11
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1832-1853
prisoners has received the approbation of civilized people and nations throughout the civilized world, and I rejoice that it is not within the province of human power to reverse the act. [Pro- longed cheering.] It pains me, fellow-citizens, to weary your patience in listening to matters personal to myself, but I feel it to be my duty to notice one other unfriendly stricture upon my public acts. It is alleged, as many of you well know, that I was unfaithful to the interests of Texas and Southern institutions when I directed our minister at Washington to withdraw the proposition to the Federal Union and courted the assistance and good will of England and France. I have even been called an abolitionist by some of our scribbling newspaper editors. Will my fellow citizens forgive me for lowering myself suf- ficiently to notice these creatures? ["Yes, yes, go on," from the audience.] This fellow Richardson of the News; I don't know him, and should not if I should meet him on the street. He hails, I am informed, from South Carolina, and professes to be the cham- pion of extreme Southern rights. But, I am informed, also, (and I believe it to be true) that he is late from the classic land of wooden nutmegs, warming pans, blue laws, witchcraft, and the hot bed of abolitionism. He won't steal! He is too mean! That is fortunate; for the inmates of the penitentiary are not likely to be disgraced and corrupted by being his associate. [Laughter and applause.] The lying scribbler of the Telegraph, [Dr. Francis Moore,] is a one armed man. You never would forgive me for abusing a crip- ple, but I must confess that one arm can write more malicious falsehoods than any man with two arms I ever saw. His one arm is more prolific for evil than the traditional bag that had seven cats and every cat had seven kits. The idea that such men should accuse me of being disloyal to the interests of the South; how absurd! how illogical! I who first saw light of day in Old Vir- ginia, educated in Tennessee at the feet of Andrew Jackson, and was taught in my infancy to love the South and all her institu- tions, social, religious, and political. The love of the South is part of my very being. It grew in me with my growth from childhood to manhood. These men, however, in retailing their slanders, are compelled to tell some truths. I did direct our minister at Washington to withdraw the application of Texas for annexation and commence
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