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WRITINGS oF SAM HousToN, 184-6
gentlemen have an opportunity to scrutinize the merits of the nominees? Could he distrust either the honor of the Executive or the vigilance and fidelity of the Senate, then would he distrust the heart that beat in his own bosom, and believe that Nature had imbued all men with the principle of perfidy. It was a truth which all must be prepared to admit, that men might be biased by the influence of friends and relations. The ties of kindred and of friendship were apt to warp the judgment, and render men averse to what they supposed would be injurious to the interests of those whom they loved; but happily the annex- ation of the Texan navy did not clash with the interests or the honor of American naval officers. If, indeed, the officers of the Texan navy were to be introduced into that of the United States without any additional places to fill, and they were placed where officers of the American navy ought to be, the charge of over- slaughing would be just, and the annexation would infer a violation of the claims of all the officers in the navy, and an interference with their prospects of promotion; but if the addition of the Texan navy created as many new places as it brought in new officers, injury would be done to none. Supposing we had ninety-seven post captains now in the navy, an additional post captain from the Texan navy would not diminish their claims; on the contrary, it would multiply to all below that rank the expectation of vacancies by death, and leave. them on a perfect equality as to promotion. But it was objected, that under a bill like this, Texan officers might be introduced against whom very strong prejudices were in some quarters entertained. Having had official duties to per- form in connexion with the navy of Texas, Mr. H. would forbear all comments upon this branch of the subject. He did not think that the carrying out of this bill depended on the merits or de- merits of individuals. It contained correctives and guards which must operate to prevent the introduction of unworthy characters, if any such existed. To determine the fate of a bill which secured to a nation its rights, by a reference to the particular individuals who would immediately be benefited by it, was a false principle, and an unjust and iniquitous test of its merits as a public measure. The propriety of passing the bill, the equity and the justice of the measure it enacted, ought to be determined, not by the char- acter of particular men, but by the public relations existing be- tween Texas and the United States, or between Texas as a State and her other sister States. She had been incorporated with the clear understanding that certain things should be guarantied
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