American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-10-04
COMMUNICATIONS
MS Of he Hn.aington Union .

To the Editors Of the Washington Union
{gy- The Alexandra Gazette of the 18th nit. con
taius q communication from Gen. CHARLES +. MER-
cER, purporng 70 bea vlndlcatom Of the contract
made with him by Gen. SAMUEL HOUsToN, rs PreS-
dent of the Republic OF Texas granting him the priv
iegc of cuonizing large tract OF country in FrNns
Which contract | some time since declared ga hr
fraudulent He sets our 10y saying that the tuIuu, Il
seems, rcldsC ed 20 pIblsh my letter making that chargr
thus attempting to artay the influence and IN nuTiy
0: your press in support o! his own fraudulent con
tract and in flrihcraNcr of the equally frau talent,
politica! Vaccinations Of this patron, Gen. Samuel
Houston. .. ... ....... .... ...s...a..
This makes it proper that should desire the use Of
your columns 10 eXpnsr hOt Of thcil frauds and fist
As to Gen. Samuel Houston. Il is my misfortune ~
have bcpG per. oual ri aton to him. and 10 hi, OIL
cal acts that competed me 10 know, and understand
the man. His misgOvrrnment has been WthcTng
Dbl gAl upon the iaIcat portion OF Texas lis conduct
had been such a, to creptr strong current against
hini. Having done all that he could to dneat annex
nj IN, and finding That tie measure would be carried
by AN overwhelming mo GRITTY, he fec from HE pubic
Indignation ol Texas, and came to the United states,
hoping 10 gut endorsement from General Jack on
and the President that W Ou'd enable him to pric ice
further frauds upon the people vi Texas, and this
Union. Himself, a disgusting drunkt Il, he LGtG the
peouIG of New Orleans temperance ha 'auGuc. Him-
self opposed 10 annexation, he there made speech
IN favor OF II.
Knowing that his purpose was to recruit his puIitical
influence by creating an impression here, thai he
the master spnt who controls the public VIII Of T"N-
is, aud tbuS get up demonstrations 10 be pa.adcd
through the Press for the purpose Of creating belief
IN Texas mat the best IneaI of finding favor with
President Folk Is, 10 bGcone pMtlZau of Sam.
Houston; believing that his purpose in visiting G"u
JAG &son 10 practice political fraud upon him
and the pubic, ana that he would come on 10 Wash
i, gton to cMsunmatu that fraud, thus getting up the
show Of confidence and ilrnaiy intercourse win the
President To react the people at TCX,s; resolved
to cheek his progress by a bold, Uatqurvoca and au-
thrnuC dunuHCiattOn.
You had published letters written for the purpose Of
giving eClat to his progress and therefore addressed
tpr dom No PEI 4
planning then object .' ..
Unwilling to open your paper, to what you were
apprehensiv" might become perS onal controversy,
YOU declined to publish it, uitm sent it to the New
York lcrald;-lhls circumstance has been used by
ilouson's parllaans in Texas, 10 show that he is
great ayOrite with the Executive, that whist you
publish letters commencing him to public favor, and
altrbutiugto him an influence which he does not pos
: S.; You will not permit NE under my own name TO
expose his public character on 10 comment On his Off
CidI acts. ...'. .'
vintian were 10 meet in Austin | i6retUld Vat lie
would not venture to attend It, | knewthe man, and
i0rctold that my letter would arrest his PROCESS;
that instead Of coming to Was ngtou, or going to
Austin, he would hide himself; aud that instead of
playing out his game boldly by denying the truth of
Inc charges had made, and of Others which he knew
am prepared 10 make and to prove, he would change
his tactics, and 10 accomplish his objects, seek by
subordinate agents, what he could not do in person.
What fnretOld has come TO pass. He retrcated To
the interior OF Tennessee,he put his machinery in
II.
throw himself into the popular current, by speech
manufactured for the pnrposc and laudatory letter
published in the Union.
When he Sad thus paved the way he despatched to
Washington one of his instruments, a. whom he
had himself dlSgTactd as unworthy OF petty office,
salary OF five hundred dollars per aahum, and who
was again taken into favor when lie found that by APP
pointing hllG 10 subordinate ciefksip he could pre-
veut his disclosing To Il committee OF Congress thu
manner in which he had applied large sum OF money
Entrusted to him, for the public service. learn that
he gave letters commencing this man to the conf
deuce of the President leasn also that thisman boast
ed that he had Obtained the confidence of the Presi-
dent and has gone back to Texas ircished with pleg
es the purpose of which is to recruit army of hun
cry office hunters und dcpcndans, whose compensa-
Ton is depend ON their activity in placing the new
government Of Texas in the hands Of Houston and
Jones, and sending such persons ifom TEXAS 10 the
Senate and House OF Representatives as Will use Their
influence 10 sustain sam, Houston.
So far this game has been adrOity played. Unable
10 defeat annexation, Houston and Jones, and few
&C tupt associates. now seek to make an impression
that they are to con,rou the federal patronage as a
means of acting on the elections IL Texas.
Tn, u remarks are made, by way OF showing that
your press has been used (withou your knowledge of
the raudo one of the means of practising fraud
upon the public and to show that in what have said,
and what AM now ahont To say Mr. Mercer's con
tract relates 10 public matter, proper 10 be dis
cuSSHd through the public press, and that the Hcuni
stances are such 10 makCit your duty 10 publish
this comment intended TO cOunIcract the effect
Of the publications you have heretofore made.
/ now come 10 speak Of the contract. | have pro
roHnccd it fraudulent. II is due tn the public, to Mr.
Mercer, and to myself 20 state why have so pro-
nounced it. proceed To TINT statement. MOI having
the law before me white from .ccolection' The
facts are such that | am sue that do not mistake
them, E..
After the Mexican authorities had been driven from
Texas controversy arose with certain Indians re-
siding within our limits; war ensued and the from
tierSetienentS We're much annoyed. Persons lcSld-
Ing III Texas at the dgG!arat on ct Independence, and
others having performed military service hT grants
for and which they coHld not locGtn in consequence
of the hostility Of Indians, Ii therefore became part
Of the defensive policy OF The government To encour-
aye the colonization of the frontier, and a law was
passed authorizing Carroll, Peters and others, to col
oniza the tract known as the Cross fimhers But
the act authorizing the contract EXPRESSLY provides
that the colony should he located Gborc the exist ne
Settlements and that onctrd Of the coonistS should
be introduced during the first year. A subsequent acl
authorized the President to make similar contracts
with Others but expressly restricts the terms OF these
contracts to the of the previous act 10 wiz that
the colony should be ADORE the settlements; and that
Oncthrd Of the coonstS should be introduced Wlihin
tho first year. BY subsequent act the President was
authorized TO make further notifications OF thu con
tract with Carroll Peters aud their associates; but no
authority ,chGtcrcT was given TO relax the conditions
OF the contracts he authorized TO make with 9th
Such was the law when Mr.. Mercer appearedat the
seat Of the TcXan government in the year IA, as the
RepreSe NATIVE las am credibly informed, the name
OF the gentleman iaiormlnr II desired Will be Civ
en- of Carroll, Peters and their associates, asklrf
further notifications of their contiact-and as suc,.
he appeared before Congress. lie was heard and in
stead of granting his request, Congress repealed all
laws authorizing the President to make colonization
contracts. The President had the constitution al pow
to keep POSSESSION Of The bill for five days and dur
ing The time he had the bill in his possession. as is
now alleged, he made this tradarnt contract with MI
Mercer, and returned Il bill with his Neto. Congress
passed the bill by an almost unanimous vote. The
right to make any contract was repealed IN despite of
the Veto. ...
Here was hlgrant disregard of the will Of Con
yress and shows Ihat Sam Houston and Arson Jones,
whose duty it was as Secretary Of state, 10 prepare
the contract must have had strong indncenenttO do
SO. 1t was made not only in defiance Of the will Of
co ,gress but without the knowledge, rs believe, of
every member of that body except one, and he, il
seems, was taken into the contract as partner be
cause he selected the tr-ct aud gave the local intor
nation necessary to define The UNIT of thc grant.
But it is not on this account aHie that denounce
the contract as fraud. den0unGs il because Sam.
Houston had no authority TO make sich Il contract
Tau riyi, Ito