WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1859
304
To WILLIAM G. HALE 1
Senate Chamber, Feby 25th, 1859. Mr. Hale. You will see the condition of this matter. Truly, Sam Houston. [Endorsed] : To Gen Sam Houston. From the Solicitor of the U. S. Treasury. Feby 25-/59 1J11iscellaneous Letters of the Govenwrs, Texas State Library. This note is written on the back of a letter from James Hillyer, Solicitor of the United States, to Houston, February 25, 1859. From the context of the Solicitor's letter it seems evident that Hale had written Houston asking that he try to delay action of the Government against the widow of Major J. H. Durst on some unexplained claim. The Solicitor wi·ote Houston that he knew of no claim, and that no action was contemplated. REMARKS ON THE ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL, FEBRUARY 26, 1859 1 Mr. Houston. I will remark by way of explanation, to my friend from Illinois, that we have no militia in Texas. They are all volunteers, and have been from the commencement of the country up to this time. There is no organization of militia in Texas; there is but one militia officer recognized in the Con- stitution who is in service, and that is the Governor of the State. General Smith being satisfied that the condition of the country required defence, called upon the Governor; the Gov- ernor made his proclamation for militia, and they presented themselves under the name and character of volunteers, for there really was no organization of militia, nor could any draft have taken place. The country was not laid off into beats, companies, battalions, regiments, or brigades. The emergency under which the Governor acted was subsequent to the time when General Smith made the call, but the exigencies were equally as great as they had been in the case where the troops were called for by General Smith, and required immediate action. The condi- tion of our extended frontier would not admit of postponement until orders could come from Washington to authorize the call- ing out of troops; and upon the emergency these troops were called out, not for the purpose of suppressing insurrection or war made by Indians who were resident in Texas, but by those who came from the reservations east of the Red river, and from the upper portion of the Arkansas and the Canadian. These were the Indians that invaded Texas. The call was not for troops to suppress insurrection of our own Indians, but the
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