The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 8, July 1904 - April, 1905 Page: 247
xiii, 358 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Explanation by Stephen F. Austin.
247
circulation of the official newspaper, The Telegraph, to the
ayuntamientos of Texas-all very necessary measures for binding
closer the connection of those distant countries with the rest of
the republic.
The citizen Austin, although of a disposition naturally con-
servative, has had the misfortune of becoming involved in the
political affairs of these times of social fluctuations. He has en-
dured almost a year of incarceration in the ex-prisons of the in-
quisition and others in Mexico, and his name, much to his regret,
has figured in the newspapers in connection with the most false
and unjust representations. In order to form an impartial judg-
ment in regard to his conduct and intentions, it is necessary to
bear in mind what has been said concerning the political status
of Texas, and to take into consideration the fact that Austin's
attitude was much affected by his position as agent and commis-
sioner for Texas and as a faithful citizen desirous of fulfilling his
duties under the peculiar and trying circumstances in which he
found himself.
The months of July, August, and September passed without the
accomplishment of anything in regard to the affairs of Texas.
The civil war toward the close of September and the beginning of
October assumed a dubious aspect, and opinion varied concerning
the stability of things. The end of the year was approaching, which
was the limit of time that public opinion in Texas believed it pos-
sible to wait for improvements in the situation before proceeding
to a local organization by popular action.
This disagreeable and dangerous outlook could not but arouse
in Austin much alarm and make upon him a deep impression.
Republican by education, frank to an extreme, with exaggerated
ideas, perhaps, in regard to the sacred obligations of a public
agent to his constituents; bound to Texas by all local relations
resulting from fourteen years of labor as principal in the most
important colonization contracts to people it, and to its inhabi-
tants by sufferings, common interests, and mutual friendships;
little accustomed to the equivocal manner and language of courts,
and anxious to fulfill his obligations as commissioner and citizen;
and expecting to see an immediate overthrow of order in Texas,
he orally made a very energetic statement of his opinions to the
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 8, July 1904 - April, 1905, periodical, 1905; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101033/m1/254/?rotate=270: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.