WRITINGS OF SA:M HOUSTON, 1859
attach themselves to democracy and become the exponent of it. When corruption and chicanery control their action, cloaked though they may be in the garb of democracy they but outrage the name and if unchecked will prove subversive of the rights of the people. Was the State Convention of last year democracy? Democ- racy is the people, and did the people declare against democracy, because they refused to allow that convention to force upon them a candidate for a high judicial position to whom attached charges, which if true, would have befouled the judicial ermine and made villiany the test of judicial favor? The people know what democ- racy is, and they have declared that .this is not democracy, for in the face of a majority of thousands, this man was defeated. Convention, then, say the people of Texas is not democracy. There was a democracy in Greece; but there was also a con- federation. Where the people cannot all act, they must delegate their authority. This is republicanism. But the representative must truly express the will of the people. He must represent the greater, not the smaller number. He must receive his authority, not from the few, but the many. Then he is the exponent of the democracy. · If faithful to his trust, he may claim for his acts the countenance of the people; if faithless, those who delegated the authority to him are less bound than those who did not, and regulated liberty demands that they shall refuse to yield to his usurpations. If Conventions be democracy, how was it that democracy existed before Conventions? Jefferson did glorious work for the people before their time. He was not nominated by one. I myself am older than platforms. I was a statesman before the birth of Conventions. The first National Convention I ever heard of, was to nominate Martin Van Buren upon Gen. Jack- son's ticket. Jackson was asked to go before it. He refused and appealed to the people, who sustained him. Therefore, it was only when parties sprang up, dividing the people, that Con- ventions became necessary. They served to consolidate political strength. Keep them pure and ·they will maintain party organ- ization to carry out principles. Allow them to become corrupted, and organization will only be maintained to promote ignoble ends and to keep the power from the people. Though I had determined to forever abandon public life, and had so expressed myself, my conscience has not permitted me to stand aloof from my fellow citizens in this emergency. I did not desire office; but the people have asked me to come forth and
Powered by FlippingBook