White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1858-04-15
SECRET HISTORY OF TEXAS.

The New Orleans Picayune. of a late dat,
says: 5- ~ -. :
The present canvass for Governor of Tex,
is throwing good deal of light upon some Dol
tions of political history that have been hither.
very obscure. Gen. Houston is candidate "a
Governor, and in his electioneering speeche,
which are mainly personal, resting his claims :
support on old service to Texas, he has mad
statements of facts, and illusions to individual.
which provoke denial and retort The diploma
ic mysteries of annexation are opened to tn
public. and a very clear insight given into IN
negotiations of 1s44-45. which Houston after
wards describes as coqustting " with England
but which subsequent facts show to have beel
a very serious proposal TO put Texas under tn
control Of GreatBritain, buying her protection
by the pledge never to consent to be annexe,
to the United States.
These things have been limited at and charg
ed often before against Gen. Houston. The,
are now distinctly revived and the proof fur
nished by Arson Jones, formerly President O
Texas, and the Secretary of State under Hous
tons administration, when these negotiation,
were undertaken.
The present dispute commenced between
Houston and Gen. Pinckney Henderson, who
was one Of the negotators Of the first (rejscted)
treaty with the United States in 1914, wherein
the United States assumed the payment of the
debts Of Texas, in consideration Of the cession
Of the public domain Of the State good bar
gain for the United States-which the Senate
refused to sanction. In the course of this can
vass Gen. Houston has asserted that this treaty
was made without his authority, and against his
express instructions, and he accompanied this
declaration with terms of great personal abuse
of Gen. Henderson. Arson Jones was appealed
to for testimony to the falsty Of this denial and
has responded in letter, which gives the fat
test contradiction to everything which General
Houston said on this subject. He states that
the treaty was negotiated on instructions furnish
cd by himself, which were fully sanctioned by
Houston; that after the treaty was received, it
met with Houston's disqualified APPRECIATION;
and that he has the evidence Of this in Hous-
toms own handwriting. Proceeded to defend
the commissioners, Messrs. Henderson and Van
Zandt, against the attacks on them BY Houston,
the ex-President uses the following plain words:
l can imagine, therefore, Of no condemnation
severe enough for a man who, knowing all this,
and actuated by low, Eordid. grovelling ambi-
ton for petty office, would assert to the con-
trary, unless there be, as Milton expressed it,
.. in the lowest depths depth still lower" to
which he might be appropriately consigned,
with other hyenas in human form, that prey up
on the dead. and " live on garbage"
He goes on, however, to state some addition
al facts bearing on the negotiations OF that trea-
ty, and the history Of annexation, for which he
vouches, as Secretary Of State, and during most
of the time actual President, because Houston
was seldom at the seat Of government When
it was apparent, just previous to the Presiden-
tial election in 1874, in the United States, an
nexation would fail in the United States Senate,
Gen Houston, without communicating through.
the Secretary of State, adopted the policy Of
an immediate closing with England, and wrote,
with his own hand, direct instructions to the
Texas Commissioners in Washington City, to
accept the proposals of joint guarantee Of
France and England. upon the pledge to be made
that Texas would never be annexed to the Uni
ted States.
The Secretary of State, and the foreign min
listers disagreed with Gen. Houston, and the plan
was frustrated. ExPresident Jones adds
"Gen. Houston took an opposite course, and
had conceded with him, the foreign alliance
would have been contaminated, and annexation
defeated" This letter is on file at Austin, with
another, which Gov. Jones refers to as diplo-
matte curiosity. According to his version, II
contains this instruction to the agents Of Texas:
make the foreign ministers drink two glasses
Of wine to your one, and thus obtain their Sc
crets from them!' Sharp practice that! Fud-
die your opponents and pump them! We sup
nose that in view Of this extra duty, imposed
upon Texas Ministers abroad, that Houston es-
timated hard head as among their necessary
qualifications. The best diPlomatist must be
good topper!
We have lait aside this letterof Arson Jones
upon Houston, as one Of the aids for uLderstan-
ding the political history of annexation, and
shall look carefully to what Houston may have
to say in reply.