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HISTORY OF TEXAS COLONIZATION.
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essays and remarks, tending to urge the acqui- adopted the plan of taking in slaves under
sition of Texas by any practicable means; and formal indentures, for long periods, (in some
the agent of the government was charged with cases for ninety.nine years,) in order to evade
intriguing for the purpose at the Mexican the law. 'I'he State Legislature passed a law,
Capital. The idea was also held out by the as soon as these facts were made known to it,
colonists, that the laws prolhibiting the iiitro. requiring the registration of all slaves that had
duction of slaves could be easily evaded, and been legally imported, and declaring that no
that they would soon be strong enough to de- indenture should, in any case whatever, be
clare and enforce the perpetuation of slavery obligatory upon others for a longer period than
(although it was abolished by the general and ten years. It was also provided, by law, that
state governments) in that part ot the coun- all children of persons, thus in the condition
try.-The emigration from the slaveholding of apprentices, should be free from the control
States to Texas was thus accelerated, in the of those who held their parents, at the age of
hope of eventually accomplishing this object. fo,trteen years, and be placed by the municipal
In order to counteract these efforts, the ope- authorities under the care of suitable persons,
rations of the colonization system were sus- to learn some useful trade or industrious occu.
pended by law in the year 1830. A few troops pation, and receive a portion of common school
were then sent to T'exas, in addition to a small education.
number previously stationed there, to prevent About the beginning of the y3ear 1832, a rethe
illicit and contraband trade, the introduc- volution commence(d in the administration of
tion of slaves, and to enforce obedience to the the general government of Mexico. In the
laws generally; but their number was insuffi- course of the ensuing summer, it was consumcient
for the purpose; anid the regulations of mated so far as the state of Coahuila and when the troops were
the Republic, except in T!ex:s. There it has expelled, the custom houses were all closed in
been prospectivtly extinguished, as in Penn- that portion of Tcxas which was principally
sylvania, New Jersey, and some of the other inhabited by foreigners. Nothing was then
states of this Union. But, to explain more in their way, to hinder them from evading
particularly the mannter in which tilis was ef- every law which they chose to disregard, and
fected-the Constitution of the Mexican Re- many of them expressed their determination to
public, adopted' in 1824, expressly provided suffer no more government troops to be stathat
no person s>lould thereafter, be born a tioned there in futute, it they should be enabled
slave, or introduced as stich in the Mexican to prevent it, under any Mexican administrastates;
that all slaves, then held, should re. tion. For some length of time thereafter, the
ceive stipulated wages, and be subject to no political affairs of the Republic were somewhat
punishment but upon trial and judgment by unsettled, and the colonists in Texas were
magistrates. The Constitution of Coahuila and the laws, forbid"13.
In this state no person shall be born a slave ding the introduction of slaves, the trade with
after this Constitution is published in the capital ofa the
each distriet, and six months thereafter, neither will the Indlans in arms, and a huila;-and, consequently, their influence in
dispensation of the aforesaid decree was grant- the state legislation, and mea's of obtaining
ed, so far only as related to 'Texas. The lucrative offices, were very limited. All hopes
former system was, of course, revived in that of a voluntary cession of Texas to the United
particular section of the country, and the slaves States by the Mexican government, were now
introduced previous to the year 1824, are still at an end. Therefore, unless the measure of
legally held as apprentices. The colonists then establishing an independent State, separate