The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910 Page: 195
341 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Recognition of the Republic of Texas by the U. S. 195
Commissioners to any foreign power,"' one of his first acts after
the adjournment of the Convention was, March 19, to name George
C. Childress as special agent, in conjunction with Robert Hamilton,
"with plenary powers to open a negotiation with the cabinet at
Washington, touching the political rights of the Republic; inviting
on the part of that Cabinet a recognition of the Sovereignty and
Independence of Texas, and the establishment of such relations be-
tween the two governments, as may comport with the mutual in-
terest, the common origin, and kindred ties of their constituents.'"2
The wording of this commission is such as to imply that Childress
and Hamilton were not looked upon as agents with coordinate
powers. Moreover, in a rough draft of the commissions the words,
"in conjunction with Robert Hamilton," are inserted between the
lines, while the rest of the document remains in the form in which
it was first written for Childress alone-indicating clearly that
Hamilton's name was included as an after-thought. The official
letters written to them after their departure, also, go to show that
Childress was regarded as the superior diplomatic agent; and one,
at least, though addressed to Childress and Hamilton jointly,
speaks to Childress directly and only refers to Hamilton in the
third person.4
Several reasons for this discrimination suggest themselves. In
the first place, if the work of securing recognition was to be en-
trusted to some new person, Childress was perhaps the logical man.
He had been a member of the Convention of 1836 and chairman of
the committee appointed to draft a declaration of independence,
and the composition of that document has been ascribed to, him.
Moreover, for Childress's success in Washington, much reliance
was based upon his former intimate acquaintance with Jackson.'
It may have been, too, that the government, even at that time, had
it in mind to, entrust Hamilton primarily with the duty of securing
'Article 14 of Executive Ordinance, March 16, 1836, Gammel, Laws of
Texas, I, 1054.
2Dip. Cor. Tex. with U. S. (MSS.); also see Garrison, Dip. Cor. Tex., I,
73-74.
'Dip. Cor. Tex. with U. S. (MSS.).
'Garrison, Dip. Cor. Tex., I, 76-78.
'Carson to Childress and Hamilton, Garrison, Dip. Cor. Tex., 1, 77.
Childress was a native of Tennessee, and it was here, no doubt, that he
had known Jackson.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910, periodical, 1910; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101051/m1/215/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.