claims, modified the measure so as to make all grants for more than eleven leagues \'Oid and all eleven
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