19
PAPERS OJ' MIRABEAU BuoNAP.ARTE LA1>1.A.R
least surprised to hear of a Mexican Army on this side the Rio Grande I take the liberty of suggesting to you to look to the attain- ment of the necessary means from the million bonds to furnish the necessary munitions o:f War &c I will see what can be done in Mi: Whince 37 I shall set out to-morrow. Please write to me often This is the third letter 38 I have had the honor to write you since my arrival her[e] all hurriedly. :My respects to all the members of the Cabinet. and compliments most respectfully to your family. I have had some pecuniary trouble since I reached here but my excellent friend ~Ir Hodge brother of our very worthy consul of Philadelphia not only aided me to extricate myself but done it in such a way as was most gentlemanly. In great haste
Y[ou]; friend M. Hunt
[Endorsed] M. Hunt June 10. '39.
No. 1331
1839 June 10, J. T. LAMAR, MACON, [GEORGIA], TO l\I. B. LAMAR, HOUSTON, TEXAS 30 l\Iacon 10th June 1839. Dear Cousin I wish to draw your attention to the repealing the law in Texas prohibiting the Slave trade-When that law was passed the people of Texas expected to be annexed to the United States and per- haps it was then good policy to conform to the principles of our gov- ernment as nearly as possible for the public good- But now when annexation is a Settled question, I cannot see the policy of compelling the people of Texas to pay 1200 to 1500 each for Slaves raised in the United States, when they may be obtained from Cuba & other places at 200 to 300$ each.-Although I may never re- turn to Texas I hope to see the day when she will make her ports free to all nations-and whether it be a tariff on negro property, or on imported goods, the onus is the same- All I believe admit that slave labor is indispensable to Texas, and without it she cannot in a century rise in wealth and importance much beyond what she now is-and her fertile lands must remained [sic] untilled and useless- The repeal of the law would as a matter of course be a popular meas- ure with the Texians, and as the republic is already repudiated & denounced by the abolitionist in the United States & elsewhere as a Slave holding people, Why not give to your Citizens the means to sup- ply themselves with laborers to enrich the Country and themselves- There is a strong and growing feeling in the South in favor of Texas and particularly in this State; and should you again have a formi-
"The sense· here requires "whither" rather than "whence". 18 The other two letters are nos. 1312 and 1322. ..A. L. S.
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