WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1841
393
soldier's hand, and nerves his arm in battle, but the anxious desire to defend the near and dear? What animates and sustains the officer, but the hope to win the admiration of the fair, and give security to his home and family? What supports the general in the contest? Woman is the beneficiary. Her smiles are to be mingled in her triumph. Oh, gentlemen, it is woman who blesses her country, while she blesses those about her. In view of the circumstances under which Texas has grown into existence, we must expect many evils to be corrected in the formation of society. For the want of the sweet attractions of the fireside, it has been too usual among us to have recourse to the grog shop, either for the purpose of exhilaration, or to while away the time; or, still more demoralizing, to resort to the faro bank. Notwithstanding these adverse influences, the people of Texas had still character enough left to acquire their liberty; and now its full enjoyment, worship under their own vine, or sit under their own fig trees, with none in all the land to make them afraid. But when we look about us and within us, we cannot avoid the melancholy consciousness, that our happiness is impaired by the misfortunes of our country. We perceive our money depreciated, our credit sunk, our political institutions and laws disregarded or suspended ; the highest functionaries forgetting their high des- tiny-the whole country languishing under oppression.-The proud and industrious man bows his head to adversity. Taxation accumulates upon us, and we have no currency to meet it. We see the money of the nation squandered, and an already heavy debt increasing upon us, when a few years since we owed not a million dollars. The mighty loan, so long and so earnestly con- templated, like all other bubbles, has burst at last. The most felicitous disappointment, the most fortunate circumstance that could have happened to our country. We were not in a situation to appropriate money, if it had been given to us. We should not have been able to pay it when demanded, and interest would have continued to accumulate our national debt. It would have bowed down the spirit of enterprise, and cramped the energy of the industrious. I thank God! as to the loan, we have no longer anything to anticipate. We can now have recourse to our in- dustry. Instead of visionary and unauthorized Santa Fe Ex~ peditions-instead of beautiful navies built for the enemy at a heavy expense; I trust the day is coming when the purpose or
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