Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-02-16
Speech Of Gen. Samuel Houston.

Speech Of Gen. Samuel Houston,
Delivered at War Meeting at Tamma.
/ my Hall, in the city OF .Np York, on
the erening Of The ,29h Of January, last.
!. Afterthe adoption of the resolutions, and
when the applause had subsided, a univer-
sal cali. was made for General Houston,
who, after a short delay, appeared at the
foot of the stage, and was greeted with Sc
ries ofterriffic cheers, which seemed des-
tined 10 have no cessation. Peal after.
peal arose, ending with deafening rthree'
times three for the Texan hero!'' After
bowling to the thousands before him, he
commenced his address, the following re-
port Of which is given in the New York
Globe;
FRLLow-CITlzEN OF THE DEMOCRACY OF
New York: For the first time in my life
am here presented before an assembly
which is the most numerous,t the most cheer
ing, and the most emboldening which ev-
er saw or ever heard OF, or ever speculated
upon seeing & hearing. 1 have heard much
of the democracy of New York: I know
their zeal, their ardor, their devoted patri-
otism, and their fidelity to the principles of
liberty and Of the constitution But now |
see and have learned that they are NIGH
ty people-mighty, I mean to say, in the
dignity and magnitude Of those feelings
which influence great people, and which
make the man ever ready to vindicate his
rights, and sustain and support the consti-
tuted authorities of his country. Loud ap-
plause.] What is the subject and object of
this meeting? 1t is not, fellow-citizens,
meeting called to deliberate upon war
which we are about to go into. No; but it
is concerning war in which we are al
ready aged-which we are in the midst
oC-whch, I may rather say, we have al
ready disposed of by the gallantry of our
troops and the wisdom of our statesmen
w should not be properly able to appre-
ciate the truth and justice Of our condition
and of the present war, if we did not revert
to the causes Of this war; and the position
in which we were placed, at the time of its
commencement, in relation to the civiliz-
ed world. | grant you, fellow-citizens, ii
is true in referring to those speeches, Of
which we hear so much in respect to this
war, that, in part, it has grown out Of the
annexation of Texas. But in that annex
ation-the best of the bargain was yours,
ard you ought to be satisfied. l say the
best of it was yours, not SO much in the ma
terial you got-though blythe by, that was
not bad-but in the extent and richness of
soil, in the variety and beauty of climate,
and in the blessings Of those institutions we
possessed. We had nothing to learn of
these institutions and principles in this an.
nexation; we imbibed them all with our
mothers milk; we returned 10 you chas-
tened, it is true, in the school ofexperience,
and taught by the bitter lessons Of advers-
ty. The great politicians of this day have
now put themselves in opposition to this
war; and yet they were willing at its COM
mencement to embark in it. They then
said it was the duty Of the President to fix
the boundary Of the newly-acquired coun-
try, and now they deny that her boundary
was that which she possessed before the
annexation was made. That boundary,
however, fellow citizens, which they denv
to Texas, was hers, and belonged toher by
right OF conquest We gained it not by
rebellious force or power. We never re-
belled against Mexico; but she it was that
first violated our constitution, subverted our
laws, subjected US 10 the most cruel despot-
ism, and drove US, by her injustice, tyran
ny, and oppression, to vindicate our rights,
which were the common rights offreemen.
The object Of Mexico, in her system of
us, was, if possible, to sweep US from the
soil, to annihilate the whole race Of us,and
not to suffer one of the Saxon blood to
leave the impress of his foot upon the soil
which we inhabited. What did we do?
We resisted this oppression; we asserted
our lawful rights; we established for our
selves provisional government; and we
continued on in the hope that better state
of things, better government would be
created in Mexico-that the other States
would, like ourselves, assert their rights un.
shamefulIy violated We continued hoping
that the Mexicans themselves would rally
to support us, and redeem the country from
despolism, violence, and oppression. We
went on in the enjoyment of our republi
can iiberty-we endured till our hopes be-
came fainter and fainter. But notwithstan.
ding all this, it was not till 1886, when
Santa Anna marched against US with his
myrmidons, threatening our destruction
and devastating our fields and our country
it was not until the day of the Alamo
when brave and Spartan band was sacri.
feed by his sanguinary hordes-I say, not
until then, when, driven by desperation
and oppression, did we declare the Declara'
ton of Texan independence. Then it was
we made that declaration. We made il
in the face of Heaven. We then pledged
our lives, our property, Chat, indeed, was
but ittle,) and our sacred honor, that we
would vindicate our just and natural rights
against the despot and oppressor. We die
this; and after the tyrant lay nnanacled Al
our feet, we liberated the captive. 1t was
after the declaration of Texan indepen
dence-after that the despot was in the mil
itary control Of the country, when victory
had justified our cause, and triumph ant
success had crowned our declaration Of in
: Idependence-it was then that the tyran
! directed the order, and sent the mandate
to his general (Filisola,) to vacate the ter