The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915 Page: 180
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Constitution to call a convention, though the people had the right
to do so;"' that there was not enough time before the president's
inauguration for the legislature to act; and finally that the legisla-
ture would probably ratify the work of the convention. The
address suggested that the election be held January 8, 1861, and
that the convention meet at Austin January 28. Elections were
to be ordertd unofficially by the chief justice of each repre-
(sentative districts, or, in case of his failure, by one or more county
commissioners or by a committee of five citizens. The election was
to be conducted according to the usual regulations; two delegates
were to be elected from each representative district, and the action
of the convention was to be submitted to the people for ratification
or rejection.17
"Art. 1 of the Bill of Rights declares "All political power is inherent
in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority
and instituted for their benefit; and they have at all times the inalien-
able right to alter, reform, or abolish their form of government in such
a manner as they may think expedient." Journal of the Secession Con-
vention of Texas, 10.
57In all essential features the Roberts address is the same, except
that it omits the important provision for submitting the work of the
convention to the people. The origin of this paragraph cannot be traced.
Among Judge Roberts's manuscripts is a paper that reads as follows:
"1860 The First Call upon the People of Texas to assemble in Con-
vention-Drawn up by myself and Gen. W. P. Rogers, George Flournoy,
Attorney General and by Col. John S. Ford in November at the Capitol
in Austin.
"This was copied by me and sent to Gen. Rogers at Houston and
adopted at a Mass Meeting at that Place. It was also sent to other
places and brought out about the same time.
"Afterwards and before the meeting at Houston come off there being
a number of persons wishing to sign the call that was to come out from
Austin, Col. Geo. Flournoy drew up one (which is the printed copy here
annexed) which was signed and kept unpublished untill after the Hous-
ton meeting and made public early in Decr-I allude to this at the
close of my speech of 1st Decr 1860 at the Capital."
According to this memorandum, George Flournoy drew up the address
which was distributed throughout the state. The address referred to in
Judge Roberts's memorandum as "annexed" is in the form of a circular.
With the exception that it omits the paragraph submitting the action
of the convention to the people, it is the same as the one printed in the
Journal. This paragraph, however, appears in the address when it was
published in the State Gazette, December 8. The meeting at Houston
that Judge Roberts speaks of took place, and it may be that the para-
graph was inserted there. No detailed account of this meeting appears
in the available papers. There is only one reference to the meeting in
the Gazette, which simply states that at the meeting it was recommended
that a state convention be held at Austin, January 28; that each repre-
sentative district elect two delegates; and that the election be held on
the 8th. But in speaking of the plan for the convention the Gazette said,180
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915, periodical, 1915; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101064/m1/186/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.