Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1842-03-29
CHARLESTON, Is. c. MARCH 81,
To his Exceliency

CHARLESTON, Is. c. MARCH 81.
To his Exceliency
DoN ANTONIO LOPEZ DE SANTA ANNA,
President of the Republic of Mexico.
SIR: Although have not had the hon.
or TO receive, in manuscript, the letter
which you addressed me through the
gazettes of Mexico, under date of the 18th
of February, | feel too sensibly this
distinction not TO make my acknowledge
menl through a similar medium
However gross the violation Of confidence
of which your Excellency has been guilty,
IN publishing letter marked confidential,
(Which seal you yourself have recogni-
zed); | shall take no exception to your en-
! ploying the occasion Of vaunting your own
honesty, and catering for a popularity
of which you may stand greatly in need.
When | offered you an indemnity of
| five millions Of dollars, for a pacication
and boundary, between the Republics of
Texas and Mexico, acted under a COM
mission which was unrevoked by the Gov
eminent nf the former, and under which
| had negotiated a treaty of mediation
WITH the .Government of her Britanic
Majesty, providing for the payment Of this
sum, for the same object.
The supplementary offer Of two hun
| dred thousand dollars for contingencies
aud secret service, were to defray the cost
OF running the boundary line, the expense
o. the respective legations, and for secret
service.
You are too disciplined veteran in the
politics ofyour own country, not TO know
the necessity and Ualue of this last item.
Yet you have thought proper, it APP
pears, to pay Yourself the compliment OF
supPosing that | designed that this money
should be instructed as a bride to your
self. assure your Excellency that am
too well aware Of the spotless integrity OF
Don Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Pres
idcnt Of the Republic Of Mexico, to have
hazlrded such an experiment on the viz
gin purity Of YOU ExceIIency's honor.
If you, eXcel,ency can perceive sim
pudencc and audacity" in friendly offer
Of peace, and pledge of my eXertons &c
induce gallant people to pay five mil.
lions Of dollars for realm which they
had already won, by every title a JUST re-
yoution and a victorious sword could
confer, am quite content to suffer under
the roproacb Of having less modesty than
yourself.
After thus discourteouiy disposing Of
myself your ExcelIency is pleased to Law
sh upon the people, to whose mercy anC
magnanimily you owe your life, the gros
sest abuse.
''In the course Of which, you say that
there never was "a more scaDda!ous rob
berry" than tho forcible possession Of the
territory of Texas, by its present set
tiers.
Have you forgotten, Sir, the charters
and guarantees, under the faith Of which
STEPHEN AUSTIN brought his colony int'
Texas, which in life, liberty and property
were so adaIOuSy violated by you
own government? And this too, toward
a man, who resembIed IN the purity ofhi
own life, and in the wisdom and modera
ton of his character, the venerated foun
der of the State of Pennsylvania. TheS
colonies ofthe Anglo American race wer
introduced to protect your own MexIcaI
settlement from the hordes of the Canaan
chez Indians, from whom in spite Of thei
Wanted bravery, your troops had so in
gIoriously fled.
Are you not aware that one of tn
causes of the revolution of Texas, wa
your own usurpation! Your tyrannica
: overthrow Of the Constitution of 1923, an
q with 1t the federatlve, system Of which q
= an integral portion Of the State Of Cohuilt
n Texas wasta member! Have you forgo
+ ten that by the establishment Of a centr;
3, despotism on the ruins of this system, yo
: furnished the citizens SofTexas a'strongs
" justification for revolution than is to |
Il found in the causes which led 10 the II
: sistance of the thirteen North America
II Colonies TO the injustice of their parer
c State! After inviting the young Hercul,
o. into your country, you attempted, peri
/ diously, to stife him in his cradle, ar
you have reaped the full harvest of the &C
sequences.
! You say, sir, that when you CONNER
u ced your memorable campaign, in l83
it was illustrated by a series Of victorie
J. until the occurrence of what you a
o pie sed 10 call the unfortunate "acciden
i of San Jacinto.
Your victories, sir, if history is not
= greater novelist than the most authent
: Of your bulletins consisted in your belle
: CURING, with a well appointed corps
= three thousand men, a post defended
= some one hundred, who keIt your who
Il force for several days at bay, the captu
} of which found every man glorious
: slaughtered at his post-in the still mo
c remarkable gallantry Of numbering
h cold blood FIVE hundread men, under t
+ unfortunte FANNIN, who had laid doy
r. their arms to force of SIX times tht
= number, under the faith of capltulati'
= which even horde of Calmuc Tarta
% would have respected.
u At San Jacinto you were defeated
III the "accident''L.of your having more tn
10 two men to one of the band, who We
" led by the benefactor to whom you O.
of your life, and by the more marvellous "a