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PAPEHS 0];' l\1rnABEAU BuoN"APARTE LAMAR
No. 2214.· SAJI.IUEL M. WILLIAMS TO THE VOTERS OF THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT [Broadside] Fellow Citizens. My name is before you as a candidate for your suffrages to represent you in the Congress of the Union. And in soliciting you to cast your votes for me it is but reasonable to presume that you will require some declaration from me of my political faith. With your permission I will premise by saying that I emigrated from the United States at a period when there did not exist any party, for Mr Monroe was then President, and the old parties of Federalist and Republicans had ceased, and the present parties of Whig and Democrat had not been formed. I was brought up in the school of Jeffersonian democracy and was in favor of General Jackson, so far as opinion, for the Presidency of the United States. In this however, I might haYe been governed by my interest for being in Texas I certainly did feel and believe that the well being ol Texas was more likely to be promoted by a President from the Western or Southern portion of the States, than by one from the Northern or Eastern portion. It is .now the duty of a Citizen of Texas to support the present administration of the country, for to that is due the credit of our now forming one of the States of that Union- and without doubt Texas will require that from her representatives and I believe that every candidate now before you or who may present himself for your suffrages will cheerfully assent to that doctrine. It is my opinion that the best interest of our State will be promoted by a prompt arrangement of our public debt-and to me no plan ap- pears so feasible as that of contracting with the General Government for the liquidation of that debt, by a transfer in trust of our Public domain-making such reservation by percentage of the proceeds of the sales as will carry out the views of the State on the subject of public education, and so soon as the proceeds of the sales shall have liquidated the debt, that a portion of what may be then produced shall be paid to the Treasury of the State for the support of our State Government. I think it will be admitted, however desirable that the State should control its [own] domain, that the State of Texas has not the means, and cannot control an amount necessary to defray the expenses of sur- veying the public lands and consequently a transfer of 'them to the General Government is almost imperatiYe. For all I think will admit that a just and equitable liquidation of the public debt is very de- sirable for the credit of the State. How far the opinion of Internal Improvement may find favor with the Congress is problematical, yet it is certainly very desirable to Texas to have the Navigation of her Rivers improved by removing the exist- ing obstructions-for certainly the more easy transportation is ren- dered the more prompt and efficient must be the means of public de- fence, and if this doctrine cannot be favored a reservation from land sales should be made to produce a result so desirable for Texas. On the subject of the Tariff, I have always been in favor of as low a rate of import duties as will be sufficient to cover the expense of Government One portion of-Texas, the district lying below the paralel of 30° north latitude will be benefitted by a continuation of the duty
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