USA > Texas > History of Texas : from 1685 to 1892, volume 2 > Part 27
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
THE COMPROMISES OF 1850 AND THE BOUNDARIES OF TEXAS.
Anticipating the order of events, it is proper here to refer to certain matters growing out of the Mexican war. By the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico, for the consideration of $10,000,000.00 ceded to the United States all that vast territory now embraced in California, Nevada, Utah, a large portion of Colorado, all of Arizona, a part of Kansas, and all the territory claimed by Texas. The question of slavery in- terfered in the deliberations of Congress. Military govern- ments were established in California and New Mexico; Santa Fe, the capital of the latter, and claimed by Texas, being the military headquarters of that section; the claims of that por- tion of the country by Texas were ignored by the United States through its military officers. Bitter conflicts of opinion arose, largely based upon the question of the extension of slavery, disturbing the peace of the country until the Congress of the year 1850, since known as the year of compromises. Long debates ensued, many propositions were made and the country kept in a state of suspense. Finally, in August, a bill intro- duced by Senator James A. Pearce, of Maryland, which passed that body, and on the 4th of September passed the House, was signed by the President on the 7th, and immediately communicated to the Governor of Texas, Peter H. Bell. He immediately called a session of the legislature to act upon it. That bill fixed the boundary of Texas as it has ever since existed, and under it the United States agreed to pay Texas $10,000,000.00 in five per cent interest bearing stock, redeem- able at the end of fourteen years, with a proviso, however, that only five millions should be issued at the time, and five millions retained to idemnify the United States against the claims of that portion of the creditors of Texas, for whose payment the custom house dues of the late republic were
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
pledged, basing their claims on the very reasonable ground that that source of revenue had been acquired by the United States, under the treaty of annexation. Notwithstanding there was great opposition to the bill on various grounds, on the 25th of November, 1850, the legislature of Texas passed an act accepting the propositions of the United States, declaring :
" That the State of Texas hereby agrees to, and accepts said propositions; and it is hereby declared that the State shall be bound by the terms thereof, according to their true import and meaning."
The act took effect from its passage and was at once trans- mitted by the Governor to the President of the United States. This settled the whole controversy, and only required the sub- sequent running of the new boundary lines agreed upon, which were as follows : Beginning on the existing boundary at the meridian of one hundred degrees west from Greenwich ; where it is intersected by the parallel of thirty-six degrees thirty minutes north latitude, and thence running on said latitude to the meridian of one hundred and three degrees west from Greenwich ; thence due south to the thirty-second degree of north latitude; thence on that degree west to the Rio Bravo del Norte, and thence with the channel of said river to the Gulf of Mexico. It may be added that the remainder of the boundary of Texas is as follows: Running from the mouth of the Rio Grande, three marine leagues from the coast, to the mouth of Sabine Lake; thence up said lake or bay and Sabine River to latitude thirty-two north ; thence due north to Red River ; thence up said river to longitude one hundred west from Greenwich ; thence due north to the initial point as herein described, to the intersection of the one hundredth meridian and north latitude thirty-six degrees thirty minutes.
This settled the entire boundary question so far as Texas was concerned, excepting the pending dispute as to which branch of Red River, the north or main fork or Prairie-dog-
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town-river was intended in the treaty of 1819 between Spain and the United States, involving the present territory of Greer County, Texas, covering an area of about 1,800,000 acres. The question by an act of both Congress and Texasin 1890 was submitted to the Supreme Court of the United States, and now (1892) is still pending before that tribunal.
By this adjustment of boundaries, Texas sold to the United States 98,380 square miles, or 56,000,000 acres. Clay's bill would have taken from Texas the fifty-four counties now in the Panhandle.
We now return to the regular order of events. During the absence of Governor Henderson in Mexico, his position was satisfactorily filled by Lieut .- Gov. Albert C. Horton. The biennial election for Henderson's successor, in November, 1847, resulted in the election of Col. George T. Wood, of Polk County, late commander of the 2nd Texas regiment at Monterey, and John A. Greer as Lieut .- Governor. Wash- ington D. Miller was appointed Secretary of State ; John W. Harris and H. P. Brewster were successively made Attor- ney-General; James B. Shaw, Comptroller; James H. Ray- mond, Treasurer; Thomas Wm. Ward, Commissioner of the Land Office; John D. Pitts, Adjutant-General, and John M. Swisher, Auditor. Gov. Wood took a very decided stand in favor of the rights of Texas to the Santa Fe territory. Under an act of the legislature he sent a district udge ( Spruce M. Beard ) and other civil officers to organize and hold court under the jurisdiction of Texas, but the military commander of the United States ignored them and proceeded to order an election for a territorial delegate from New Mexico to the United States Congress - a military usurpation which to this day excites the indignation of all the old citizens of Texas. And so matters remained, despite the patriotic efforts of Governor Bell, the successor of Wood, until the adjustment of 1850 as previously narrated.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
SUFFRAGE.
The State constitution of 1845 changed the manner of vot- ing from that made under the Republic - the ballot system - to the old Virginia and Kentucky plan of voting viva voce, viz., the voter publicly calling out the names of the per- sons for whom he voted; with a proviso, however, that the legislature might do away with the new and re-establish the old plan. One or two experiments under the viva voce plan generated so much ill-feeling among neighbors that it was abandoned and the ballot system re-established whereby every voter has the right to fold his ticket and vote a secret ballot, if he so prefers. Experience has proven not only in Texas but elsewhere the wisdom of this plan, as it secures to em- ployes and dependents great but not entire protection against interference with their personal rights by corporations and employers. Still it has been shown that this righteous pro- vision of the law, especially in large cities and manufacturing districts, has been evaded and trampled under foot by artifices needless to mention.
In the year 1848 many depredations were committed by the Indians on the frontier, causing several companies of rangers to be called into the service. In the winter of 1848-9 an ex- pedition, under the leadership of Col. John C. Hays, escorted by the ranging company of Capt. Highsmith, left San An- tonio for the purpose of finding a route for a wagon road from San Antonio to Chihuahua and El Paso, which hitherto had had no such connection. They crossed the Pecos and struck the Rio Grande too low down and failed to reach either point of destination, but soon afterwards the route, as after- wards traveled by troops, wagon trains, and yet later by over- land mail-stages, was opened, and so remained until virtually superseded first by the Texas and Pacific and second by the Southern Pacific railroad.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
With the opening of 1849 the California gold fever made its appearance in Texas and caused thousands of its most en- terprising and daring men to brave dangers, from Indians, desert regions and scarcity of water and food, and flock to those regions. In many cases, intense suffering attended these expeditions, especially among women and children, who accompanied husbands and fathers. A heavy per cent of these people returned to Texas in from one to three or four years. Many died and occupy unmarked graves in the mining dis- tricts. The majority probably remained in California, some to become prominent in public affairs, among whom were Col. Hays, afterwards sheriff of San Francisco, Major Richard Roman, Captain Joseph Daniel, and, a little later, ex-Con- gressman Volney E. Howard. Among those who intended to return to Texas, was Governor Henry Smith, who died in a mountain camp east of Los Angelos, March 4th, 1851. Among those who remained for a time and returned were Major Ben McCulloch who served as the first sheriff of Sacramento, James W. Robinson (Lieut-Governor in 1835-6) settled, and died some years later, in San Diego. Todd Robinson and A. P. Crittenden, prominent men of Brazoria, Lewis B. Harris of Harrisburg, Wm. H. Rhodes and E. S. Cobb, of Galveston; also E. M. McLane, Chas N. Creaner, of Victoria, George W. Trahern, Simon L. Jones, Capts. Kit Aclin and John Mc- Mullen were types of hundreds, perhaps thousands of valuable citizens lost to Texas by the golden allurements for several years offered by California.
At the election in November, 1849, Col. Peter H. Bell was elected Governor and John A. Greer of San Augustine was re- elected Lieutenant-Governor; James Webb, first, and Thomas H. Duval, second, became Secretary of State; A. J. Hamilton and Ebenezer Allen, successively Attorneys-General ; James B. Shaw, Comptroller ; James H. Raymond, Treasurer ; George W. Smyth, Commissioner of the Land Office; John M. Swisher, Auditor, and Ben F. Hill, Adjutant-General.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
At the election in 1847, Timothy Pilsbury and David S. Kaufman were re-elected to the United States Congress. In 1849, Kaufman was elected the third time, but Volney E. Howard, of San Antonio (lately deceased in California), suc- ceeded Pilsbury. Howard and Pilsbury were natives of Maine.
As has been stated the Santa Fe question was at its height when Gov. Bell went into office, and it has been shown how firmly he stood by the rights of Texas until the matter was adjusted.
THE CHOLERA IN TEXAS.
The first appearance of this dread disease ( so far as re- membered) was in the year 1833, when it appeared in Vic- toria, Brazoria, and perhaps a few other places, and carried off a number of prominent and valuable citizens, among whom were Don Martin De Leon of Victoria; Capt. John Austin, and D. W. Anthony, editor of the Constitutional Ad- vocate, published in Brazoria. The Constitutional Advocate of May 11th, says; " The disease was brought to the mouth of the Brazos about. three weeks before, and that the following persons had died there previous to its publication, viz. : Capt. Anthony Clark, Dr. J. C. Catlin, Mrs. Eliza Chase, John M. Porter, Beverly A. Porter, Charles Chapman and two negroes."
The next appearance of cholera in Texas was in Port Lavaca in December, 1848. Of 260 newly arrived troops of the United States army, under Major Pitcairn Morrisson, en- camped on a brackish bayou in the vicinity of the town, nearly one half died in a few days, together with a family of five persons encamped with them, all drinking of the brackish water of the 'bayou, while neither of the officers at the hotels, nor any citizen of the town where cistern water was exclu- sively used, was stricken with the disease. The remainder of the troops being moved to a large building, and supplied with cistern water, the malady disappeared as if by magic. The disease appeared next at Indianola, in February, 1849, having
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
been brought from New Orleans, from which place a weekly steamer arrived via Galveston, and from Mobile in an immi- grant vessel, on which a number of negroes died, some at sea and others after arriving. The people of Indianola, with few exceptions, used water from shallow wells, and the disease proved very fatal. Those who used cistern water were exempt, and at Lavaca, except among transient persons, the exemption was almost universal, and yet they were as much exposed, otherwise, as were the people of Indianola. In Galveston, where the people used nothing but cistern water, and were much more exposed by intercourse with New Orleans, there was no cholera among the citizens, the disease being confined to arrivals from other places. By way of In- dianola the disease was carried to San Antonio and proved very destructive to human life. Among its victims was Major General William J. Worth, of the United States army, re- cently arrived at that place. The most intelligent and observing men, with these opportunities of observation, be- came convinced that a people confined to the use of cistern water, are not subject to this fearful scourge. This opinion was also greatly strengthened by similar experience at Savanah, Georgia, and the freestone water regions of Georgia, Alabama, and similar districts of country, while in the lime- stone regions of the valley of the Mississippi, as before and since repeated, at St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexing- ton, Nashville, and elsewhere, its ravages have been terrible.
THE LATER COLONIES.
The origin of the later colonies of 1841 to 1844 has been already given. Now in 1849 their work had been substan- tially accomplished, by the introduction into North Texas of a large and valuable agricultural population, the introduction of a similar population into the German colony, with its headquarters at Fredricksburg, and the successful labors of the
GOV. HARDIN R. RUNNELS
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
indefatigable Henry Castro, who had secured a good foot-hold for his colonies on and west of the Medina. The beneficial effects of these enterprises, in extending and populating the then frontier, in view of the enfeebled condition of the coun- try at that time, can scarcely be estimated at this day. The history of the German and French colonies, menaced as they constantly were with Indian tribes, suffering much from depredations, unacquainted with the country and its language, and during the year of 1846 facing disease and death on their route from Indianola to their mountain destinations, reveals both moral and physical courage, worthy of the highest ad- miration. Even their descendants of this day can form no adequate conception of the hardships endured by them from 1843 to 1848. The respective regions in which they settled, as seen to-day, reflect the wisdom of Presidents Lamar and Houston and the Congress of Texas in initiating and fostering not only these colonies but those of Peters and Mercer in North Texas. It should be added that Governors Henderson, Wood, and especially Governor Bell, manifested the warmest interest in the success and defense of these infant settlements. The effect of the two southwestern colonies, the German and the French, was to make known and extensively popularize Texas in the countries from which those emigrants came. The character of the French has already been stated. Among the Germans was a large per cent of educated, progressive and liberal-minded men, who proved to be valuable acquisitions not only to the material interests of all the country, but to its literary and scientific knowledge.
A notable event in the year 1850, though only indirectly affecting Texas, was the passage through the State from India- nola to El Paso of the commission on the part of the United States to act in concert with that on the part of Mexico, in establishing and marking the boundary line between the two countries, from the Rio Grande at the intersection of the thirty second degree of north latitude to the Pacific ocean.
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
The American commissioner was John R. Bartlett of Provi- dence, R. I., at the head of a splendid corps representing the sciences of astronomy, topography, botany, mineralogy, and kindred sciences. In these sciences every State in the Union had at least one representative, among them many promising young men who afterwards became distinguished. Among the more conspicuous United States officers were, Col. James D. Graham, of the Engineers, and Lieut. Isaac G. Strain, of the United States Navy. They landed at Indianola, at that time the military depot for the United States on the coast of Texas, and proceeded, with a wagon train bearing every needed supply in scientific instruments, provisions and cloth- ing, and .were escorted by a mounted body of young men under Lieut. Strain. From San Antonio they also had a military escort, successfully made the trip, and in due time accomplished their mission, not, however, until, under the " Gadsden purchase," the line was deflected more southerly than the original boundary, by which was secured a better route for a railroad through Arizona.
THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.
Under a provision of the constitution of 1845 an election was held in 1850 for the location of the seat of government for twenty years.
Austin, the existing site, was rechosen by a large majority over Tehuacano Hills, now the seat of Trinity University. The twenty years expired in 1870, but the election could not be held until November, 1872, when Austin was again elected by a majority of 15,355 over the combined vote of Houston and Waco. Considering its splendid location, its magnificent State capitol, unsurpassed by that of any other State in the Union ; its State University, and numerous educational institu- tions ; and asylums for the insane, the deaf and dumb, and the blind, Austin seems destined to remain perpetually the capital of the State.
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CHAPTER XXX.
BELL'S SECOND ADMINISTRATION.
Peter W. Bell was re-elected Governor in November, 1851, with James W. Henderson, of Harris County, Lieutenant- Governor; James Webb and Thos. H. Duvall were respectively Secretaries of State; A. J. Hamilton and Ebenezer Allen were respectively Attorneys-General; James B. Shaw, Comptroller; James H. Raymond, Treasurer; John M. Swisher, Auditor ; George W. Smyth, Commissioner of the Land Office ; and Dr. Charles G. Keenan, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Governor Bell, being elected to Congress, resigned a few weeks before the expiration of his term, to take his seat in that body, and Lieut .- Gov. Henderson filled out the term.
Following the sale of the Santa Fe territory to the United States, the legislature enacted laws for ascertaining, adjusting and liquidating so much of the public debt as was not affected by the custom house dues. An auditorial board was created, and the State determined to pay the indebtedness upon what became known as the scaling system, by which is meant, liquidating the debts, contracted by the issue of the depre- ciated paper, with a fair approximation to the actual par value of the treasury notes at the time of their payment by the government, but in all cases where below par value, the debts were scaled to a standard. considerably above the actual par value at the time of payment. This is evidenced by the fact that, while some of these obligations were paid out at ten per cent on the dollar, yet only one such payment was scaled as low as twenty cents on the dollar; one at twenty-
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
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five; two at thirty ; three at fifty ; one at seventy ; one at eighty-seven; and two at one hundred cents on the dollar. Anticipating events, it may be stated that the creditors of Texas who claimed pledges of the custom house revenues, and for whose benefit the United States had retained $5,000,000.00, claimed a higher scale than that fixed by the State, whereupon a compromise was effected, paying a some- what higher scale, satisfactory to both parties, and thus the revolutionary debt of Texas was wiped out of existence.
During Gov. Bell's administration additional measures were adopted looking to the adjustment of all the difficulties pend- ing in Peters' colony, which, as heretofore stated, were finally completed during Pease's administration, by granting the premium-lands claimed by the contractors, farther west, and allowing every colonist to retain the full amount of land to which he was entitled, viz., six hundred and forty acres to each head of a family and three hundred and twenty acres to each single man who settled within the colony prior to Jan- uary first, 1848. The most populous portion of Texas is now embraced within the bounds of this colony.
RAILROADS AND EDUCATION.
As early as 1847 the public mind of Texas was drawn to the necessity of railroads as a means of developing the vast territory of the State, deprived as it was of interior navigation, excepting in mere neighborhoods on the coast and at Jeffer- son on the extreme northeast, and even at that time, before the treaty with Mexico, by which the United States acquired the immense territory between Texas and the Pacific ocean, there were far-seeing minds in Texas advocating through the press and public meetings a trans-continental railway from the coast of Texas to San Diego in California. One such meeting was held in the town of Victoria late in 1846 in which substantially the route now followed by the Southern Pacific
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HISTORY OF TEXAS.
Railroad was warmly advocated. Three or four years later Senators Thomas J. Rusk and Sam Houston and other men of high character, became the earnest advocates of what is now the Texas and Pacific Railroad, destined, after passing through many changes and many doubtful stages, and by the blending of different charters, to ultimate fruition in 1881.
The pioneer road of Texas was that projected and inaugu- rated in 1853, by Gen. Sidney Sherman and his associates. It was first constructed from Harrisburg, on Buffalo Bayou, about twenty miles to Stafford's Point, and was known as the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio road. A few years later it reached Richmond on the Brazos, and about 1860, it halted at Alleyton, three miles east of Columbus on the Colorado, and there remained until after the war between the States.
The Houston and Texas Central Road, by the indomitable perseverance of Paul Bremond, sustained by the enterprising citizens of Houston, was begun in 1853-4, and, under many difficulties, halted first at Cypress, next at Courtney, then at Hempstead, next at Navasota and just previous to 1861, at Millican, and there remained for several years.
Between 1856 and 1860, the Texas and New Orleans road was opened from Houston, via Liberty and Beaumont, to Orange on the Sabine. Before 1860, also, the Gulf, West Texas and Pacific Road was built thirty miles from Port Lavaca to Victoria.
In granting railroad charters after 1850 - about 1853 or 1854 - a theory, previously advocated, assumed legal form, in granting to railroads, sixteen sections of public lands for each mile of railroad constructed in the State, upon various conditions, the chief of which was, that the roads should have the lands sectionized at their own expense, receiving as their bounty every alternate section, while the other half was set apart in perpetuity as a part of the permanent fund for the support of a system of free public schools. This grand pro-
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vision, modified and enlarged from time to time, is the base and corner-stone of that system of free education now bless- ing the State; unsurpassed in its magnitude by that of any other State or nation in the world, of which more will be stated later.
INDIAN FIGHTS.
(It is not within the purview of this work to chronicle a history of the Indian wars of Texas, beyond simple allu- sions to the more important events. That labor, in order to do ample justice as far as possible, to the citizenship of the country, who, largely unaided by government, from 1822 until after the close of the war between the States, clothing, arming, feeding and mounting themselves, reclaimed and preserved the country from savages and, by their blood and suffering, dedicated Texas to freedom. This labor the author of this work has endeavored to perform in a separate volume entitled The Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas. Brief ac- counts, however, of a few encounters with the savages as examples of the whole, are here inserted from that volume. )
HENRY E. M' CULLOCH'S FIGHT.
From the 8th of June, 1846, to November 4th, 1851, Henry E. McCulloch commanded six different companies of Texas rangers called into the service of the United States, some for six and some for twelve months. In November, 1850, under the orders of Gen. Brook he became captain of the 5th com- pany. He was stationed on the Aransas River and rendered important service in checking frequent raids of Indians into that portion of the coast country.
The company, being six months' men, were discharged at Fort Merrill, on the Nueces, on the 4th of May, 1851, but reorganized as a new company for another six months on the next day. Capt. Gordon Granger ( a Federal general in the
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