The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 7, July 1903 - April, 1904 Page: 72

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72 Texas Historical Association Quarterly.

LETTER FROM SAM HOUSTON.
The following letter is printed from a photogravure of the orig-
inal sent by Mr. James L. Norris to Judge John H. Reagan, who
has placed it among the archives of the Association:
Nashville
30th Mar 1823.
My dear Governor
Yours of the 11th Inst has come to hand by this days mail, and
I beg leave to assure you of the heart felt pleasure which I experi-
ence from the perusal of your kind & friendly letters, at all times.
You have not received my last letter, but will find it at New
Canton on your return home. It is some time since I learned you
were at the agency, and it was announced here, that you had been
appointed agent: I was happy to hear it, believing as I did that
there was no person in the Union who cou'd more ably discharge the
duties of the office. The salary is equal to any office in the gift of
this state, and from my idea of the life of an agent-you cou'd med-
itate with good advantage, that state of being compared to which
all things else can be of no avail, as they are finite and tem-
poral, while it is infinite, and Eternal. Solitude is the situation
in which we can best ascertain our own hearts. There we derive
no reflection from others, but are taught to make enquiry of our-
selves. There we can examine ourselves in the abstract-and draw
conclusions, unbiased by passion, totally independent of the prej-
udice of others. We can read the Scriptures, and pursue their
preceps.
But I cannot pretend to recommend any course to you; you have
become a candidate for the senate, and I did anticipate much pleas-
ure in seeing you, and spending some time with you; at Murfrees-
boro. If you do not accept the agency (for I have no doubt but
you will receive the app't) I will yet expect to see you. As for
myself I have no opposition as yet for congress, and trust I will
have none. I am on the alert, shou'd any opposition arise.
You wou'd dislike that any difference shou'd take place between
your "political sons" and no one wou'd deprecate the event more
than myself. But I apprehend a coolness on part of Maj G--m [.]
I am not satisfied of the fact, and will make every allowance until
I ascertain the truth[.] I never quit a friend until I see a disin-
clination on his part to be friendly with me [.1 I dearly love my
friends because they have been everything to me [.] I part with them

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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 7, July 1903 - April, 1904, periodical, 1904; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101030/m1/76/ocr/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

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