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Show ' r A'wfe. F'W . fee- p f. tap X y V Srx T By ELMO SCOTT WATSON A MEUICAN history Is full of "Ifs" in- stances when the fate of the na- l tlon seemed to hang In the bal-rj bal-rj nnce flnd when its destiny might jpBL have been different If certain In- 'Cf 'Wp dlvlduals had done other than they did. While it Is an Idle pas-J pas-J time, no doubt, to speculate upon I I what might have been, it Is, nev- J . ertheless, an Interesting one. Consider, for example, the case of the man of whom it has been written: "Renegade, drunkard, governor of two states, President of a republic, United States senator, sen-ator, friend of the Union, father of a Confederate soldier, poet, lover, duelist, eniplre-bullder where . Is there another figure like Sam Houston In the pages of American history, or of any other nation?" na-tion?" And what If to that list there had been added add-ed "President of the United States"? For Sam Houston might have been President, not Just once, but twice, "If" ... I And If he had been, Virginia would have had , Just one more reason for her title of "Mother of Presidents." For he was born in Rockbridge county coun-ty In the Old Dominion Just 137 years ago. March 2, 1793, was the date. Another Important event In Sam Houston's life took place on March 2. On his forty-third birthday he was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence which proclaimed pro-claimed the Republic of Texas free from Mexico. Having done that, the members of the convention elected him commander In chief of the armies of the new republic. All he had to do now was to make good that declaration and for that purpose he was provided a' force of less than five hundred men to lead against the well-appointed army of 7,000, commanded by General Santa Anna, the Mexican dictator. March 2 Is celebrated as n holiday holi-day In Texas, not as the birthday of Sam Houston but as Texas Independence day. But the Lone Star state also celebrates April 21 because It was on that day that Sam Houston won his astounding astound-ing victory at San Jacinto which made good the declaration of March 2. And when those dates come around this year, Americans In-other states may well feel Inclined to Join with Texas In honoring the memory of Sam Houston, especially If they have read a book . recently published. It Is "The Raven a Biography Biog-raphy of Sara Houston." written by Marquis James and published by the Bobbs-Merrill company. com-pany. Critics and historians have hailed It as one of the outstanding biographies of the past year, (one even going so far as to call It "a masterpiece") master-piece") and their verdict Is that it is by far the most readable, as well as the most scholarly, account ac-count of Houston's life that has jet appeared. As a youth Sam Houston was put to work In . a store (after he showed a pronounced distaste for agriculture), but he soon discovered that he "preferred measuring deer tracks to tape" and the "wild liberty of the Red men to the tyranny . of his own brothers." Such was Sam's own way of expressing his fondness for hunting, fishing and loafing with the Cheiokee Indians whose country was across the Tennessee river from the Houston home. Finally he ran away from home and spent three happy years with the Cherokees. He was adopted as a son by Chief Oo-loo-te-ka and given the Indian name of Co-lon-neh The Raven. But when the War of 1S12 broke out Sam returned re-turned to his own people and enlisted under Gen. Andrew Jackson to fight the Creeks. The story of Ills heroism at the terrible slaughter of the Creeks at To-ho-pe-ka tn northern Alabama Is a familiar one. Ills reckless gallantry there nearly cost lilm his life, but It also won hlra the approval of "Old Hickory" and that was to mean something when he aspired to political honors. Army life proving boresome after the war was over,, he obtained a commission as an Indian agent and was largely responsible for -overcoming the objections of the Cherokees to being removed to the West. Returning to Tennessee, Houston went Into pol- -Itlcs and as a whole-hearted Jackson Democrat was elected to congress, serving from 1823 to 1827. His career In the notional legislature was not particularly distinguished but there were greater things ahead for him. By this time Jackson's Jack-son's star was rising rapidly, in the political world. True, be had been defeated for the Presi dency In 1824 by John Quincy Adams and so the ; Jacksonlans asserted a "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay. But Jackson's friends were still planning to make him President and Houston "was one of the trio that Jackson dubbed his literary bureau' from the amount of writing they did to keep the General's candidacy before the country." So Jackson's friendship helped elect Houston governor of Tennessee. And when Jackson's health regan to faii, aggravated by the death of his beloved Rachel! political observers began to speculate upon who was to be his successor. "Houston's name toor Its place on the Inevitable list of 'posslbilltle . . . From distant parts of the country tL gaze of observers fell upon the rising figure In la Wst, Idol of the politically consecniod yoya 1. SAM HOUSTON A photograph by Frederick of New York city, made In 1856 when General Houston was a member of the United States sen-ate. sen-ate. (Copy from the original plate, by courtesy of MaJ. Ingham S. Roberts of Houston.) 2. SAM HOUSTON AT THIRTY-THREE Mill tary hero, congressman, protege of Andrew Jack-son Jack-son and Tennessee's young Man of Destiny. (A miniature on Ivory painted by J. Wood in Washington, Wash-ington, 1826. The earliest known likeness of Houston. Hous-ton. At various times In the possession of Houston's Hous-ton's sister, Eliza Mooro, Eliza Allen, General Jackson and Mrs. Robert McEwen of Nashville. Reproduced by courtesy of' General Houston's granddaughter, Mrs. Robert A. John of Houston.) 3. PRESIDENT OF THE TEXAS REPUBLIC Sam Houston In 1837 or 1833. (A miniature, reproduced repro-duced from a photographic copy owned by General Houston's grandson. Franklin Williams of Houston.) Hous-ton.) 4. ENSIGN HOUSTON AT TO-HO-PE-KA (An engraving approved by Houston and first reproduced repro-duced In "Sam Houston and His Republic," 1846.) 5. THE RAVEN Sam Houston as ambassador of the Cherokee Nation of Indians to the seat of the Great White Father. (A miniature painted on silk at Brown's Indian Queen hotel, Washington, March, 1839, and presented by Houston to Phoeba Moore, his niece. Reproduced from the original owned by General Houston's granddaughter, Miss Marian Lea Williams of Houston.) lace of Tennessee. He seemed to be the Man of Destiny that many were looking for." His eligibility eligi-bility was furthrr Increased by his marriage early In 1S29 to Miss Eliza Allen, dauqrhter of a rich and powerful Tennessee family. Six weeks later Houston astounded the country by resigning his position as governor, deserting his bride and returning re-turning to the Cherokees across the Mississippi, ne had thrown away his chance for the Presidency! Presi-dency! Ills reasons for doing so were for a long time a mystery. Throughout his lifetime Houston refused re-fused to discuss the matter, otlier than to say that it was a matter of personal honor to him. (One reviewer has suggested that Mr. Jnmes might have called his book "Honor." rather than "The Raven." because It Is "the story of an empire em-pire that was won because of one man's notion of honor,") The scandalmongers Immediately got busy but Houston refused to affirm or deny any of the reasons which they assigned for his action, nlthough he did offer to light whenever he heard of any aspersions being runt upon the name of his wife. Despite nil the iegend that has gathered gath-ered around this incident It now seems clear that Eliza Allen was persuaded by an ambitious family fam-ily to marry Houston Instead of the man she really loved and wUen Houston discovered that . fact he left her. The next fliree years represent the lowest ebb In the career of this "Man of Destiny." Among the Cherokees he soon won the nickname of "Big Drunk." A political outcast he gave up his American Amer-ican citizenship to become an adopted member of the Cheiokee tribe and a renegade white man Then his rehabilitation began in 18.12 when he went to Texas to old in the fight for Texas lib erty. That part of his career Is a familiar story his appointment as comuwnder in chief of the little army which defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto and his election as the first president of the new republic. Houston next proved himself an able diplomat. He desired that Texas be an nexed by the United States, but the North, fenr-Ing fenr-Ing the extension of slavery by the addition of iiew southern territory, was lukewarm toward that Idea and Van Buren. a northern man, was President. So Houston, concealing bis real plans from ev-ery ev-ery one. solicited Frpnch ard British support for a project to conquer Ariz na. New Mexico l)nd the "Northern tier" of Mexican stales It be- lleved that the new Texas republic would attract the slave states out of the American Union and thus lead to a comfortable balance of power In North America. The Federal authorities were completely deceived by Houston's maneuvers and In a sudden diplomatic panic voted the annexation annexa-tion of Texas, So Houston was happy to replace the Lone Star flag with the Stars nud Stripes and go to Washington as the first United States senator sen-ator from Texas. His career as a senator proved that the lesson of "The federal union it must be preserved!" which he had learned from Andrew Jackson was well learned. He showed little enthusiasm for the war with Mexico, ne supported the compromise of 1S50. At the completion of his term as senator he returned to Texas In lSfiO and wos elected governor. And once more "Governor Houston" was talked of as a Presidential possibility. In lSHC the Democrats Dem-ocrats of New Hampshire had "endorsed him for the Presidency and endeavored to stampede the country for his nomination" but "the General had no party behind him." But In 1SG0 the chances looked belter. Political sentiment throughout the country was divided in m;iny directions. As a result the "regular" Democrats nominated Stephen Ste-phen A, Douglas. The southern "bolters" nominated nom-inated John C. Breckenrldge. The new Republican Republi-can party nominated Abraham Lincoln. But there was another new party which called Itself the National Union party that was yet to make its nomination. The choice of name was a happy one. ! National Union expressed precisely the sentiment of the vast, independent voter-group voter-group whose ideas bad not been met by any of the three nominations preceding. "Houston was the logical Candidate of this croup because 'his Texas triumphs were fresh In the public mind, ne had strength In every port of the country. Lincoln. Douglas and Breckenrldge were, each one,-the choice of a section.' But the Whigs, who had-Joined the National Union party, rallied ral-lied behind ; Senator John Bell of Tennessee, a man with "a good mediocre record, but In no sense a national leader or n figure of national caliber." The Houston managers seem to have been outumiieuvered by Boil's supporters who took the leadership In the new party jind tried to play safe by; putting up their colorless candidate.-He candidate.-He won the nomination and. as a result. Lincoln! the unknown candidate of the radical Republican party, won the election and southern secession was assured, "If" Sam Houston had been nominated. nom-inated. It Is almost certain that he would have been elected. And "If" he had been Heeled, secession se-cession and 'its terrible aftermath of civil war might have been averted. So Houston returned to Texas, his hope fo saving the Union defeated. When the Texas convention con-vention voted for secession. Houston refused to swear allegiance to the Confederacy and allowed himself to be deposed from his position as governor gov-ernor rather thauto turn against the Union. He did not live to see the Union saved, for be died of pneumonia In 18C3. Inside the ring his mother gave him when he enlisted for the Creek war was found engraved a single word "Honor." His life had been an exemplification of that word, He had risen to the heights and descended to the depths but he never broke faith with any human being, Indian or Mexican, man or woman, white man or black, and he was true to himself. He once said of himself that he wasv"the last of hli race." He spoke truly for he was the last of; race of giants. |