WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1861
273
but as a sworn officer, my duty was too plain to be misunder- stood. Because others more lightly regarded the bond they made with Heaven, furnished me no excuse, if my conscience con- demned the act. If I had believed that the time had come for revolution, I should have thrown off the burden of an official oath, resigned my office, and as one of the people, a free and independent citizen, have aided to arouse my countrymen to action. I believed that the Constitution and laws would pro- vide a remedy and therefore I was not ready for revolution. I do not impugn the motives of all the members of this Con- vention. Nor do I believe that the spirit of malevolence which has characterized a portion of its members should be attributed to the Convention as a whole. My intercourse with the Con- vention and its Committees has been frank and courteous, and while its halls have daily resounded with denunciations of my conduct, I have held my peace. A large number of its members are men whom I have known and respected. I yet respect them. I still believe them actuated by high and noble desires, and though associated with the majority whose usurpations I con- demn, I am ready to accord to them the desire to perform no action but such as their views of duty seemed to require. The Legislature refused to submit the question of our rela- tions with the United States Government to a direct vote of the people; but authorized the Convention to do so. The Legislature having recognized the Convention so far, I was willing to sanc- tion the act, because I saw that in no other way would the people get an opportunity to express their will. I did so, protesting against the assumption of any other powers on the part of the Convention. I knew full well the designs of the leaders of that ·movement. I saw that in their hands, neither Constitution or Laws would be sacred; and I put upon record my refusal to sanction any attempt on their part, to touch the charter of your liberties or infringe upon the rights secured to you by men who framed the State Constitution. My worst anticipations as to the assumption of power by this Convention has been realized. To enumerate all the usurpations would be impossible, as a great portion of its proceedings have been in secret. This much has been revealed: It has elected delegates to the Provisional Council of the Con- federate States, at Montgomery, before Texas had withdrawn from the Union, and who on the 2d day of March, annexed Texas to the Confederate States and constituted themselves members of Congress, when it was not officially known by the Convention
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