The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956 Page: 202
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Along with a strong army Lamar felt that it was necessary that
Texas maintain a strong navy. He warned members of Congress
on December 21, 1838, that the Texas Navy was prostrate, while
Mexico was increasing her strength. It was necessary that Texas,
with such a long maritime frontier, have a strong navy for protec-
tion; Texas commerce had to be protected "from insult and depre-
dation on the high seas."8
Frequently Lamar increased the personnel and ships of the
Texas Navy by executive fiat. Without congressional approval he
ordered the Texas Navy into the service of the rebellious Mexican
state of Yucatan.84 Lamar was always able to justify his unauthor-
ized actions by charging that an imminent Mexican invasion was
near or that it was necessary to make a demonstration of naval
power.85 It was not possible for a navy to operate like an army
because navy officers had to be trained. Lamar told the Congress
that it was utterly impossible to "disband the accomplished and
gallent officers who have embarked in our naval service."86 The
navy had been an expense, but not to have operated the navy
"might have involved the country in great disaster and an irrepa-
rable loss of reputation."''
To nationalist Lamar, as to nationalist Alexander Hamilton of
an earlier period, reputation and honor were to be saved and
even augmented not alone through military policy. To stabilize
the country's economy, Lamar even advocated a Bank of Texas.
He went further than Hamilton; the Bank of Texas should be
a truly national bank operated solely by the state. He called
attention to the success that the national bank of Alabama had
enjoyed. No part of the profits of this bank went to shareholders,
but all went to the government, which, in turn, gave support to
building canals, roads, bridges, and other objects of public im-
provements. Lamar stressed that
there is an obvious distinction between a national bank-this is a Bank
instituted for the benefit of the nation, (which is another name for
83M. B. Lamar, Message to the Texas Congress, December 21, 1838, in ibid., 356;
Jim Dan Hill, The Texas Navy (Chicago, 1937), 107.
84Alex Dienst, The Navy of the Republic of Texas (Temple, Igo9), 82.
8sChristian, Mirabeau B. Lamar, 48.
s6Ibid., 48-49.
STIbid., 49.o202
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956, periodical, 1956; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101162/m1/220/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.