The Mexicans can hardly be blamed for their lack of confidence. They had
just shaken off the yoke of Spain; and they saw the Americans—people of
a different race, speaking a different tongue, strong, energetic, and
masterful—drawing daily nearer to the Rio Grande River. They saw this
alien people settling upon rich and productive lands, but paying no
taxes; giving nominal allegiance to the Mexican government, but taking
no interest in her political affairs. Added to this uneasiness was a
growing hatred of the United States, which wished to annex Texas and had
already offered to buy the province. Mexico resolved to crush this
rising power.
The Americans, on their side, were restless. They did not desire
absolute independence; but they wished for a separate state within the
Mexican Republic. They therefore, for political as well as for personal
reasons, resented the change of capital.
Still further changes were at hand. Bustamente (Boos-ta-men′tā), a cruel
and overbearing man, who became President of Mexico in 1830, on taking
his seat issued a set of laws forbidding Americans either to locate in
Texas or to trade with her people. In place of colonists from the United
States, criminals and disabled soldiers from Mexico were to settle the
country. The introduction of slaves was prohibited; taxes were put upon
almost everything in daily use; customhouses were established for the
collection of these duties; armed troops were quartered in different
places at the expense of the colonists; and military rules were
enforced.
It is needless to say that these laws were not obeyed. Texas was like a
nest of angry hornets whose center of action was at San Felipe; a buzz
of indignation filled the air; meetings were everywhere held to protest
against the injustice and tyranny of Mexico.
The excitement was increased by the arrest and imprisonment of some
Texans (1832) by Colonel Juan Davis Bradburn, an American in command of
the Mexican Fort Anahuac (An-ah′wak) on Galveston Bay. Among these were
William B. Travis (the future hero of the Alamo) and Patrick Jack.
William Jack, a brother of the latter, called a meeting at San Felipe,
where it was determined to resort to arms, if necessary, for the release
of the prisoners, whose offense was trifling.
The state of feeling was clearly shown by the number of men who declared
themselves ready to join in attacking Bradburn in his fort. The affair,
however, was settled without bloodshed. Colonel Piedras, the Mexican
commandant at Nacogdoches, hastened to Fort Anahuac. There, after an
investigation of the case, he released the prisoners and placed Bradburn
himself under arrest.
In the meantime a fight had taken place between the Mexican garrison at
Fort Velasco, at the mouth of the Brazos River, and one hundred and
twelve Texans, who had been aroused by the tyranny of Bradburn. Not one
of these Texans had ever before been in a battle; their coolness and
bravery under fire gave them the measure of their own power. They were
victorious. Colonel Dominic Ugartechea (U-gar-tā-chā′a), the commandant
of the fort, whose personal courage won the admiration of the Texans,
surrendered, with a loss of thirty-five killed and thirteen wounded. Of
the Texans seven were killed and twenty-seven wounded.
These encounters increased the public excitement to frenzy. But the
excitement was suddenly allayed by news from Mexico. The patriot Santa
Anna had “pronounced” (declared) against Bustamente.
Santa Anna at this time was looked upon in his own country as a patriot;
he had been a leader during the war with the Spanish royalists, and
active in deposing Iturbide (Ee-toor-bee′dā) (1822) when that officer
had crowned himself Emperor of Mexico. He had always professed great
love for the Texas colonists; and now his bold stand against Bustamente
gave assurance that the rights of the colonists would thenceforth be
respected. The Texans were wild with enthusiasm, and they gladly pledged
their support to Santa Anna, the “generous and high-minded patriot.”
Santa Anna was elected President of Mexico. His disposition towards
Texas continued so friendly that it seemed a good time to make an appeal
to his government for a separation of the state of Texas from Coahuila.
A convention met at San Felipe in April, 1833. Delegates were present
from all the districts. The streets of the little town on the Brazos
echoed under the tread of men who were afterwards to write their names
in the Republic’s book of gold. Sam Houston, the future hero of San
Jacinto, was present as a delegate; David G. Burnet, who was to become
the first President of the Republic of Texas; Erasmo Seguin; William H.
Wharton; Branch T. Archer; and Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas.
A constitution was framed, and a memorial was written to the general
government, asking for separation from Coahuila and the repeal of
Bustamente’s odious decrees.
Austin carried these papers to the Mexican congress. His breast swelled
with hope as he drew near the city of Mexico and the “high-minded
patriot” Santa Anna.
[Illustration: Santa Anna.]
But the Vice-President, Gomez Farias, had no time to listen to so
trifling a thing as a memorial from Texas colonists. As for President
Santa Anna, he was shut up in his country-house (Manga de Clavo) laying
plans for overthrowing the Mexican constitution and making himself
dictator.
Sick at heart over his vain attempts to get a hearing from the
government, Austin started home. But a letter which he had written to
Texas, advising the people to organize a separate state without further
appeal to Mexico, had been sent back to Farias as a treasonable
document. Austin was arrested at Saltillo, taken back to the city of
Mexico, and put in prison, where he remained for nearly two years. A
part of that time he was in solitary confinement.
During his imprisonment he kept a diary. He says of himself on one of
these loose pencil-written leaves: “In my first exploring trip in Texas,
in 1821, I had a very good old man with me, who had been raised on the
frontier, and was a very good hunter. We had not been many days in the
wilderness before he told me: ‘You are too impatient to make a hunter.’
Scarce a day passed that he did not say to me: ‘You are too
impatient—you wish to go too fast.’ Before my trip was ended I saw the
benefit of his maxim, and I determined to adopt it as a rule in settling
the colony which I was then about to commence in Texas.... I believe the
greatest error I ever committed was in departing from that rule as I did
in the city of Mexico in October, 1833. I lost patience at the delays in
getting the business of Texas dispatched, and in a moment of impatience
wrote an imprudent, and perhaps an intemperate, letter to the council at
San Antonio.” “How happy,” he says in another place, “how happy I could
have been on a farm, ... free from all the cares and difficulties that
now surround me. But I thought it was my duty to obey the call of the
people and go to Mexico as their agent.”
In October, 1834, he was admitted to a conference with Santa Anna, who
promised to “meditate maturely” the repeal of some of Bustamente’s laws.
He expressed so much love for Texas that Austin wrote to his people in a
burst of thankfulness, “All is going well.” But he was himself still
detained, and it was not until September, 1835, that he was allowed to
return to Texas.
The Texans, despite Austin’s letter of assurance, knew that all was not
going well. They were, in fact, so convinced that all was going ill that
they met in the different towns and organized committees of safety for
protection against the Indians (who had become very troublesome), and to
take charge of all public matters. At a meeting held in San Felipe
October 1, 1834, it was openly proposed to make Texas a separate state
without the consent of Mexico. But this step was for a time postponed.
The next year the situation was still more gloomy. Santa Anna’s congress
passed a decree disarming all Texans. General Martin Perfecto de Cos was
ordered from Mexico to Texas with a body of five hundred soldiers to
enforce the decree, and to punish those who had refused to obey, not the
just laws of the Mexican Republic, but the tyrannical edicts of
Bustamente and Santa Anna.
At the same time a courier was arrested with dispatches from Ugartechea
at San Antonio to the commandant at Anahuac. These dispatches were
opened and read at San Felipe. They stated that a strong force would
soon reach Anahuac from Mexico.
These things caused great uneasiness and indignation. Another meeting
was held in San Felipe. Among those who addressed the people there
assembled was R. M. Williamson (called three-legged Willie, because of
his carrying a crutch). He counseled resistance. “Our country, our
property, our liberty, and our lives,” he said, “are all involved in the
present contest between the states and the military.”
In the midst of the excitement Austin reached home. He was welcomed
almost as one given up by the tomb.
It was determined to hold a general consultation to consider the dangers
threatening Texas.
The word “consultation” was used instead of “convention” to avoid
exciting the jealousy of the government. A convention in Mexico was
often followed by a revolution.
A call was issued by Austin for the election of delegates, and the time
and place of meeting were fixed for October 16 at San Felipe.