The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 25, July 1921 - April, 1922 Page: 57

The Texas Convention of 1845

upon every man who solicits their suffrage and know for whom he
would cast his vote for senators. Instruct your representatives
through the ballot box; designate the men of your choice and then
nothing will be left to chance, nothing won or lost by electioneer-
ing and bargaining. We must select our representatives from
among those whose interests are identified with the country. All
who claim to be Democrats are not so. A number of them have
been proselyted since the last presidential election in the United
States and the consequent ascendancy of Democratic principles in
this country. If the people should be so blind as to take any of
these new fledged converts upon trust and place them in office,
they would create division and disunion in the Democratic party.88
Candidates for the several offices in the state government did
not await the President's proclamation to make their announce-
ment. Even before the constitutional convention had adjourned,
J. P. Henderson of San Augustine county and A. C. Horton of
Matagorda county had consented to be candidates for governor
and lieutenant governor.89 After these names had been before
the public for some time, J. B. Miller of Washington county and
N. H. Darnell of San Augustine county were nominated for gov-
ernor and lieutenant governor, respectively. However, there was
very little interest manifested in the campaign, even though there
were two candidates for each office. Henderson defeated Miller by
a majority vote of six thousand, but Darnell received a majority over
Horton of only one hundred and twenty-one.90
As the convention had "authorized and required" the President
to forward by special messenger "certified copies of the Constitu-
tion" to President Polk in time for them to. be received before
Congress met in December, President Jones, immediately after
the constitution was ratified, appointed N. H. Darnell for this
mission." These were received in due time, so the President in
his message to Congress, December 2, 1845, said:
The terms of annexation which were offered by the United
States to Texas having been accepted by Texas, the public faith
of both parties is solemnly pledged to the compact of their union.
Nothing remains to consummate the event, but the passage of an
act by congress to admit the State of Texas into the Union on
88Texas National Register (Washington), November 15, 1845.
8"Texas National Register (Washington), November 15, 1845.
"'Lubbock, Six Decades in Texas, 176.
"Lubbock, Six Decades in Texas, 176.