WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1847
20
I refer to you so as to give you a chance; and so soon as my reply is published, I will send you a paper containing it. I will look with anxiety for your notice of him. As a Tenneessean used to say, I hope you will "draw your strokes fine," so as to make him sweet music. He deserves well of his country, and I know no man more able to render him a requital than Ex-President Jones. I wish it was in my power to transfer the whole matter to your keeping. I feel that in part I must pay him. I will preserve my good temper in my reply . . . Sam Houston. 1 Anson Jones, Memoranda and Official Co1·1·espondence, Republic of Texas, 516. To F. L. HATCH 1 Huntsville, Texas, Oct. 20, 1847. To the Editor of the Bann.er Sir: From the newspapers recently received by me, I per- ceive that Ex-President Tyler, under date of the 1st ult. has felt himself "evoked" by a communication of mine of the 18th of July last. I regret exceedingly that anything emanating from me should have given the slightest inquietude to the Ex-President. It cer- tainly was not intended by me to have disturbed his equanimity. But as I then stated, my object was to prevent misconceptions of the truth of history, so far as the subject of annexation was con- cerned. I believed that his first letter was calculated, if not intended to mislead the public mind in relation to several important facts. These I pointed out and stated other facts corroborative of them. It was not my wish to deprive the Ex-President of any portion of the credit of annexation to which he might justly have a claim. But since he has become restive under the influence of the facts stated, and will be satis.fied with nothing less than the whole credit of the measure, I deem it legitimate for me to lay before the public such additional facts from the authentic documents as will manifest that he was only subsidiary to the measure. I will not inquire into his motives so far as he acted, as I do not deem it material to the history of the measure whether or not his participancy was intended to agitate a question in the U. S. which might prove beneficial to the declining prospects of political aspirants. But certain it is that from 1841 until late in [18] 43
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