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sidered the pro.Santa Anna declarations of the colonists ill-advised at this time, because, until he succeeded, the colonists could expect no support from him, and should he fail, the Bustamante administration would be prone to look upon the petitions with disfavor. "I should have wished to further them [the objects of the Convention] to the limit of my real power," declared Musquiz. "I am a citizen of Texas, and have the greatest interest in every betterment that can advance the welfare of the country and its inhabitants."" He, nevertheless, could not approve in his official capacity procedures contrary to law. The reforms desired and the establishment of separate statehood should, he thought, be requested through petition by the a,yuntamienws rather than conventions. The cooperation of the Mexican settlements was indispensable to obtaining their ends and to avoiding any suspicion that the real purpose was independence from Mexico. After the Convention, therefore, Stephen F. Austin went to Goliad and then to San Antonio to plead with them. He succeeded in getting both ayuntamientos to pass resolutions con- demning the abuses of state and federal authorities and endorsing sep- arately the various petitions of the colonists. Before full advantage of this move could be taken, the impatient leaders of the central committee elected by the Convention called a second convention to meet on April I, 1833. The radical element had meanwhile gained control, because the recent immigrants, of whom there was a large number, had little or no use for the policy of cautious and conciliatory action. When the second convention met in San Felipe, tfiere were no dele- gates from the Mexican settlements. The proposal to hold it in Bexar had been declined. Musquiz had suggested the meeting be postponed until after peace had been restored in Mexico, and that permission be obtained before holding a convention. This good advice was disregarded. Of the fifty-five delegates who met on April 1, 1833, only fourteen had served in the Convention of 1832. The temper, too, of the new delegates was more radical. W. H. Wharton, not Stephen F. Austin, was elected to preside-~ Among the restless members was the recently arrived Sam Houston, Congressman, ex-Governor of Tennessee, and friend of President Jackson. During the two weeks of deliberation, the Convention adopted petitions for state government, the repeal of the anti-immigration clause of the Law of April 6, 1830, and tariff exemp- tion. Certain that statehood could not be denied, the Convention decided to draw up a constitution fashioned after that of Massachusetts of "Quoted in Barker, Life of Stefllen F. Austin, 408.
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