WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1843
292
public stores; also to furnish suitable buildings for the Honorable Congress, in which to meet and hold its sessions- all of which was to be done without cost or expense to the government. Sam Houston. l"Messages of the Presidents," Congressional Papers, Sev-enth Congress; also Executive Rcco1·d Book, No. 40, p. 207, Texas State Library.
TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1
. I 'I I, I
Executive Department, Washington, January 14th, 1843.
To the Honorable, the House of Representatives: The bill "for the protection of the Western and Southwestern frontier, and for other purposes," having been submitted to the' Executive, has received his mature and earnest consideration. In the examination of its various provisions he has been actuated by a sincere disposition to render his co-operation and aid in ad- vancing any measure which he could believe calculated to give protection to the frontiers of the country. Plans have long been projecting and the Congress designing and legislating upon schemes which they deemed proper for frontier defence- none of which has ever yet proved effective. In May, 1838, a militia law was passed over the veto of the Executive, divesting him of all military power and conferring his constitutional rights upon the Major General. All persons familiar with the history of Texas, must be aware that the period of the operation of that law was frought with many disasters to the country. The moneys drawn under its provisions were squan- dered by those who have not, up to the present time, accounted for the sums drawn. The country derived no advantage from it; but, on the contrary, sustained positive loss to its Treasury. The sum of twenty thousand dollars was expended, and addi- tional indebtedness incurred to the amount of many thousands more. But though the consequences of that measure, so similar to the one under consideration, were so injurious, the Executive feels that he was free from any cause of reproach. To prevent it, he exercised his constitutional prerogative, and in its exercise discharged what he deemed a sacred duty. The campaign of Gen. Morehouse up the Brazos, for which ten thousand dollars were appropriated, resulted in nothing beneficial to the country. That, too, was an independent command. The
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