The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912 Page: 185
382 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Declaration of Caues
A question naturally arises concerning the sincerity of the
thirty-three members who voted against a declaration of independ-
ence. No direct evidence can be adduced on this point, but it
seems fairly certain that they did not perceive any material con-
flict between their position and the sentiments expressed in the
declaration of November 7. The peace party men, no less than
the independence men, were firmly resolved not to submit to cer-
tain measures that Santa Anna seemed bent upon carrying out.
And, in a sense, the declaration said no more than just that.
The truth is that the logic of the situation was against the
adherents of the constitution of 1824. That had already been
superseded on October 3, by decree of the Mexican Congress, and
little could be said to soften the indisputable fact that the Texans
were in arms against the recognized government of Mexico. With
all his sincere desire for peace, John Dickinson in 1775 did not
succeed in materially modifying Jefferson's trenchant "Declaration
of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms" against great
Britain,1 and few believed after the battle of Lexington that there
was for the American colonist any other alternative than submis-
sion or resistance. In November, 1835, the Texan colonists had
reached the same impasse with Mexico.
clear and positive declaration that it was done as a member of the
Mexican confederation under the constitution of 1824 and law of 7 May
of that year will be perverted by our enemies [to mean that] to mean a
different thing from what was intended. In short the impression has
gone abroad that independence is the object, and the only object of
Texas-This being the case [the] there is at least every probability [is
great] that the Texas war will assume [a natio] the character which the
Govt of Mexico are endeavoring to give to it, and that all parties will
unite against us.
It is perhaps [out of place] too late now to inquire whether a differ-
ent course and a more rigid adherence to the constitution of 1824, [and
to the] and organization as a member of the Mexican confederation with-
out any ambiguity, would or would not have [been more promoted
comported much] been the true and [only] proper course for Texas-I
believe it would, but the time [Here Austin stopped abruptly, and
deleted the whole of this paragraph.]
1See Journals of the Continental Congress, 177.1-1789 (Ford Ed.), II,
128-157.185
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912, periodical, 1912; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101056/m1/190/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.