WRITINGS OF SAl\-I HOUSTON, 1859
359
permanent and practicable. The Southern route alone presents no obstacles to the construction of the road, the climate, the topography of the country, distance and secuTity, are alike in its favor, and relying upon these advantages over any other route, I felt assured that if justice was done, we would secure the road. I urged these facts, and though they voted that the initial point should not be below Memphis, I felt assured that Texas could not in the end be sacrificed. The road cannot be a success unless, it passes through our territory. Let the government decide fairly and the Southern route must succeed. I am charged with sustaining the Reserve Indians at the ex- pense of the white settler. My speeches made in the last Congress prove the falsity of this. I advocated with all the earnestness in my power the calling out of a regiment of mounted rangers for the· defence of the frontier of Texas. They alone can give ·protection to Texas. The regular troops have never protected us, and they never will be able to do so. I repeatedly declared that the stations in Texas were of no use, and that if the govern- ment would give us a thousand rangers, they might remove every one of them. It has long been my object to remove all the Indians from the border, to new reservations at such a distance that they would not come in contact with the whites. For this purpose the Concha reservation was intended, and repeated efforts have been made by myself and colleague, to have it estab- lished and our Indians removed. So long as they are in the imme- diate vicinity of the whites, it is useless to attempt to either civilize them or keep them in bounds. They should be kept out of white territory unless accompanied by a white man, and none but licensed traders should be allowed to mingle with them. When settlements are pressing upon them, the temptation to commit depredation is too great. ·They are kept drunk and remain indo- lent. Remove them from these influences, and the Indian policy of the government will result well. When the question of the admission of Kansas under the Lecomp- ton Constitution came up, I cheerfully voted for the best measure presented, that which met the general support of the South and the approval of the President. I had no objection to make to the measure, because I regarded the resolutions of the Legisla- ture as my instructions, and, besides, I ardently desired that the unprofitable and dangerous Kansas agitation should be brought to a close. Any measure which did justice to the South and bid fair to attain this end, had claims upon my support. The Supreme
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