Page:Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston of Texas (1884).djvu/405

 From the style of his communication, I freely infer that he is a gentleman of some mark and character for intelligence; and for the purpose of presenting many important facts, I will read the communication: ":—As yours is the only sheet which, in its views, approximates near the truth, in relation to a portion of New Mexico claimed by Texas, I take the liberty, with your permission, of making some statements, which hundreds of American citizens in Santa Fé will at any time verify, and which the future will prove the truth of.

"The attempt to form a State Government there had its origin in the ingenuity and self-interest of not over twenty men, all told, each of whom, until the early part of April, had opposed with all his energies the organization of a State Government, and had clamored loudly in public, and in a newspaper which Government officers, in Santa Fé, had appeared to have sold, for the continuance of a territorial government. This latter kind of government, it was said, was much the cheapest; and besides, the New Mexicans would never consent to direct, or even to indirect, taxation.

"Some of these gentlemen were favorite contractors at the Commissary and Quartermaster's Departments of Santa Fé and the territory, having numbers of dependent employes; some were the settlers of Santa F^ and the towns along the Rio Grande, men appointed by the militaiy Governor, with certain privileges and immunities, which have made them rich at the cost of the poor teamsters and soldiers; then there were the clerl<s of the Quartermaster, and the clerks of the army stores. This clique of men, all of whom are recipients of pay from Washington, and some of whom are said to have accumulated a quarter of a million of dollars since they have been in Santa Fé, are the only political agitators of New Mexico. It is they who have been endeavoring, by the loan of paper, press, and types to Judge Ortera, a Mexican aspirant to the Gubernatorial chair, to excite the prejudices of the New Mexicans against all who are in, or whoever may come into the country, who will not think as they think; and it was they who contrived to have Mr. Hugh N. Smith sent to Washington as a territorial delegate. These men are now for a State Government. Why?

"Will it be presumed for a moment that they became tired of drawing their salaries, and of exercising the privileges of power and place which were theirs?—theirs far removed from the supervision of the people, or of the authorities of the United States? Their power they used wiih an iron hand; their favors were dispensed to those who well understood what was required of them in return. Why are these men now for a State Government? The answer is, because they are forced by the public opinion against them of all the merchants and citizens of New Mexico, who have witnessed their conduct, political and personal, to vacate the places which they have abused; and because the claims of Texas were admitted to be just by the almost entire American population of the territory, at numerous meetings held previous to the 16th of April, at every one of which meetings the Government clique, and their resolutions denouncing Texas claims were voted down, ten to one. In desperation, then it was resolved in caucus, before I left Santa Fé, to make a new move on the political chessboard, and one morning the citizens were nearly unable to believe that the men and the newspaper, which had always supported a continuance of territorial government, and ridiculed the idea of a State one, were the clamorous advocates of the latter, and had already put the necessary machinery at work, which has