The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-03-15
I'll Il r Il 2 u B ETC.
Letter OF james Hamilton to the People
OF Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas, February 20, 1852.
FELLOW. CITIZENS; 1t certainly is remote from
my intention to institute appeal from the deci
sion of your Legislature TO yourselves. l am in
capable of treating that body with disrespect. for
many of whose members entertain cordial esteem
and sincere confederation.
In fixing during the present session the Hcalc OF
| reduction for the payment Of your public debt,
they acted doubtless i'll conformity TO what they
considered tho public sentiment of the country
believe, mature consideration, you will be dis
posed to reverse that decison and determine at
once 20 pay that debt in fui! through the instru-
mentality of your public lands.
| Representing for others large amount of your
public debt, beg leave 70 approach you with pro-
posals for its early and defntivc settlement in
! form which, in my humble opinion, will be emf
nenty beneficial TO your State, and which be-
leve will meet with the assent Of the Congress Of
the United States and your creditors, who look to
the reserved s 5000, 900 III the Federal Treasury
for their payment. AS Indispensable prelimi-
nary, it is necessary that l should remark that
doubt whether the scale Of reduction you have
| enacted, by which the amount due the face OF
your securities has been seriously csscned, viii be
accepted generally by the creditors. Nor do be-
eve that the proviso in the boundary bill will be
modified by the Congress- Of the United States so
to permit those who willing to sign their
! leases To receive the money without eli the credit
release, which will have the effect of suspend
| ing the five millions for an indefinite period in the
| Treasury OF the United States-thc subject OF IN
vidious dissenson.
When the Government OF the United States, un-
der the declaration OF its highest public function
nry, has admitted its liability to pay the
creditors OF Texas it quite obvo that those VINO
| are able to wait will not take from Texas twenty
| or thirty per cent. Of the debts which they have
right to receive, when they have fair and admit
ted claim for par-or one hundred cents the dol
| lar-on the Federal Government.
hope have too much policy, when my object
is concaton and adjustment, 10 read you a long
homlly on the ethics OF public faith. may say,
however, without giving intending offence, that
no excuse Is admitted for State no, 10 pay her OBJ
legations III full except absolute inability. Ihis
plea cannot avail Texas; you have money and lands
ten times mure than sufficient 10 pay every iarth-
ing of the Interest and principal of your liabilities.
What nation, ancient or modern, ever conquered
such priceless acquisition az your superb terri
tory, for the comparatively contemplate sum OF
ten or twelve millions of dollars!
know that IL is asked, " nat nation ever paid
oil her revolutionary debt par? The reply TO
this question Is most obvious What nation ex-
cept Texas, ever accomplishe her independence
at 30 small cost acquired such boundlees terri
tory, concluded with another soverei gnty sol
emn compact TO furnish a La rge fund to pay her
debt?
II is quite true your treasury notes were greatly
probation amounted to nothing more than the pre-
MUM the risk of the insurance of the fate of
your republic There would be much reason
IN reproaching your treasury note holders with
| usury in taxing insurance office with the
same charge because they sxacted u premium of
seventy five per cent. on the insurance of vessel
known to be IN the very ext renty of cxtraordina-
ry perils on the high those who bought your
treasury notes at large dis count, bought them at
the ket value; and if they had not bought they
would have been more RUM usy deprecated, until
cart-load OF your securiti es would not have pur
chased keg Of powder or an hundred pounds Of
! lead Nor can a iallacy be more obvious than the
\ assumption that State has n night absolutely 10
determine what her public debt is She has doubt
less the poper do 30 Whut this debt is is cstab
lshed by the eternal principles of truth, and the
sacred obi cations OF justice which impressed
on the face OF lite evidences Phta nation promises
| 10 pay h1 public debt. This is at defini
| ton ia accordance with commc sense, and CON
| frIncd by common honesty.
! believe your debt can now be paid in full in a
! form eignaly beneficial to yours elves.
With becoming Difference, ] suggest plan OF
adjustment, which 10 rccommen ded by its justice
| and policy, and. believe, feasibfuy.
II Tcxns will ccde To the Government of the uni
ted States all her territory, begin ming the north
| bank Of the main fork OF Red river where the
| Tooth meridian west of Greenwich intcrsects the
same; thence NORTH with that meridian, TO the par
allel north latitude 80 30 thence west, with that
| parallel, to the l03d meridian west Of Greenwich;
thence south, with that merida an TO the north bank
of said main fork Of Red river on TO "A point due
| west from the head thereof, thence to the said
| head and down said stream, with Its north bank,
10 the beginningcont tanning %, 500 square miles,
more or less, about twenty-sIK aud nearly
half constitutional counties of nine hundred square
miles each--cquiyalcnt TO about is, ,23O 900 acres.
| | have but little doubt that Government would pay
| five millions for this territory Indian resor-
yntion, az such n reservation would be- very desir
| able to carry out the pbilanthropic yiews'of our
| Government towards the Indian tribes. IL is un-
| derstood that the white settlements in Arkansas,
and some OF the other new States, beginning to
| press inconvencntly on the Indian reservation in
/ those States. II ia moreover matter of great inn
portance TO the United States that the Indians in
! your own State should be concentrated on some
properly selected territory for their civilization
! and Improvement. No spot, havr reason TO be
leve can be better adapted to the purpose thanth
| one have indicated. | believe, moreover, that
| negotiation, conducted with zeal and address by
| your public creditors, would rcsult in act of
| Congress for the purchase of this territory.
! The Government of the United States indopen
| IDENTIFY of the humane policy by which they have
always been influenced towards the Indian tribes,
would be impcilcd by other considerations OF no
little force to make this purchase. II would enable
her. by the concentration of the Indians now In the
territory of Teras n given spot, 10 diminish the
number of her troops in the State at lenst hall,
by which che would save not ess, it Is presumed,
than a million o. dollars annually to say nothing
of her obtaining an equivalent for the payment OF
public debt which she is bound to pay, without
compensation or indemnity. except indeed 1T is 20
be found in the vast which she will collect,
for ages 10 come, on your consumption. A boon
| she has acquired by that aci-annc natiOn-by
which her liability to pay your debts results.
would respectfully suggest that the cession in
question be made to the Government OF the United
States on the following conditions:
| /. That the ccded territory should be used crclu
sively for an Indian reservation when THE ceases
its jurisdiction should revert TO Texas, the United
States retaining the public lands belonging to the
same.
9. That the amount the Government OF the Uni
ted States should agree TO pay for the territory in
question, should DO applied TO the discharge Of the
difference between the scaled rate and face value
of the revenue debt of tho late republic of Texas
for which the Government OF the United States is
liable.
q On the creditors signing the required
leases TO the Stnte Of Teras and the Government
of the United States, fifty per cent. of the above
amount should be paid 10 the creditors OF Texas in
each, and nifty per cent reserved in the treasury
of the United States, TO constitute the subscription
of the creditors of Texas the charter OF railroad
from some central point in the interior to the wa
ters of the Gull, by route which shall confer
the largest amount of benefit on the people of Tex
as and largest amount of profit on the stoc kholder,
propositions that are nearly idcnticnl the road to