Sam Houstoru By ELMO SCOTT WATSON EXAR, who is celet one hn yrating this year her mdredth anniversary as an Am unique Union. rican commonwealth, is her gister” square miles could { » six New England st: with New York, New Jersey, £ Pennsylva vin, and wr 0 ites of the half of t sizable chunk of segment of Kansas, er of size alone that one of the 48 republic sisterhood of states AS not in the matt Texas is unique. She is the only states who was an independent before she joined the such jhe had her own army and navy, she sent envoys jo European courts and received al in return, ambassadors at her capit Six flags have flown over her lands claimed sovereignty. Spain first Texas the basing her claims to on the discovery of America by conquest of Mexico by Cortez, and the explora. tions by Cabeza de Vaca, Coronado and De Soto, France disputed Spain's claim because in 1684 La Salle, searching for the mouth of the Missis- sippl river, landed on the coast of Texas and planted the French flag there. But La Salle was assassinated by some of his men and France never made good her claim, Columbus, So the flag of Spain waved over Texas until 1821 when the Mexicans gained their independ ence from the Spaniards and for the next few years Texas was a part of the republic of Mexico. The year before Mexico threw off the yoke of Spain Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas" left Missouri with a colony and settled in Texas Other Americans followed and by 1827 Texas had a population of 10,000. Three years later it had grown to 20000, Mexico began to be alarmed at this inrush of settlers. On April 6, 1830, the Mexican congress passed a law forbid- ding further colonization, But that did not halt the Americans. Soon there were clashes between the American set- tiers and the Mexican officials. By 1835 there was a state of open warfare for the Americans who had become Texans were resolved to be free from Mexico as the Mexicans had resolved to be free from Spain. President Santa Anna of Mexico came to Texas with an army of 4.000 to ernsh the revolt. On February 22, 1836, he be- gieged San Antonio, which was held by 180 Texans. commanded by Col. William B., Travis, On March 6 Santa Anna's hosts swept over the walls of the historic mission, the Alamo, and flaughtered its defenders, thereby making im- mortal the names of Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett, the Tennessee bear-hunter. In the meantime a group of Texas patriots had gathered at the town of Washington on the Brazos river. There on March 2 they adopted a document which began with this statement: “When a government has censed to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people from whom its legitimate powers are derived, and for the advancement of whose happiness it was instituted ; and so far from being a guarantee for their inestimable and inalienable rights, be comes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers for their oppression—when the Federal Republi can Constitution of thelr country, which they pave sworn to support, no longer has a substan tial existence, and the hole nature of their gov. ernment has been forcibly changed, without their consent, from a restricted felerative republic composed of sovereign states, to a consolidated, central, military despotism, In which every In terest is disregarded but that of the army and priesthood, both of which are the eternal enemies . A 5 ING Id Pp #0 mn 08 ma Wham —— Santa Fe NEW MAE X 1 C © 2 - “» River REPUBLIC OF TEXAS and boundaries as claimed by Tern from December 19, 18300 November 25, 1850, DIES Cs * Colony Ay a» The Alamo of civil liberty, the ever-ready minions of power, and the usual Instruments of tyrants—when, long after the spirit of the Constitution has departed, moderation is at length so far lost by those In power that even the semblance of freedom is removed, and the forms even of the Constitution discontinued, and so far from their petitions and remonstrances being regarded, the agents who bear them are thrown into dungeons, and mercenary armies set forth to force a new gov ernment upon them at the point of the bayonet when, in consequence of such acts of mal feasance and abduction on the part of the gov- ernment, anarchy prevails and civil society is dissolved into its original elements—in such a crisis, the first law of nature, the right of preser- vation, and the inherent and inalienable right of the people to appeal to first principles and take thelr political affairs into their own hands In extreme cases, enjoins it as a right toward them- selves, and a sacred obligation to their posterity, to abolish such a government and create another in its stead calculated to rescue them from im- pending dangers and to secure their welfare and happiness.” After listing thelr grievances, 15 in number, they concluded their work with this statement: “The necessity of self-preservation, therefore, decrees an eternal political separation. “We, therefore, the delegates with plenary powers of the people of Texas, in solemn con- vention assembled, appealing to the judgment of a candid world as to the necessitied of our con- dition, DO HEREBY DISSOLVE and declare that our political connection with the Mexican nation has forever ended and that the people of Texas do now constitute a FREE, SOVEREIGN and IN- DEPENDENT REPUBLIC, and are fully Invested with all the rights and attributes which properly belong to independent nations and, consclous of the rectitute of our intentions, we confidently and fearlessly commit the issue to the decision of the supreme arbiter of the destinies of nations.” Thus the Republic of Texas came into exist. ence. But the revolution in Texas did not end on that date any more than any earlier revolu- tion ended on July 4, 1776. It remained for an. other man to finish the job that these men on the Brazos had started and back up with bullets the words which they had written just as George Washington had backed up the words of the David pT signers in Philadelphia 60 years before. That man was Sam Houston and he did it on the bat tlefield of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. 80 it was only natural that Houston, like George Washington, should become the first pres ident of the new republic which he had helped to establish. The capital of that new republic was named for Stephen F. Austin, the “Fathe: of Texas,” and by act of its congress in Decem- ber, 1838, a blue flag with a single golden star in the center became its official flag. Houston also became the first governor of Texas when it entered the Union In 1845. In the addition of Texas to the Union by annexa- tion lies another of its claims to being unique among the states. For Texas is the only one which ever had the right to subdivide itself into several states if it chose to do so, The treaty of annexation provided “for the foture formation in the sald territories of at America.” The reason for this wording lay in the slavery dispute which was beginning to be- come acute at that time. If the new stale was to be divided, there should be an even number, half slave and half free so that the balance of power would be kept even. Since the War Be tween the States ended forever the question of slavery it also virtually ended the possibility of Texas being subdivided, although many believe that the Lone Star state still has that right, Not only did that war put an end to one of the factors which made Texas unique but it also added another to the number of flags which have flown over Texas, For four years the Stars and Bars of the Confederate States of America was the flag to which the Texans swore al legiance, then once more Texas was back in the Unionr under the Stars and Stripes, Now, Texas, looking back over her 100 years of history, is proud of them all—the flag of Spain, the Illes of France, the banner of Mexico, her own bright Lone Star emblem, her place on the symbol of the “Lbst Cause” and her star in the field of blue along with the 47 others. For they all speak of the glorious history that has been hers, © Western Newspaper Union, Uncommon | Sense ®,.. sie ©, Bell Syndicate ~=WNU Service, lived a few have had to assertion Twain had would retract his that everybody com- plains a bout the weather, but nobody does anything about IL done about it very It Mark years longer he Man and the Weather ever Something will be shortly. The disastrous drouths in the South- west have led sclentific men to search for ways and means of doing it. The job will take a long time, but {t will vastly more than repay all the work and all the money that will be consumed In the effort. The plan is to stretch a forest like a belt across the desert and prairie part of the United States—a forest that will supply shade and make it possible to prevent the terrific damage done by dry spells in that section of the country. * » - Costly In time and money as this will more than after the t project will be, it for itself strong The miles nadian [aN recs have a good growth, forest will be a hundred and e yn the ( line to Mexico, new wide, xtend fro For years the treed stehes from Montana to the breeding pla been 1 gales, and destructis The parched heat raise wind gands of If you gtorm you If fe I hope that these trees will be planite d forest fashion, and not pleced in regular monolonous ers as they are ir. Germany and France and other ries in En Cour rope Another Miracle It wasn't a « The carbon fizzed, sho white sparks on But the more about that th about wr features of the sho And There had been equestrian and an imal since, pro bably before, the days of the Roman Coliseum. But up to a little time before Sam awed and delighted with that exhibi tion there had never been a light which took its power from a wire That, as I said. was a long time ago. Electric engineers have been busily at work since then. any ofl well they might acrobat and shows, was Today we not only still earry mes- sages “by lightning” without any wires, but send music and conversation broad- cast across the nation, and even force them to span the ocean. - - - And now comes the information that television is an accomplished fact, and that before many years a man in San Francisco can plainly see a friend In New York city while he is carrying on a conversation with him. When I was a boy of ten I heard an old uncle of mine say to my father: “John, what would you think if 1} forty years men would through the air, like birds?" “I should think.” be flying Man will never learn to fly on this world—and most of them won't ever get to heaven that way.” » - * Today three planes pass over my house daily, on their regular route between New York and Boston. i Flight is a regular thing. Tele | us that befare long All these changes have been brought | What will follow, neither you nor 1 ean tell But we had better be careful about how we scoff at men who promise fresh |All Around a7 | Ze House Ferns grow and thrive in sus pended window baskets if soll is kept moist and not allowed to dry out. * . » Place a loaf of cake as near the center of oven as possible, If placed close to the firebox one side of cake will rise higher than the other and is likely to burn. » » * Strips of peel coated with deli grange melted dipping chocolate are ¢ {01 1K, »* . o Adhesive tape m removed {rom tickly and he skin Baturate = and wash tape ay be qt painlessly t softened with benzine. sponge with benzine with it * ® ® Do not a room. Too much amens in Loo warn heat causes the we their firmness, Keep Keep cyl blossoms to I soll about the roots quite damp. iid always be the cellar furnace ckly ex- «1 cookie dough the ad ithout f from the aspoon of baking it fluffy pers. --WNU HBorvioe. NO UPSETS The pro per treatment for a bilious child THREE STEPS TO RELIEVING CONSTIPATION " > ne A cleansing dose today; a smaller quantity tomorrow; less each lime, until bowels need no help at all. NY mother knows the reason when her child stops playing, eats little, is hard to manage. Constination. But what a pity so few know the sible way to set things night! “The « ordinary laxatives, of even ordinary strength, must be carefully regulated as to dosage. A liquid laxative is the answer, mothers. The answer to all your worries over constipation. A liquid san be measured. The dose can be exactly suited to any sge or need. Just red: soe the dose each time, until the bowels are moving of their own accord and need no help This treatment will succeed with any child and with any adull. The doctors use liguid laxatives. Hospitals use the liqu sid form. I at is best for heir use, it is best for home use. The liquid laxative most families use is Dr. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin. Any druggist bas it. indians Suffer nd American In living on soft man are begin ng of tooth decay. . Myldeal Remedy for HEADACHE “Though I bave tried all good remedies Capudine suits me i | best. It is quick and pentie™ Quickest because it is liguid-— ¢ its ingredients are already dis . For headache, neurnigie 4 sches— periodic pains. WNU-—-4 Watch Your Kidneys /
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers