Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 11.djvu/29

Rh Rogers, and Thos. J. Devine, to confer with the governor soon after its meeting. In the cordial reception given them, he said that when the voice of the people of Texas had been declared through the ballot box, no citizen would be more ready to yield obedience to its will or to risk his all in its defense than himself.

On February 1, 1861, the convention passed the ordinance of secession. Before taking the vote the governor and other executive officers and justices of the Supreme court were invited to be present, and the members of the legislature entered the hall which had been crowded by citizens to witness the voting. Governor Houston appeared, and, with Lieut.-Gov. Ed Clark, was seated on the right of the president. To the left were seated Chief-Justice R. T. Wheeler and General McQueen, commissioner to the convention from South Carolina. Thus, with appropriate ceremony and great solemnity, the roll was called, and responses made by each member of the convention, resulting in 167 votes for secession and 7 votes against it. By direction of the convention the president sent letters enclosing copies of the ordinance to Senators Wigfalland Hemphill, and Representative A.J. Hamilton, then in Congress, and to each one of the governors of the slaveholding States.

The legislature passed a law and another supplementary thereto, providing for a vote on the ordinance of secession by the people, and requiring the governor to issue his proclamation therefor, which was done, the election being fixed for the 226. of February, 1861, as prescribed by the convention, return of it to be made to the secretary of state in time to be counted on the 2d of March, 1861. The convention had also provided for the election and for duplicate returns to be made to it in like manner.

The convention, contemplating the acquisition of the government military stores, and the removal from the State of the Federal troops, that were estimated to number 2, 700 of all arms, located at the different frontier posts,