672 



TEXAS. 



at "Washington that "the convention had 

 completed the work of forming a constitution 

 for Texas," and that this instrument " would 

 be submitted to the people some time in July." 

 This time had been suggested by himself, be- 

 cause of the somewhat unsettled condition of 

 the State, which he describes as follows : "In 

 thirty counties there is no civil organiza- 

 tion that is in relation with the Execu- 

 tive department of the State; in some of 

 the counties there is none whatever; in 

 others it is partial, while in others it is 

 understood to be complete, but the county 

 officers have refused to recognize the Secretary 

 of State or to make any reports to him. Some 

 counties are so remote, and so difficult are the 

 means of communication, that it takes from 

 twenty-five to forty days to send to them and 

 to receive an answer. In many other counties 

 the county organization is still very imperfect, 

 and in my judgment it will take at least ninety 

 days to complete the civil organization through- 

 out the State. The registrars of election hav- 

 ing been discharged last fall, there are no ori- 

 ginal lists on file. Measures have been taken, 

 however, to collect the original records, and to 

 reorganize the personnel of the registration. 

 Although the condition of the State has ma- 

 terially improved since the November election, 

 and appears to be improving constantly, there 

 are still some sections in which the authority 

 of the United States and of the State is openly 

 defied, if not resisted, and the civil authority 

 is indifferent or powerless, while the military 

 force stationed there is too small to make itself 

 respected." He concludes: "The arrange- 

 ment of the troops now being made will, I 

 hope, cure the evil ; but, until that be done, 

 and the machinery for the registration of 

 voters and holding elections be established, a 

 fair and free election, as contemplated by the 

 fifth section of the law of March 23, 1867, can- 

 not be secured." 



To his letter the general appends one ad- 

 dressed to him by Mr. Davis, president of the 

 Constitutional Convention, who stated that 

 "the convention had passed a resolve for the 

 division of the State," and that " the division 

 was supported by nine-tenths of the loyal 

 people," concluding : " We earnestly believe 

 that this measure will finally disperse and 

 demoralize the disloyal element, and give us 

 a separation of the State which will bring 

 us the rest, peace, and prosperity, which we 

 have for so many years been striving to se- 

 cure." 



Those who were for dividing the State had 

 previously held the "Republican State Con- 

 vention of Texas," in which they adopted the 

 following preamble and resolutions : 



Whereas, The extent of territory of the State of 

 Texas, the conflicting interests of the widely-sepa- 

 rated sections of the State, and the disorganization so 

 widely prevalent, render a division of the State es- 

 sential to the proper well-being of the people there- 

 of, and the establishment of law and order : therefore, 

 belt 



Resolved, That, in the opinion of this convention, 

 the State of Texas ought to be subdivided into States 

 of more convenient size. 



Resolved, That the President of this convention is 

 hereby directed to forward a copy of this preamble 

 and resolutions to the Speaker of the House of Rep- 

 resentatives and President of the Senate of the United 

 States. 



Resolved, That for the purpose of giving the Con- 

 gress of the United States a correct report of the con- 

 dition of the State, and to bring to the attention of 

 that body all such matters relating to the condition 

 of the State, and the wants of her loyal people, as 

 may require the consideration and action of Congress, 

 the convention shall proceed to elect by ballot, for 

 commissioners, members of this convention, one of 

 whom shall be a resident of that portion of Texas 

 lying north of the thirty-second parallel of latitude, 

 one a resident of that portion of the State lying east 

 of the Trinity river, and south of said thirty-second 

 parallel, one a resident of that portion of the State 

 lying between the Trinity and Colorado Kivers, and 

 south of said thirty-second parallel, and one a resi- 

 dent of that portion of the State lying west of the 

 Colorado Eiver, and two commissioners irom the State 

 at large, who, being intimately acquainted with the 

 wants of their respective sections of the State, shall 

 proceed to "Washington City to bring to the attention 

 of the United States all such matters relating to the 

 condition of this State, and the wants of her loyal 

 people, as in the judgment of this convention or of 

 said commissioners require the consideration of Con- 

 gress. 



They also caused these commissioners to be 

 voted for in the Constitutional Convention, 

 and sent to Washington, at an expenditure of 

 $1,000 of State money for each commissioner, 

 the president of the convention being one 

 among the chosen six. 



At the time when General Canby wrote the 

 above letter to the Secretary of War, the work 

 of forming a constitution for Texas seems not 

 to have been completed, since, upon the con- 

 vention being adjourned, which was subse- 

 quently done in disorder, he sought to take 

 possession of its disjoined records and papers, 

 and assumed to himself, with the cooperation 

 of his assistants, military and civil, the task of 

 examining what the convention had done, and 

 reducing it to the form of a constitution. The 

 Weekly Texas State G-azette, of February 13, 

 1869, published the following account of the 

 time and manner in which the convention was 

 adjourned, as well as of some of its proceed- 

 ings ; and its statements have been confirmed 

 by subsequent events, even by the confession 

 of the actors themselves. It says : " The re- 

 construction convention was adjourned sine 

 die on Saturday evening last, at about 8 o'clock, 

 by its president, General Davis, a quorum of 

 its members not being present. Its records, 

 such as they were, went into the possession 

 and care of the military commander, through 

 his assistant adjutant-general, who was present 

 and received them. The closing hours of the 

 convention were worthy of its long and 

 stormy existence, and were distinguished by 

 so much and varied wrangling and cross-pur- 

 poses, that it would be impossible, if desirable, 

 to give the details thereof. A brief statement 

 of general causes which have, from the begin- 



