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WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1842
TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES' Executive Department, City of Austin, January 3P., 1842. To the Honorable, the House of Representatives: Influenced by an abiding conviction of the unconstitutionality of laws organizing counties for judicial purposes, founded upon reasons heretofore communicated to your Honorable Body, I am compelled to withhold my approval and signature from the bill "to organize the county of DeWitt for judicial purposes;" and also the bill "to divide the counties of Montgomery and Houston and create the counties of Madison and Hamilton, for judicial and other purposes." Sam Houston. '"Message of the Presidents," Cong1·essional Papers; also, Executive Rec- 01·d Book, No. 40, 32, Texas State Library. PROCLAMATION AGAINST THE REGULATORS, JANUARY 31, 1842 1 Whereas, information has been communicated to the Execu- tive, that certain individuals, residents of the Counties of Liberty and Jefferson, combined together under the name of "Regula- tors,"2 have murdered one Thos. D. Yocum, of the County of Jef- ferson, burnt his late residence and appurtenances, and driven his widow and children from their home, and do still persist in persecuting her and preventing her by threats and violence from returning, or from collecting what remains of the property of said Yocum, deceased ; and that the said individuals in connection with others, do still keep her and her family in constant appre- hension for the safety of their lives; and are committing various other outrages : And Whereas, it is a fact well kno\vn that combinations of men have for some time existed in portions of the Republic, under different names, and for different purposes, who disregarding the Constitution and setting at defiance the majesty of the laws, have assumed powers which the Judiciary of the country alone has the authority to exercise: And Whereas, all good, reflecting and law-abiding persons must deprecate the existence of a state of society in any portion of the Republic, which tolerates for a moment, under any name or pretence whatsoever the predominance of n combination of in- dividuals who usurping to themselves powers at variance with good order and the laws, are ennbled by violence to carry out and
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