ILLINOIS. 



367 



for the new State of Texas, and exerted a pow- 

 erful influence on its deliberations. At the 

 commencement of the Tex;ui war with Mexico, 

 he was appointed general of the troops raised 

 f the Trinity River, and in Oct. 1835, was 

 elected commander-in-chief of the Texan army, 

 and after the Texan Declaration of Independ- 

 ence he resigned, but was immediately reelect- 

 ed. He took a leading part in all the subse- 

 quent measures of Texas ; retreated with his 

 handful of men before the Mexican army till 

 lie could be reenforced, secure a stronger posi- 

 tion, and divide the enemy, whom he utterly 

 doteated in the battle of San Jacinto, taking 

 Santa Anna prisoner ; was severely wounded 

 himself in that battle, but recovering, was 

 elected in September following President of 

 the Republic of Texas, and as the Constitution 

 did not permit him to serve two successive 

 terms, he became a member of Congress at the 

 expiration of his term of service, leaving the 

 government and finances of the Republic in a 

 prosperous condition. His successor, M. B. 

 Lamar, was less fortunate or less able in his 

 administration, and at its close the Republic 

 was involved in a costly and disastrous war 

 with the Indian tribes and" Mexico, had incurred 

 a debt of from ten to fifteen millions of dollars, 

 and its credit was completely gone. In 1841, 

 Gen. Houston was reflected, and during his ad- 

 ministration secured the payment of a consider- 

 able portion of the debt, had reduced the ex- 

 penditure, restored the credit of the Republic, 

 and negotiated its annexation to the United 

 States ; which was finally consummated a few 



months after the expiration of his term of office. 

 On her admission into the Union. Gen. Hous- 

 ton was elected one of her Senators in the U. S. 

 Senate, and reOlected in 1853. "While in the 

 Senate he distinguished himself as an advocate 

 for justice and humanity to the Indians. He 

 opposed the Kansas and Nebraska bill, and on 

 the 3d of March, 1854, made an able speech, in 

 which he denounced the repeal of the Missouri 

 compromise as a flagrant breach of faith, which 

 would involve the country in great future 

 trouble and distress. In the same speech he 

 defended the 3,000 New England clergymen, 

 who had signed a memorial against the bill, 

 and avowed himself an adherent to the " Ameri- 

 can" party. He was soon after proposed by many 

 of the papers of that party as a candidate for 

 the presidency, and was also recommended for 

 that office by the Democratic General Commit- 

 tee of New Hampshire. In 1858 he sustained 

 the Lecompton Constitution for Kansas by his 

 vote. In 1858, J. "W. Hemphill was elected to 

 the Senate in his place, but on his return to 

 Texas in 1859, he became a candidate for Gov- 

 ernor, and was elected Aug. 1, 1859. He op- 

 posed the secession movement from the begin- 

 ning, and withstood for a long time the pressure 

 which was exerted to induce him to call an 

 extra session of the Legislature. To avoid col- 

 lision, he acquiesced in the actions of the Legis- 

 lature and those of the Convention, although 

 each had been illegally called. Finally, he re- 

 tired from oflice in preference to taking the oath 

 required by the State Convention, and was suc- 

 ceeded by Lieut.-Gov. Clark. (See TEXAS.) 



ILLINOIS, one of the interior States, was 

 admitted into the Union in 1818. It is situated 

 between latitude 36 56' and 42 30' N., and 

 longitude 87 35' and 91 40' W. from Green- 

 wich. Extreme length from north to south 

 388 miles ; extreme breadth from east to west 

 212 miles. Area 55,405 square miles, or 35,- 

 450.200 acres. Population in 1860, 1,711,753. 

 It is bounded north by "Wisconsin, northeast by 

 Lake Michigan, east by Indiana, south by Ken- 

 tucky and the Ohio River, and west by the 

 Mississippi River, which divides it from Mis- 

 souri and Iowa. It is divided into 102 counties. 

 The real and personal property of its citizens 

 was valued, in 1850, at $156,265,006, and in 

 1860 at $871,860,282. 



The Legislature of the State met at Spring- 

 field, on the 7th of January, 1861, and Gov. 

 Yates' Message was delivered on the 8th. He 

 recommended a complete reconstruction of the 

 present military plan, by dividing the State into 

 three divisions of battalion, regimental, and bri- 

 gade formation, and that the most liberal legisla- 

 tive encouragement should be given to the for- 

 mation of volunteer companies throughout the 

 State. He advised also that the banks of the 



State should be required to secure their circu- 

 lation exclusively by the United States and Il- 

 linois stocks. 



In regard to the difficulties at present exist- 

 ing south, he said : " If grievances to any por- 

 tion of our Confederation have arisen within 

 the Union, let them be redressed within the 

 Union. If unconstitutional laws, trenching 

 upon the guaranteed rights of any of our sister 

 States, have found place upon our statute 

 books, let them be removed. If prejudice and 

 alienation towards any of our fellow-country- 

 men have fastened upon our minds, let them be 

 dismissed and forgotten. Let us be just to our- 

 selves and each other, allowing neither threats 

 to drive us from what we deem to be our duty, 

 nor pride of opinion prevent us from correcting 

 wherein we may have erred." He recommended 

 that, if Illinois had passed any laws tending to 

 obstruct the operation of Federal authority or 

 conflicting with the constitutional rights of 

 others, they should at once be repealed. 



Speaking not merely for himself, but reflect- 

 ing what he assumed to be the voice of the 

 whole people of Illinois, irrespective of party, 

 as it reached him from all quarters, he adopt- 



