The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-06-26

Mighty the giant strength,
Driving the steamers length,
= Athwart the main;
Mightier the subtle power,
: OF all life the flower,
Bound IN mans brain.
, General Sam Houston and the .TrutI
, of History.
, To the Editor of the Dallas Herald
AS one of the multitude of old seces
, sion Texans, thank you for your re
| buke in SUNDAYS HERALD, of the New
I Orleans Bulletin in speaking of Gen
eral Sam Houston as "debauched old
dragoon.' ! also endorse your CON
demnation of Texas paper (theTrans'
: Continental Iron Age, of Marshall) fol
: republishing the outrage without note
or comment. But it must be borne in
mind that the high-sounding Trans
Continental Iron Age is run by mem
ber of our race not yet acclimated and
so full of the article compounded OF
copper and zinc-the by ybrid or mule OF
metals-as to thrust himself to the
front of every thing wherein is buster,
cheek and blow. Let the little one
pass. He will soon jump so high rs to
dislocate his spinal column, and that
will be the end of him.
The New Orleans Bulletin, a new
paper, which has seized upon once
honOred name, stamps itself rs coarse
and vulgar in styling General Houston
a "debauched old drasoOn."
Admit that ip the days of sorrow,
from his resignation as governor OF
Tennessee, in 1929, to the day of his
greatest triumphs in Texas, in 1918,
General Houston did occasionally in
dulge beyond the rules of moderation,
the stern fact remains that from his
his marriage, in the latter year, to his
death, twenty-five years later, he was Il
model of absteniousness and temper
ance, and, for many years before his
death, consistent member of Il chris
tian church.
You say also, at is true that the peo-
pie, in order to cOnsummate secession,
removed him from the governorship of
the state" ETC., but you also assert his
subsequent frendliness to the confed'
crate cause. Or this point allow II few
remarks. During, and soon after the
war, while its passions reigned in the
breasts of men, partisans sought to
impress the public mind, especially in
the north, that General Houston had
been kicked out of his seat as gov
ernOr by the rampant secessionsts,
and had virtually died in 1868 as a
martyr to the cause of the union. l
am unaware of any emphatic denial of
these charges, for they were spread
broadcast while the people of Texas
| In, i'm al N N
But the truth should be known, and
now it has at least an equal chance
with falselioGd to be vindicated. Sim
pie facts speak for themselves.
General Houston, rs governor, OPP
posed secession as the remedy for evils
to the south which he admitted to
exist. The convention was elected in
an irregular manner on the Sth of jan
uary, 1861, and mbled at Austin on
the 2Sth of the same month. The leg
islature, under proclamation of the
governor, was then in extraordinary
session, and promptly recognised the
convention as legitimate body, rep.
resenting the people in their sovereign
capacity. The convention almost
unanimously passed the ordinance of
secession, and submitted it to the peo-
pie for ratification or rejection. The
legislature passed an act providing for
the election, and General Houston
issued his proclamation as governor
ordering the same. On the 23d of Feb
ruary, the people, by free, peaceable
and fair expression though the ballot
box, ratified the ordinance by vote OF
about fifteen thousand against forty
six thousand for ratification, nearly as
full vote as had ever been given.
The convention reassembled on the
second of March, counted the vote and
proclaimed the result. 1t then pro.
ceeded to change the constitution only
so far as became necessary by the act
of secession. Texas having joined in
the government of the confederate
states, simply inserted those words
wherever "United States" occurred in
the state constitution. The other
changes affected no principle of gov
ernmont. This being accomplished, II
became all imperative necessity for all
public officers to be relieved of their
official obligation to support the CON
stitution of the United States. No
power but q convention repi esenting
the sovereignty of the state could re-
lieve them. Hence an ordinance was
passed providing that all public
officers, within time,named, should
| take the reformed oath to support "the
constitution of the confederate states,
and of this state" 1t was an absolute
necessity OF the situation. The state
officers at Austin were to take the
oath in the representative hall on the
| 10th of March. The day arrived, and
all the state civil officers excepting
Governor Houston and Mr.. Cave, see
retary Of state, appeared and took the
oath, besides many county and dis
trict officers who happened to be in
Austin. The supreme judges all took
il. Mr.. Cave would have done 50 II
the governor had, but occupyinga a con-
| fidential relation to the governor, his
secession friends, including this writer,
thought he ought to follow the course
OF his chief Yet, he was true con-
| federate during the war, and has been
true southern man ever since.
Governor Houston simply declined
to take the oath, and voluntarily va
Gated the Office, gracefully yielding ii
| to the lieutenant governor, who had
been elected on the same ticket with
him. At his leisure he removed TO his
own home, honored and respected by
all. His Oldest son, a mere youth,
went into the confederate army with
his fathers approval and his mothers
blessing. He made q gallant soldier,
was severely wounded, captured, and
languished long in a federal prison.
He wrote one of the most touching
southern poems that appeared during
the war. General Houston, like many
other good and noble men who OPP
posed secession, gave his sympathies
to the south when the war ensued. He
addressed patriotic speeches to volun-
teers on various occasions. One of his
speeches was published at the time in
the Houston Telegraph, and can yet be
seen. He urged unity among the peo-
pie, and discountenanced dissensions
among ourselves. He died as n Chris
tian, OH the 26th of July, 1853, i'm the
midst of the struggle-the same day
on which John j. Crittenden died in
Kentucky.
The relations between General Hous-
ton and the members of the secession
convention, with very few excep-
tions, personal in character, were cor
dial in the extreme. Committees fire.
quently waited ON and conferred with
him. He was present by invitation,
occupying a seat with the president Of
the body when the vote was taken on
the ordinance Of secession, and was vO-
ciferonsly applauded by the whole
body on entering the hall.
This is but q birdis-eye view Of the
scenes then enacted. The old patriot
| ond hss auffun HE uffa slann With their