WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 184,7
22
secure her against the consequences of disturbing her relations with other powers and provoking Mexico to immediate hostility by sending a minister to Washington city? Every man of com- mon understanding would say it was. Yet, the Ex-President, in the "exuberance" of his fancy, is pleased to designate it as a "flirtation" with Mr. Murphy, and hopes that "Mr. Houston will pardon him for frankly saying that this arrangement thus made with Mr. Murphy, did excite a suspicion that he wanted but a plausible pretext to defeat ~nnexation altogether." And we find the Ex-President so much alarmed, so fearful of consequences -the defeat of the measure-that he selected distinguished gen- tlemen for the special purpose of securing annexation, because it was supposed they would from the circumstances connected with them, have great influence with the Executive of Texas. The Executive was delighted with their appointment. They brought with them earnest of the state of excitement in the U. S. on the subject of annexation, in which he had been laboring for years. He discovered that his labor had not been in vain, and that the "flirtation," as characterized by the Ex-President, with Mr. Mur- phy, would turn out to good account. He cared not what capital was to be made out of the measure by the President of the U. S. for he saw that the involvements of the U. S. with Texas were such that matters must eventuate in annexation. If Ex-President Tyler did not suspect that I at times desired a plausible pretext to defeat annexation altogether, I certainly failed in any appliances with his diplomatic agents. If I excited suspicion in him, I succeeded in my determination and belief. Every effort had been used by Texas to induce the people of the U. States to believe that the "golden moment" had arrived, and unless annexation was soon consummated, that it would be impossible to succeed in it at any future day; and the success of the measure showed the policy of the suggestion. The Ex-President insists that he took the "initiative" in the measure. As the President of the United States, I grant that he did; but he will pardon me for not according it to him as the moving spirit. The subject was first brought before the American people by General Jackson's correspondence. It had extended to Congress before the vaunted "initiative" was taken; and this is corroborated by Mr. Upshur himself in his letter conveying the direct proposition to Texas for annexation under date of the 16th January, 1844.2 Before giving that part of the letter, I will speak
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