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Growth of War Spirit in the West

"acted without the authority of law or the sanction of reason"; that the reasons assigned by the President were

. . . strange, unnatural and unsatisfactory, and that the course pursued by his Excellency meets the disapprobation of Congress . . . that whatever amount of public funds may have been appropriated to the fitting out of the expedition cannot be regarded in any other light than in direct violation of the 25th section of the first article of the Constitution, which declares that no money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in strict accordance with appropriations made by law;

therefore, if the House agreed with the committee, the report declared, "it will be the duty of the House to vindicate the outraged laws and Constitution by applying the only proper remedy -- impeachment," even though it might be contended with some degree of plausibility that the term of office of the several officers had nearly expired. The near expiration of the term of office, it was declared, should not check the House in the discharge of its duties. "The trial of the articles of impeachment, if once prepared," declared the committee, "can be conducted as well after the expiration of their terms of office as before," for the penalty was not only removal from office but also disqualification from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the government in the future.

In the discussion that followed Porter explained that "the committee had not made a positive recommendation to impeach, because the report would have gone abroad over the country, that a packed committee had reported in favor of the impeachment of the President and all who had acted under him"; and that the committee had to bring the matter fairly before the House; have it fully investigated; and give the accused, "through their friends upon the floor, an opportunity to make their defence."[18]  The discussion then being brought to a close, the resolutions for impeachment were made the special order of Thursday next,[19]  after which the House commenced consideration of the joint Resolution for the recall of the navy.

In making its report on the naval alliance with Yucatán, the committee severely arraigned Lamar for not carrying out the provisions



18. Smither (ed.), Journals of the Sixth Congress of the Republic of Texas, II, 110.

19. December 9; however, the reconstructed Journal of the House makes no further reference to this particular matter until Friday, December 17, four days after the inauguration of Houston, when the articles of impeachment were voted down without discussion.

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AFTER SAN JACINTO: The Texas-Mexican Frontier, 1836-1841
Joseph Milton Nance, 1963