688 



TEXAS. 



Union, as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution ; 

 and whereas our frontier is now invaded by Indians, 

 and the lives of our citizens taken and their property 

 destroyed ; and whereas the treasury is without means 

 either to defend the frontier or meet ordinary expenses 

 of government : 



Now, therefore, I, Sam Houston, Governor of the 

 State of Texas, for the reasons herein set forth, do 

 hereby issue this my proclamation, ordering the Leg- 

 islature of the State of Texas to convene in extra ses- 

 sion at the Capitol, in the city of Austin, on Monday, 

 the 21st day of January, A. D. 1SG1. 



"When the Legislature assembled, he addressed 

 a message to them, in which he favored delay as 

 long as possible, in holding a State Convention. 

 He was himself opposed to calling one, and be- 

 lieved that the Union could be preserved. 



The Legislature sanctioned the election of 

 delegates to the State Convention, which as- 

 sembled one week later, by the adoption of the 

 following 



JOINT RESOLUTION concerning the Cnvention of the 

 people of Texas, called in, pursuance of the Bill 

 of Birjhts. 



Whereas the people of Texas, being much concerned 

 for the preservation of the rights, liberties, and powers 

 of the State and its inhabitants, endangered by the 

 political action of a majority of the States, and the 

 people of the same, have, in the exercise of powers 

 reserved to themselves in the Bill of Bights, called a 

 Convention, composed of two members for each rep- 

 resentative in the Legislature, from the various dis- 

 tricts established by the apportionment law of 13(30, to 

 assemble on the 28th day of January, 1361, at the city 

 of Austin ; which Convention, by the terms of the call, 

 made by numerous assemblages of citizens in various 

 parts of the State, was, when elected and assembled, 

 to have power to consider the condition of public 

 affairs ; to determine what shall be the future relations 

 of this State to the Union, and such other matters as 

 are necessarily and properly incident thereto ; and in 

 case it should be determined by said Convention that 

 it is necessary for the preservation of the rights and 

 liberties aforesaid that the sovereignty of Texas should 

 resume the powers delegated to the" Federal Govern- 

 ment, in the Constitution of the United States, and by 

 the articles of annexation, then the ordinance of said 

 Convention resuming said delegated powers, and re- 

 pealing the ratification by the people of Texas of said 

 articles of annexation, should be submitted to a vote 

 of the qualified electors of this State for their rati- 

 fication or rejection : Therefore 



Be it resolved by the Legislature of the State of Texas, 

 That the Government of the State of Texas hereby 

 gives its assent to and approves of the Convention 

 aforesaid. 



SEC. 2. That this resolution take effect and be in 

 force from and after its passage. 



With a protest against the assumption of any powers 

 on the part of said Convention beyond the reference 

 of the question of a longer connection of Texas with 

 the Union to the people, approved 4th February, 1861. 



SAM. HOUSTON. 



Kesolutions had been offered for delaying 

 the secession movement, but these were twice 

 laid on the table. A resolution was also passed 

 repudiating the idea of using forcible means 

 for coercing any seceding State, and declaring 

 that any such attempt would be resisted to the 

 last extremity. A bill was passed requiring 

 the ordinance of secession, if adopted by the 

 State Convention, to be submitted to the people. 

 _ On the 28th of January, the State Conven- 

 tion assembled. The call having been irregu- 

 lar, the vote for members was very light. 



There are 122 counties in the State, of 

 which nearly half held no election, and were 

 not represented in the Convention. Some of 

 these were : Old Nacogdoches, with 1,023 legal 

 voters; Latnar, with 1,123 voters; Blanco, 

 with 1,139 voters ; Cherokee, with 1,644 

 voters ; Fannin, with 1,183 voters. 



The vote in some of the counties were as fol- 

 lows: Anderson, with 1,093 voters, only 387 

 voted; Bastrop, 769 voters, 153 voted; Collin, 

 1,119 voters, 211 voted ; Grayson, 1,217 voters, 

 280 voted ; Hays, 296 voters, 67 voted ; Jack- 

 son, 296 voters, 40 voted ; Lampasas, 285 

 voters, 50 voted ; Eed Kiver, 879 voters, 60 

 voted; Travis, 1,011 voters, 342 voted. This 

 county has Austin within its limits. 



On the 5th of February, an ordinance of 

 secession was passed in the Convention by a 

 vote of ayes 166, nays 7. The following is the 

 ordinance : 



AN ORDINANCE to dissolve the Union "between the State 

 of Texas and the other States under the compact 

 styled "the Constitution of the United- States of 

 America." 



SEC. 1. Whereas the Federal Government has failed 

 to accomplish the purposes of the compact of union 

 between these States, in giving protection either to the 

 persons of our people upon an exposed frontier, or to 

 the property of our citizens ; and whereas, the action 

 of the Northern States is violative of the compact be- 

 tween the States and the guarantees of the Consti- 

 tution ; and whereas, the recent developments in Fed- 

 eral affairs make it evident that the power of the 

 Federal Government is sought to be made a weapon 

 with which to strike down the interests and property 

 of the people of Texas and her sister slaveholding 

 States, instead of permitting it to be, as was intended 

 our shield against outrage and aggression there- 

 fore,-" We, the people of the State of Texas, by dele- 

 gates in the Convention assembled, do declare and 

 ordain that the ordinance adopted by our Convention 

 of delegates on the fourth (4th) day of July, A. D. 1845, 

 and afterwards ratified by us, under which the Repub- 

 lic of Texas was admitted into the Union with other 

 States, and became a party to the compact styled ' The 

 Constitution of the United States of America,' be, and 

 is hereby repealed and annulled." 



That all the powers which, bv the said compact, 

 were delegated by Texas to the Federal Government 

 are resumed. That Texas is of right absolved from 

 all restraints and obligations incurred by said com- 

 pact, and is a separate sovereign State, and that her 

 citizens and people are absolved from all allegiance to 

 the United States or the Government thereof. 



SEC. 2. The ordinance shall be submitted to the peo- 

 ple of Texas for their ratification or rejection, by the 

 qualified voters, on the 23d day of Februarv, 1861 ; 

 and unless rejected by a majority of the votes cast, 

 shall take effect and be in force on and after the 2d 

 day of March, A. D. 1861. Provided that in the repre- 

 sentative district of El Paso said election may be held 

 on the 18th day of February, 1861. 



Done by the people of the State of Texas, in con- 

 vention assembled, at Austin, the 1st day of February, 

 A. D. 1861. 



Public sentiment was in favor of joining a 

 Southern Confederacy, and on the llth an or- 

 dinance was passed favoring the formation of 

 such a Confederacy, and electing seven dele- 

 gates to a Southern Congress. 



A report was received from a Committee of 

 Safety, which had been appointed, accompanied 

 with a resolution to the effect that said com- 



