WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1831-1832
251
which has recently occupied the attention of the Committee on " fraud," that was raised at the instance of the Hon. William Stanbery, a member of .Congress. Last evening, for the first time, my attention was called to a Report of the Hon. John Leeds Kerr, dissentient from the other members of the Committee; and as there seems to be no 1·easonable grounds for supposing that the present notice will be regarded as " a contempt of the House," or as an invasion of the "privileges of its members," I shall take leave to examine the Report of Mr. Kerr, so far as I deem fit to meet its contents relative to myself. The gentleman " takes leave to declare his mere opinion that the evidence reported to the House, estciblishes the fact that strong endeavors were 'Used by Samuel Houston to obtain from the late Secretary of War the contract for supplying rations, mentioned in the resolution of the House, and that he was con- cerned with other persons, at divers times, to obtain such a con- tract u,pon terms disadvantageous to the Gove1·nment." It is a matter of some regret to me, that any gentleman wh0 has the reputation for honorable bearing and character, which Mr. Kerr has heretofore sustained, should express as a " mere opinion," which cannot be sustained, by the testimony to which he refers, nor can I assign any fair apology for the aspersions which he has sought to cast upon me, other th:;m that he has .been and is at this moment, writhing under the most galling state of party chagrin, and that malevolence which always arises from the stagnation of ambitious hopes. If Mr. Kerr paid any attention to the evidence, and the charac- ter of the witnesses, he must be satisfied that those upon whom he relied, have discredited themselves, or were discredited by facts which were not controverted. Luther Blake was one of the witnesses upon whom he relied for his opinion, and he too was supported by Messrs. McKenney ·and Crowell, but notwith- standing this fact, it was admitted by Blake, that he had forged, or made a receipt, within a short time past, to obtain a credit, for Col. Crowell, of $275, which receipt or voucher was intended to refer to September, 1829, but unfortunately the fraud was ex- posed by the fact, thut the receipt bore date 13th September, 1832. Not withstandrng this was done for the benefit of Col. Crowell, at his instance, and filed by himself in the Indian De- partment, yet he deposed to the fair character of Luther Blake, although his knowledge of this most atrocious conuption. How could he have done less? It exemplifies the old adage, " tickle
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