The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 45, July 1941 - April, 1942 Page: 142
409 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
through congress in a gag-law manner . . much to the
discredit of those who sustained it .... Truths were
wasted on the desert air-for the thing was arranged
over the fuming bottles and smoking dinners of M.
Saligny.'6
Having passed the House, on to the Senate went the Franco-
Texienne Bill where stronger opposition was immediately
raised, for in the Senate the followers of Lamar were more
numerous. Read for the first time on January 29, 1841, the
bill was debated and variously amended during the following
days.7 The debates grew hot, as the Lamar and Houston
factions argued in the Senate. The vote, after the second
reading of the bill, stood six in favor and six opposed to its
passage. The deadlock was broken when President pro tem.
of the Senate, Dr. Anson Jones, cast his vote in favor of the
bill. There remained now the third and final reading. On the
last day of the session the bill came up for final action. Its
passage seemed inevitable, despite the protests of half of the
members of the Senate. However, on that very day Senator
Moore of Harris County, a decided opponent of the bill, spoke
to the members of the Senate, congratulating them and posterity,
saying, "that the virtue, integrity, and firmness of Acting
President Burnet who . . . holds the power of veto in his own
hands . . . will check the passage of the Franco-Texienne Bill
into law."'8 Members of the Senate then realized that Burnet
intended to veto the bill, should it be passed by the Senate and
be sent to his office. President Lamar was in New Orleans
recovering from an illness, but apparently Vice-President Bur-
net shared his superior's opinions and intended, therefore, to
block the measure. Realizing that Burnet's promised veto
spelled certain defeat, the advocates of the bill in the Senate
preferred to let it lie quietly on the table and die with the
closing of the session of Congress rather than bring it under
the certain and withering veto which they knew the Executive
would inflict upon it." So the Franco-Texienne Bill was not
passed by the Fifth Congress of Texas.
Saligny's bill was defeated, and his anger knew no bounds.
Loud and vituperative were his condemnations of the members
"lTexas Centinel, July 1, 1841.
"7Journals of the Senate of the Republic of Texas, Fifth Congress, 210.
"8Texas Centinel, July 1, 1841.
"Ibid.142
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 45, July 1941 - April, 1942, periodical, 1942; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146053/m1/156/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.