Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-02-07
Speech of Gen. sam Houston,
Delivered at Austin, Nopen0er 20, 1865.
Ladies and Gentlemen, my countrymen

Inauspcious as the day is, / rejoice to see so
many of my fellow-countrymen assembled before
me. The occasion is one imbued with the highest
import for the welfare OF our common country. II
| is one, in my humble opinion, upon which the per-
pesuity OF the liberties of this nation depends. II
| is one of no ordinary import. However much the
| principles advocate may be derided, however
much our enemies may persecute us and popular
influence be brought against our institutions, let
us brace ourselves like and stand erect for our
country and for God. God is the author of liberty,
| and il is for liberty contend. (Cheers.)
| feel my fellow citizens, that the day has gone
| by when l, as individual was not acceptable to
| my countrymcn in this section. Misrepresenta-
| tion threw clouds upon me, but they have been
dispelled by the 0mnpotency of truth, and stand
vindicated in my actions / rejoice that | now
| find myself greeted and welcomed as a friend of
| American principles. This greeting / accept with
the most lively emotions of gratitude and pleasure,
My countrymen know my political position as a
| Senator has been arraigned my acts brought in
queston-no only their policy, but their integrity
| To both these charges / stand >amenable am
amenable to you, but not amenable to the accu-
| sations of canting demagogues and hypocritical
| politicians. / might advert to the scenes of 2S
years residence in the State of Texas scenes that
would thrill you, and call up emotions of the most
| agonisng character to many bosoms whose nearest
and dearest friends fell in defence of Texan
| liberty.
| But will pass by these, and come to a more re.
cent period, when your character changed to that
| of sovereign State of the American Union; to
| the period in which have been your Representa-.
| tive in the halls Of Congress. was proud of the
confidence reposed in me, conferred, as it was un-
solicited on my part In the Senate of the Uni
/ ted States my actions are before the world there
| is no concealment in them; they are recorded up
on the tablets of your annals, and there hope
they will remain through all time to come When
| took my seat in the Senate of the United States
as your representative, found matters had not
been arranged touching our peculiar relations with
the United States. Many difficulties existed, ,.and
| as Texas had but recently been admitted into the
| Union, many questions were undecided. War en-
sued Texas found her boundary was not adjusted,
and that no reclamation had been made for ipju-
ries sustained by Texas in her former relations
with the United States. All our delegation united
and co-operated in the achievement of whatwe be-
lieved to be the best interests of Texas and the
Union, for we we're part oft
] The question of the Oregon bill came up that
involved the compromise of 1919, which origina
| ted under the administration Of Democratic
President, Mr.. Monroe, and which had been ap-
proved by the whole country. j well recollect
one distinguished gentleman of opposite politics
| to myself who took an active part in advocating
that compromise, and who received peans Of
praise throughout the broad expanse of the Ame-
| rican Union. He was the great pacifcator Of
this nation, the peace-maker of America, Henry
| Clay. | well remember the emotions which con-
| trolled, at that time, the American bosom, and
the gratitude that arose from patriotic hearts.
was myself too young then to participate in the
| councils OF The nation, but not too young to have
bled in defence of the frontier of my country five
| years before at the battle Of the Horse Shoe.
| The acts of Henry Clay on the Missouri Com
promise entitle him to the eternal gratitude of
every freeman who loves the Union. When that
compromise was approved, it was a Democratic
measure, not the modern bombshell Democracy,
but it was under the regime of the true Jeffefso-
nan Democracy, and acquiesced in by all political
parties down to the passage of the Kansas and
Nebraska bill | voted for the principles of that
| compromise in the organization of Oregon, as ]
thought in conformity with your opinions, and
from that day every little demagogue has been let
ting loose at me with his darts and squibs
They did not wound me, however, but they are
still buttDg at me. must tell an anecdote IL
Illustrative Of their course of action. Uncle Josh,
who resided in a good Northern State, (the peo-
| pie at the North use Scriptural names much more
! than the Southerners do,) had very troublesome
sheep which was in the habit of buttiug almost
everything about the yard. Uncle Josh could,
from experience, bear ample testimony to his pro
| pensty for butting He determined to be aveng-
| ed, and for that purpose procured a large maui,
and suspending it in the yard in such manner as
would be easy to give tia pendulous motion, tied
| a string to it, and secreted himself behind tree.
In short time this sheep came by, and Uncle
Josh proceeded to give the suspended maui gen.
tie motion. The sheep Immediately placed itself
in the attitude to strike, giving the maui pop he
| ran back and prepared for a renewal of the at
tack He continued this aggressive warfare until
after evening came on. Uncle josh becoming
weary slipped away from behind the tree and re-
| tired to rest for the night. On returning next
morning he was surprised that the sheep was no.
| where visible. The maui was still suspended and
motionless; but as he approached the maui he
discovered something animated on the ground. 1t
was the sheep, having butted itself all away but
the tail, and that was still in motion threatening
the maui, at which Uncle Josh, raising both hands,
exclaimed, wonderful, but game to the last" So,
whether they have butted themselves down to the
termination of the animal or not, grant they are
still i'll motion. Laughter and applause. ! have
given you one instance of their denunciaton, and
| viii assign you my reasons for having acted as
did.
4 You all recollect Texas was annexed to the
United States on the basis Of the joint resolutions
based on the Missouri Compromise, and submitted
for her acceptance. They were accepted by the
President of the Republic, Arson Jones, approved
by the Legislature, sanctioned by the Convention,
and incorporated into the constitution as part Of
it, and subsequently approved at the polls by the
popular vote Of the citizens of the Republic Was
not this direct instruction to Senator how to vote
when this principle was involved2 Certainly it
i was. voted as | believed your will and determi
nation had instructed me. Was not this purely
democratic and loyal to my constituency? You
bad given away one-third of your whole territory
TO Free-soers, atitudinally 6ye-and ahaf degrees.
took this act as correct expression Of your opin-
ion and, because voted in accordance with what
1 considered to be your instructions, was de-
nounced as an Abotonist was denounced by
Mr.. Calhoun, when he himself had voted for the
organization of Iowa and Wisconsin under the
same compromise. 1t was taking away bone for