The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 11, July 1907 - April, 1908 Page: 295
vii, 320 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Presidential Reconstruction in Texas.
295
though in the face of the military power, these claims were not
always strenuously asserted.
Governor Hamilton and General Wright, the department com-
mander,1 preserved amicable relations throughout, and endeavored
in every way to prevent a conflict. On August 17 the former
wrote to General C. C. Andrews, one of the district commanders,
requesting that a white man, whom the military had arrested for
the murder of a freedman, be turned over to the civil court for
trial.2 The Governor was evidently not sure of his ground, for
he asked what course the military authorities proposed to take in
criminal cases. He expressed the opinion that it would be entirely
safe to remit all offenders to the civil courts for trial and that
it would be good policy to do so, since the people felt much anxiety
in the matter. Soon afterwards he changed his mind. On Sep-
tember 27 he wrote to General Wright, asking that the military
branch of the government execute vigorous punishment upon crimi-
nals, and confessing that the civil authorities could not be depended
upon for some time. With respect to the relations between the
two, he did not regard the provisional government of the State
as having superseded the military authority. His view of
the political condition of Texas was this: "There is no consti-
tutional State government. The provisional government of Texas
is created by and exists at the will of the President. My authority
as Provisional Governor is limited to such measures as may be
necessary to prepare the people of the State and provide means
for a convention to organize a new constitutional State government,
which, when adopted and recognized by the general government,
will supersede, within the limits of its jurisdiction, the military
power in all things not properly pertaining to the military author-
ity of the United States in time of peace. For the present, the
action of the civil authorities created by me is allowed only as a
means,-to the extent that they can be made available,--of aiding
the authorities of the general government in preserving public
peace and order, and in protecting individual rights and property.
I have felt sure the general government would not object to such
quasi-civil government as I have temporarily effected, but it would
1General IH. . G. Wright relieved General Granger of command of the
Department of Texas on August 6, 1865.
2Examoutve Records, Register Book, 281.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 11, July 1907 - April, 1908, periodical, 1908; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101045/m1/299/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.