The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, July 1928 - April, 1929 Page: 317
361 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Tadeo Ortiz and the Colonization of Texas, 1822-1833 317
without mixing them with settlements composed of Mexicans and
foreigners of different nationalities. This was undertaken off
hand, without system, order, foresight, and even without any pro-
vision for the administration of justice, since the municipal gov-
ernments which were established in three half-civilized towns, and
those formed by colonists ignorant of our language and of the
complicated Spanish legislation-could not be called courts, much
less tribunals. They even lacked a local attorney and decisions
had to be sent enormous distances. These were lost or were not
decided upon on the pretext of a lack of formalities which the
lawyers of the old regime never dispensed with. They preferred
to leave the great number of crimes unpunished and to increase the
ranks of robbers and assassins in certain towns which were already
demoralized and which lack jails and the means of supporting and
guarding the criminals.
As a result of these drawbacks, the new colonists, less patient
than the Mexicans and accustomed to a prompter administration
of justice, and considering themselves neglected and in a state
of natural independence, have appropriated to themselves the sov-
ereign right of trying and sentencing criminals by juries. In con-
formity with the principles of English jurisprudence they have
applied capital punishment to many individuals in various parts
of the colonies on the Neches and the Sabine. Finally, in San
Felipe de Austin, they have inflicted severe punishments forbidden
by our laws. These were perhaps excusable because of the vin-
dictive public opinion and the circumstances of the revolution.
Those things should not be so alarming in the eyes of the nation
as the conduct maintained by the colonists from the beginning of
our troubles; for, since this appears to be more serious and of
deeper consequence, it cannot help but attract the attention of
Your Excellency and that of congress, and put all Mexicans in-
terested in maintaining the integrity of the national territory on
their guard.
The origin of the Texas trouble and the declaration of war of
the colonists against the national troops who were guarding the
ports and fortresses were not due to adhering to the efforts of the
liberating army and resisting the taxes imposed by various legis-
latures and towns which favored the plan of General Santa Anna.
The hostilities at Brazoria and the other points in Austin's col-
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, July 1928 - April, 1929, periodical, 1929; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101089/m1/322/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.