The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 34, July 1930 - April, 1931 Page: 288
359 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
the nominating convention approached, "Houston's friends felt
that the situation of their man was hopeless." In the end Hous-
ton did not permit his name to go before the Convention.86
Houston was to hope once more that he might "rent the White
House." In February, 1855, Rusk wrote: "Houston does little
else but electioneer for the Presidency and as usual the work falls
upon me."'s7 Houston had become identified with a new party,
the Know-Nothings, who had just elected Houston's friend,
Banks, speaker of the House."8 Rusk summed up the situation
for David: "Yesterday the House elected Banks an abolition
Know Nothing speaker by three votes over Gov. Aiken of South
Carolina. Not a single Know Nothing from a nonslave holding
state voting for Aiken and about eighty of them voting for Banks.
So much for this mongrel party. The Southern man who is de-
ceived by them hereafter will be so because he wants to be de-
ceived."8s
A few days later: "We have no news here except that Fill-
more and Donaldson have been nominated by the Know Noth-
ings. Houston is disappointed and I think will refuse to sup-
port the ticket."90 However, Houston did support the Fillmore
ticket and in a rather melancholy letter to a friend gave lengthy
reasons for doing so. "They could have been reduced to three
Words: Save the Union !"91
Rusk was unequivocally opposed to the Know-Nothing party,
and his public statement of his position in a letter to M. D. Ector
was taken to mean that he was opposed to Houston, who ran
for governor of Texas in 1857, as a candidate of the Know-Noth-
ing party and was overwhelmingly defeated: "Their secrecy is
highly objectionable. No party can be safely trusted with power
who does not openly avow their principles. The oaths which it
is understood they take are illegal, tyrannical, and at open war
with the fundamental principles of our Government. They are
8"James, The Raven, 381-382.
87T. J. Rusk to David Rusk, February 10, 1855. Letter in the David
Rusk Papers. Courtesy of Miss Helen Rusk.
88James, The Raven, p. 387.
8T. J. Rusk to David Rusk, January 3, 1856. Letter in the David
Rusk Papers. Courtesy of Miss Helen Rusk.
"IT. J. Rusk to David Rusk, February 29, 1856. Letter in the David
Rusk Papers. Courtesy of Miss Helen Rusk.
"James, The Raven, p. 387.288
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 34, July 1930 - April, 1931, periodical, 1931; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101091/m1/310/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.