The following documentation is
associated with call for a convention of all Texas to
consider the possibility of declaring Independence from
Mexico. William Hesskew signed this petition in Brazoria
, Texas in August 1835. See other historical information
below about the petition William signed. The newspaper
article originally appeared in the City of Brazoria,
Texas, "The Texas Republican", August 1835
Page 225 TEXAS AND TEXANS
"On motion it was Resolved, That
this meeting nominate and appoint two suitable
individuals to represent this precinct in General
Convention; whereupon the following gentlemen were
appointed: David G. Burnet, David B. Macomb.
"On motion it was Resolved, That a
copy of these proceedings with the preamble and
resolutions be transmitted to the Political Chief of the
Department, and also to the Editor of the Texas
Republican, with a request that they be published in that
paper."
In The Texas Republican of July
25 there appeared a notice signed by William H. Wharton,
W. H. Bynum, W. D. C. Hall, A. Calvit, S. Whiting, P.
Bertrand, W. T. Austin, and W. G. Hill calling a meeting
at Columbia on July 30 to express the sentiments of the
people "in regard to the importance of having a
convention of all Texas, through her representatives, for
the purpose of restoring peace and confidence." The
issue of this paper for August 8 says that the meeting of
the 30th dissolved without doing anything, and that
another meeting was to be held on August .15 for the
purpose of calling the convention. Mosely Baker and
Johnson attended the meeting of the 30th. The majority of
those present were of the peace party, headed by the most
influential men in the jurisdiction. Fearing the
unfavorable action of this meeting, Johnson, an intimate
and personal friend of Josiah
H. Bell, held a long conversation with
him, urging harmony of action, and suggested that no
definite action should be taken, and that the meeting
should adjourn to meet on a day named in August. To this
Bell consented, and said he would consult his friends. We
were advised by him that his friends, the heads of
his party, had consented; whereupon Win. H. Wharton of
the war party, was selected to address the meeting. Then
adjournment was taken to a day in August. Thus an
important point was gained.
Baker and Johnson were selected by
their friends to visit East Texas and solicit the people
to unite with the party in Austin’s colony and
endorse the proceedings held at San Felipe in June. With
this arrangement and understanding, Baker and Johnson, a
few days after, set forward for Nacogdoches. On their
arrival they met, at the house of J. K. and A. C. Allen,
General Sam Houston and Thomas J. Rusk, the latter having
but recently arrived in Texas. This was the first time
that Johnson had seen Houston and Rusk. All were alike
anxious to hear the news of the two sections of Texas.
Baker and Johnson gave them an account of what had been
and was being done by the people in that section. General
Houston replied that they were, with but few exceptions,
submissionists; that he had left San Augustine but a few
days before where a public meeting had been held to
consider the state of the country. That he had attempted
to address the meeting and that he had been literally
hissed down! That the people of Nacogdoches, and the
jurisdiction generally, entertained a like feeling, and
were submissionists. Baker and Johnson informed him and
Rusk of their object in visiting East Texas. They were
both of opinion that the time was inauspicious; that the
people must be made to understand the true situation of
public affairs, and to choose between submission or
resistance to the usurpation’s of Santa Anna and the
general congress. Discouraging as this news was, Johnson
did not despair of rousing the Vol.
1—15
226 TEXAS AND TEXANS
people to a proper sense of the dangers
by which they were threatened and to their duty. He had
influential acquaintances and friends in Nacogdoches and
San Augustine. On parting with these gentlemen, General
Houston said to Baker and Johnson that he was with them
in feeling, and would do what he could to assist them to
the utmost of his ability.
The next morning, at an early hour,
Johnson called upon his old friend, Major John S.
Roberts, who at the time was engaged in the mercantile
business with Henry Rueg, political chief of the
department of Nacogdoches. After a warm greeting, Johnson
informed him of the object of his and his friend
Baker’s visit to that section, and gave a full
account of what had been done in Austin’s colony. He
said the people of that section, owing to the
contradictory reports, were in doubt as to what they
should do, and determined to remain quiet until better
informed of the true state of public affairs; but for
one, he said he was with the war party of Austin’s
colony; and that he believed that when the people of the
East were made acquainted with the action in that colony,
which was considered the head and center of Texas, there
would be no difficulty in uniting the people of that
section. Johnson then enquired of him what view the
political chief took of the situation. He answered that
the chief was all right, that he was a firm supporter of
the constitution of 1824, and opposed to the change being
attempted by Santa Anna and his congress. Johnson then
requested him to say to the chief that he desired an
interview at the earliest time that would suit his
convenience. Soon after breakfast Major Roberts called
upon Johnson and informed him that the chief was ready to
receive him; whereupon they proceeded together to the
office of the chief, to whom Johnson was introduced.
Johnson explained what had occurred in the West,
discussed the course and policy of Santa Anna, and
concluded by suggesting the call of a public meeting of
the municipality of Nacogdoches, which he approved. It
was then agreed that a move should be made to call a
meeting on the following day. Baker and Johnson then
called upon Colonel Frost Thorn, Major John Forbes, and
other influential men of the place who heartily approved
of the call and went actively to work.
In the evening of the day fixed for the
meeting a large number of the citizens assembled at the
"Old Stone House" and organized. By request,
General Houston addressed the meeting, in an able and
eloquent speech, recounting the wrongs Texas had suffered
and was suffering at the hands of the federal government,
during the delivery of which he was frequently cheered.
At the conclusion of his speech, a preamble and
resolutions, which had been previously prepared, were
read and on motion were unanimously adopted—Rusk not
voting. A committee was appointed to visit San Augustine
and present to the people of that municipality a copy of
this preamble and resolutions and invite them to unite
with their fellow-citizens of Nacogdoches and Austin.
A copy of these resolutions preserved
in the Austin Papers of the University of Texas show that
this meeting was held at Teal’s Tavern on August 15,
with James Bradshaw in the chair and William G. Logan
acting as secretary. The resolutions, which were
presented by Solomon R. Peck, were preceded by a preamble
stating the compact theory of
250 TEXAS AND TEXANS
CALLING THE
CONSULTATION
As we have previously seen, on July 25
William H. Wharton, W. H. Bynum, W. D. C. Hall, A.
Calvit, S. Whiting, P. Bertrand, W. T. Austin, and W. G.
Hill circulated a petition for a meeting at Columbia on
July 30 to consider "the importance of having a
convention of all Texas, through her representatives, for
the purpose of restoring peace and confidence." When
this meeting assembled it became apparent to Johnson that
the sentiment of a majority was averse to calling the
consultation at that time for fear of interrupting the
peace commission of Barrett and Gritten, and to avoid an
adverse vote he induced Josiah H. Bell, a leader of the
peace party, to use his influence to get an adjournment
without action. In adjourning it was agreed that another
meeting should take place at Columbia on August 16. But
as their proceedings show, nearly all of the public
meetings held during July and early August strongly urged
a general convention, and on August 9 a printed circular subscribed by a
hundred and thirty-four citizens was issued from Brazos
urging the convention: "We whose names are hereunto
subscribed are of opinion that a convention of the people
of Texas is best calculated to quiet the present
excitement and to promote the general interest of Texas;
we acknowledge the doctrine of ‘The Right of
Instruction,’ and we therefore recommend to our
fellow citizens the call of a convention, and we further
recommend that the delegates to said convention be
instructed, so that no party may rule, and that the
people be fairly represented."
The final procedure in the calling of
the convention can be given in the words of William T.
Austin, secretary of the Columbia meeting of August 15.
The minutes of this meeting with other documents were
published in The Texas Republican of August 22 and
29 and were also widely circulated in handbill form.
"At an adjourned meeting of the citizens of the town
of Columbia held in Columbia, on Saturday the 15th day of
August, Win. H. Wharton, Esqr. was called to the Chair,
and Win. T. Austin appointed Secretary, when the
following resolutions were adopted:
"Resolved. That a Consultation of
all Texas through her representatives is indispensable.
‘‘Resolved. That a committee
composed of fifteen persons, to be called a Committee
of Safety and Correspondence for the Jurisdiction of
Columbia be elected and that they be instructed to
prepare an address to all the Jurisdictions of Texas
requesting them to co-operate with us in the call of a
consultation of all Texas.
"Resolved. That the Committee
communicate with all Texas in the
"Resolved. That we hold
ourselves bound to pay our proportion of all expenses
incurred by said committee in sending expresses
printing, etc.
"Resolved. That we invest the
committee of safety and correspondence as our agents
with full power to represent the Jurisdiction of
Columbia, to use the most efficient means to call the
consultation, and to use all means in their power to
secure peace and watch over our rights.
"Resolved. That we will not
give up any individual to the Military authorities.
"In compliance with the second
resolution the following gentlemen were elected a
committee of safety and correspondence: John A.
Wharton, W. D. C. Hall, Henry Smith, Silas Dinsmore,
James F. Perry, John G. McNeel, Robert H. Williams,
W. H. Jack, F. A. Bingham, John Hodge, Wade H. Bynum,
B. T. Archer, Win. T. Austin, P. Bertrand, and Isaac
T. Tinsley."
"WM. H. WHARTON,
Chairman,
"WM. T. AUSTIN,
Secretary."
"COMMITTEE Room, VELASCO, August 18th, 1835.
"Pursuant to the second resolution
adopted by the meeting held in the town of Columbia on
the 15th inst. a meeting of the committee of Safety and
correspondence was held in the town of Velasco, on the
18th inst. Members present, John A. Wharton, Win. H.
Jack, Warren D. C. Hall, Branch T. Archer, Isaac T.
Tinsley, Henry Smith, Robert H. Williams, Francis A.
Bingham, Peter Bertrand, John Hodge, Silas Dinsmore, W.
H. Bynum, and William T. Austin, when Branch T. Archer
was called to the Chair and Win. T. Austin elected
Secretary.
"A committee was appointed to
address the Citizens of all Texas for the purpose of
bringing about a Consultation as resolved by the
Columbia meeting.
"The chairman was authorized
to appoint delegates to the different Jurisdictions
of Texas.
‘‘Resolved, That the
address submitted by the select committee in
compliance with the first resolutions be adopted and
that John A. Wharton, Esqr. be requested to
superintend the printing of the address and also to
collect and publish the facts and evidence which may
be deemed necessary and that one thousand copies of
the address be published.
"Resolved, That this committee
recommend a suspension of all judicial proceedings of
a civil character except in cases of urgent
necessity.
"Resolved, That F. A. Bingham,
John Hodge, Henry Smith, Branch
T. Archer, Robert H. Williams, and
Peter Bertrand, be appointed a committee to open
subscriptions and receive contributions of money for
the purpose of defraying the costs of printing,
sending expresses and other necessary expenses..
