The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 88, July 1984 - April, 1985 Page: 282

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

speculations are more odious in Texas than they are here-the Texi-
ans have had no participation in them-nothing to do with them,
except to censure the mexican govt. & a system of legislation that left
a door open for such operations-The men who are fighting in Texas,
are the farmers, the settlers-they are not land speculators-Is it just
to condemn them because persons living else where have speculated in
Texas lands?-also some of your city folks seem to think that the
Texas war is to establish negro slavery &c-This is as incorrect as the
other idea-slavery has nothing to do with the causes, or the objects of
this war-
A pamphlet will be published here, I hope by Monday-If those
who have doubts will take the trouble to read it-they will be con-
vinced that the Texas war is what I have stated it to be-a war in de-
fense of the same principles which have been canonized in this country
by the blood of the patriots of 76-
Many of the first men in this city took an active part at the Texas
meeting here-Will your leading men in Phia do so? cannot you enlist
some of them? & some good &8 popular speakers?
Yours truly
S. F. Austin
Baltimore May 24. 1836
Dr Sir:
I am this far on my way to Texas-came from Washington this
evening & leave tomorrow morning for Wheeling
All is right at Washington-There is no doubt at all of the defeat &
capture of Santa Anna-Texas is safe &8 free 8c her independence will
soon be acknowledged
I expected to have been in Phia again but urgent affairs call me to
Texas-I requested the National Gazette to stop & send his a/c to your
lodging. I then expected to have seen you again-please inform me
when you write of the amt. of the a/c that I may pay it
Yours most truly
S. F. Austin
and Economic History (Norman, 1946), 82-90; Webb, Carroll, and Branda (eds.), Hand-
book of Texas, I, 663-664, II, 274; Andreas Reichstein, Der texanische Unabhiingig-
keitskrieg, 1835/6: Ursachen und Wirkungen (Berlin, 1984), lo3-116. On the lives of two
prominent speculators see Feris A. Bass, Jr., and B. R. Brunson (eds.), Fragile Empires:
The Texas Correspondence of Samuel Swartwout and James Morgan, 1836-1856 (Austin,
1978).

282