The Coolidge examiner., 1936-01-10

and Illinois.
AS a matter of fact. when she came into the
sisterhoOd of states 80 years ago, she brought
with her much larger territory than that Alto
gether there were 9,166 square miles of it, For,
as the map above shows it comprised all of the
present Lone Star state, the western half of the
present state of Oklahoma, the eastern half of
New Mexico, an irregular but sizable chunk of
Wyoming and a larger segment of Kansas.
But it is not in the matter of size alone that
Texas is unique. She is the only one of the 4S
states who was an Independent republic before
she Joined the ssterhood of states AS such
she had her own army and navy, she sent ENJOYS
To European courts and received ambassadors at
her capital in return.
Six flags have flown her lands Spain first
claimed sovereignty basing her claims to Texas
on the discovery of America by Columbus. the
conquest of Mexico by Cortez and the expora-
tions by CabeZa de Vaca, Coronado and De Soto
France disputed Spain's claim because in 1854
La Sale searching for the mouth of the Missis-
sippi river. landed the coast of Texas and
planted the French flag there But La Sale was
assaSSinated by some of his men and France
never made good her claim.
SO the flag of Spain waved over Texas until
1921 when the Mexicans gained their independ-
ence from the Spaniards and for the next few
years Texas was a part of the republic of
Mexico.
The year before Mexico threw off the yoke of
Spain Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas"
left Missouri with a colony and settled in Texas
Other Americans followed and by 1927 Texas
had a population of 10000. Three years later
alarmed at this thrush of settlers. On April 6,
1880, the Mexican congress passed law forbid
ding further colonization.
But that did not halt the Americans Soon
there were clashes between the American set
tiers and the Mexican officials. BY 1885 there
was state of open warfare for the Americans
who had become Texans were resolved to be
free from Mexico the Mexcans had resolved
to be free from Spain. President Santa Anna of
Mexico came to Texas with army of 1000 to
crush the revolt. On February o. 1885, he be-
seged San Antonio, which was held by $50
Texans commanded by Col. William b. Travis.
On March Santa Annals hosts swept over the
walls of the historic mission, the Alamo, and
slaughtered its defenders, thereby making i'm
mortal the names of Travis, James Bowie and
Davy Crockett. the Tennessee bearhunter.
In the meantime group of Texas patriots had
gathered at the town of Washington on the
Brazos river. There on March they adopted
document which began with this statement:
when government has ceased to protect the
lives, liberty and property of the people from
whom its legitimate powers are derived, and
for the advancement of whose happiness it was
instituted and far from being a guarantee
for their inestimabe and inalienabe rights, be-
comes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers
for their OppreSSiOn-When the Federal Republi-
can Constitution of their country, which they
have sworn to support no longer has a subStan-
tial existence and the whole nature of their gov
ernment has been forcibly changed without their
consent from a restricted federative republic
composed of sovereign states to consolidated,
central, military despotism, in which every in
terest is disregarded but that of the army and
priesthood, both of which are the eternal enemies