Our Catholic Heritage, Volume VI

Our Catholic Heritage in Te:eas

of the law, the grants had to be occupied and developed within two years after receipt of title. Some 297 titles were issued by the end of 1824, and of these only seven were forfeited. While it is true that many new settlers came in after Austin had returned, there were many others who wished to join the colony but whom doubt and fear restrained. Questicms raised by settlers. Various questions arose in the minds of many, deterring them from settling: Is the country independent of Spain? Is it settled, or a wilderness? How is it governed? How are titles obtained? What is the status of slavery? Is there religious toleration ? From Baltimore James T. Dunbar, representing a considerable number of prospective settlers, wrote, "The idea of an established church of any particular creed would forever banish from our minds the design of leaving our natal soil." Elijah Noble penned an inquiry from Lexington, Kentucky, to find out if settlers would be "allowed to worship their god [sic] agreeable to the dictates of their own minds, etc., or will they be compelled to acknowledge the Catholic religion as the supreme religion of the land?" Charles Douglas sent a letter from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, stating that he had three or four hundred families ready to set out for Texas, but that he was "sorry to see that the roman catholic is the established religion and no other tolerated. This will have a bad effect upon the minds of many good but weak people in the U. S. and (I am afraid) will very much discourage emigration to your country." Some, however, took an unprincipled, unethical attitude. Colonel John Hawkins, of Missouri, with five stalwart sons capable of doing a good day's work in the field and a sixth growing up, was not much bothered. "I know I can be as good a Christian there as I can be here," he said. "It is only a name, anyhow." 35 Such was the attitude of many who perjured themselves to obtain a land grant in Texas. After the annulment· of the Imperial Colonization Law of January 4, 1823, under the terms of which the first Austin grant was confirmed on April 14 of the same year, the problem of colonization continued to occupy Mexican officials. The National Congress passed an act on May 7, 1824, by which the provinces of Coahuila and Texas were united as one state until the The new federal and state colonization laws. JSE. C. Barker, T/r6 Life of Stephen F. Austin, 94-95. In his book Dr. Barker has presented a thorough study of the colonization of Texas. Frequent references to his work will be made in summarizing the Anglo-American colonization of Texas.