Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-07-25
MISCELLANEOUS.
WAR ls "REMINISCENCES.
Sam Houston During the War;
His speech On Secession.

n OF Iuc CulCupO LTtOuHc,
writing from Galveston, Texas, says:
The history of General Sam Houston is
the history Of Texas; covering the events of
nearly or quite forty years, commencing
witn the struggles against Mexico for iude-
pendence, and extending through the days of
the leXas republic, the exciting times of
annexation, including the war between
Mexico and the United States, the fifteen
years OF peaceful connection with the Union
under the stars and stripes down to the
unfortunate days of secession.
The 'old war,horse' had A most varied
experience during this whole eventful peri
od-sometimes fighting as the military
chieltain of Texas-then as political leader
and anon as the official head of the repub-
| lie, or of the state--but his last battles J
were fought with the evil demon of seces- !
| sion. And permit me here to say, and re- !
| cord, that these last conflicts have never
| been well understood in our country, espe-
cially in the northern section thereof-aud
| his words, actions aud movements cannot
be correctly Interpreted without knowing
and analyzing the antisecesson animus by
! which lie was actuated.
81 do not essay to become his biographer,
except so far as, of my own personal knowl.
edge, am familiar with that portion OF his
history whereof write.
"OE the general question of secession
! there were several classiications of ideas
and parties There was the old original
Dyed in.the Wool, john G. Calhoun, South
Carolina, Nullifying Secession party. There
was another party, made up of conditional
men. They believed in secession as a dCrRier
resort, in case the rights of the South could
not be otherwise maintained. This party
were the strongest of any in numbers, but
were met with taunts of pusilanimous sub.
mission to the meddlesome tyrant of the
North and when they said Let us stay in
the Union and fight for our rights under the
old flag the answer was insufficient for the
crisis Of the times They were borne down
by the explosive power of slavery by which
the public heart was fired NORTH aud South.
A third party said, though they dare not
say it very loud: Let slavery slide if need
5e, but let us have the Union, with the old
flag, at all hazards the Union is better for
us than any other possible condition.
"a fourth party opposed secession on the
ground of inexpediency and bad policy
They said they would not argue the original
question of either the CONSTITUTIONAL the
moral or the natural right of secession, but
sonfine themselves to the idea that secession
would precipitate war, and war would prove
disastrous to Southern rights, instead of
remedial This was cd Sam Houston's
party, of which he was the acknow lodged
leader.
II remember, few days before the vote
on secession, the old General came down to
Galveston, from up country, to make speech
on the subject. lie had been making can
vassing tour, and was full OF the inspiration
of his subject-under which, as you may
judge, he was blessed with 'tolerablc de-
: gree of utteranCe,' as used 70 be said of can
didates for the Methodist ministry when
thought qualified therefor.
"A sef.constituted committee of several
leading gentlemen of the city waited on the
General at his quarters and tried to dissuadc
him from attempting to make speech in
Galveston that day. They said General
you know we are your personal friends, and
have been your political supporters hereto
fore, but we differ from you in your views
on the question of secession; yet we do not
wish to see you personally harmed These
are exciting times and we fear mob may
interfere aud your life be in jeopardy
HousroN's REPLY.
SHE said Gentlemen, | thank you arc for
your personal considerations and anXieties :;
but | have seen exciting times in Texas be-
FORE and have heard my friends express
their personal fears before; and gentlemen,
shall make the speech to-day at eleven
o'clock, from the upper gallery of fremont
Hotel. Should be pleased to see you there,
gentlemen, and, if need be, to help keep
order This closed the interview, and the
committee retired, biting their lips and NUT
! tering, Stubborn old man.
Directly, one of the committeeman came
into my office and related the interview.
had then never seen Houston, and had an
itching desire to sec and hear him; but.
being stranger in the country, aud the city
being in an excited state concluded not
to 90 and hear him, as did not wish to be
caught in the presence of a mob. Eleven
O'Clock came, and twelve, and a gentleman
came in and said 'IIoston is speaking, and
has been an hour, and all is quiet Con
siderinS now that circumstances favored my
desire to see and hear the old man eloquent
of Texas, went. On seeing and hearing
him few minutes, no longer wondered
he was not interfered with by the mob.
MS PERSONAL. APPEARANCE.
"There he stood, the easy object of thou
sands of eyes, and fine mark for the assas-
sins reyover--an old man OF seventy yoars,
among the last of our couutrys giants-the
lone niant of Texas there he stood, over six
feot high, and straight as an arrow, planter
hat in one Eand, deep set and penetrating
eye, that took in the vast crowd at glance;
a high open forehead with something of the
infinite intellectual shadowed there, crowned
with thin, white locks, futtering in the
gentle breeze, as though electrical conduits
of mental and moral power from on high,
for the occasion--and all this sustained by a
powerful sef-possession and deliberation
| that inspirited the assemblage into a state
of awful quiet and submission.
SYNOPSIS OF HIS SPEECH.
81 heard the last half of his speech-sub
ject, the inexpediency and bad policy OF
secession-and as listened to his impassioned
utterances felt myself inflated nigh unto
emotional collapse with the sublime egoism
mot to say egotism) of General Sam Houston
on the occasion of an unprecedented crisis
in the history of our country, when the
question of Union, as compatible with the
republican doctrine of selfgovernment, was
being subjected to the strain of the last fibre
between life and death-and like Webster
in his memorable defence of the Constitution
against the violent assaults OF Hayne, of
South Carolina, enjoying an occasion fitted
to call out his sublimest powers.
"He said to his hearers: Il made Texas,
and you know 1.-THE history of Sam Hous-
] ton is the history of Texas and YOU know