The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 51, July 1947 - April, 1948 Page: 372

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

fidence, which he had never known before. "I have never been
beaten in my life for any office,-nor do I ever intend to be."
Thus he epitomized his conquest of his feeling of inferiority.
But he was defeated and defeat crushed his sensitive soul. No
frontier in another Texas beckoned this time. A bullet through
his head was to him the only way out. When Texas rejected him
for the first time, in his last election for unsought office, part of
him died. He killed off the remainder which he had never rated
very highly anyway.
For this age when profound neuroses are so prevalent, there is
much of courage in what Anson Jones accomplished in and for
Texas. Few men have done more. In a space of twelve years he
was physician, soldier at San Jacinto, congressman, minister to
the United States, senator, secretary of state, and president of
the Republic. In all these he manifested a high degree of ability
and statesmanship. He had the confidence of the people to such
an extent that he never sought office and never made a political
canvass-this in the day of Sam Houston to whom he was never
very friendly and for whom he later developed a profound bit-
terness. If in the past there may have been doubt as to who played
the major role in bringing about the annexation of Texas, that
doubt is now dispelled: Anson Jones was indeed the Architect
of Annexation.
Although an exhaustive bibliography is supplied, no footnotes
are used. Repeatedly, short and long passages are quoted and
no intimation is given as to the sources. To the average uncritical
reader, by whom footnotes might be considered useless annoy-
ances, this omission would be no loss. It might even be a service.
But the historian wonders and wishes. However, the skill with
which the quotations are blended with the text is to be admired.
This book adds prestige to that increasing group of historical
writers in Texas. It is the result of years of careful, patient inves-
tigation. In content, it is solid and complete; in format, it is
attractive and substantial. Its language is plain and direct. There
is scarcely a sesquipedal word in the entire book. The author
writes in evident consciousness of the fact that "adjectives are
like leaves on a branch: they may make it beautiful but they
ruin it for switching purposes."

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