contending parties, and lacerated by Lhe boundless and selfish ambition of her chieftains, who have Lorn her constitution in fragmenLs and Lramplcd it in the dust, and who, instead of submitting their differences Lo the legitimate decision of a majority of the people, have madly appealed to the arbiLrament of arms until they have left nothing lo their country but poverty, want and desolaLion; and no hope of naLional repose, but the sepulchral tranquility of absolute depotism. Texas, united as she has been to Mexico, has necessarily been afflicted by the same evils and shaken by the same revolutionary convulsions as the mother country; and if the Texians have grown and prospered it has been by her neglect; for, when her attention has beeen directed towards them, every obstacle has been thrown in the way of their advancement and prosperity. Not only colonization has been suffered to languish, but it has been directly impeded; and that system which was offcred to the Texians as an inducement to emigrate lo the country, has been converted by a gross and monstrous corruption of the government, to purposes of private speculations. Every branch of the public administration has been neglected, and they have been abandoned to a state of total disorganization and anarchy, and left to protect themselves against the continual predatory and murderous allacks of their savage neighbours. In this situation of affairs they directed themselves respectfully and humbly to the national legislature, claiming the right of being admitted into the federation as a stale, a right which was guaranteed to them by the laws under which they were called and invited to that country; hoping that this would enable them lo provide by themselves a remedy for the evils which weighed upon them so heavily and threatened their ruin. Their petitions were neglected, and afterwards rejected with haughtiness and scorn, and their agent was thrown into a dungeon. Upon the failure of this measure, an ancient seltler who had been Lhe first Lo agitate the question of a State Government, and who was was devoted in his attachment as well to Lhe Mexican as to Lhe Texian interest, presented himself before the legislature of the State of Coahuila and Texas, and in a zealous and energetic appeal to their justice and policy entreated them lo give their legislative sanction to u variety of projccLs, which he offered for Lhcir consideration, and which, it was believed would supply in a great measure u remedy
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