Day 14 of the Convention of 1836
On Day 14 of the Convention of 1836, the Convention continues to grind out the rough constitution. The delegates do not know it yet, but they are very close to completing the business of the Convention. That, however, will not happen until other events sweep many of the petty political arguments away.
An audit report courtesy of John W. Moody is delivered to the Convention and read into the record. The audit reveals that the Government roughly $46,530.95 in debt as of March 10th, 1836. At the end of his audit report, Moody asks leave to rescue his family which is held up in a house with four other families on the west-side of the Colorado River. The audit report is submitted to the finance committee.
A committee of the whole was reconvened to discuss the Constitution until Thomas Rusk (Nacogdoches) calls for a committee to be formed that will correct and polish the wording and spelling of the document.
Military communiques were entered into the record and Edward Conrad (Refugio) calls for the disbursement of large tracts of land be given to those who volunteered in the Army of Texas. Those disbursements would be: 1280 acres for anyone who were then in service and remained so until the end of the war; 640 acres to anyone who served at least 6 months; 320 acres for those who served at least 3 months; 640 acres to Battle of Bejar veterans, and anyone enlisting after July 1st, 1836 to be given land in according proportionally based upon their loyal service. Colonel Gray has this to say about the proposal:
“Conrad to-day introduced a series of resolutions, giving large land bounties to the volunteers. (See the document itself.) It will doubtless succeed in some shape, for the military interest has a great ascendancy in this body. It is necessary to conciliate the military, and scarcely anything that they can ask will be refused. They know the country will have to be defended by volunteers from the United States, and they therefore will bid high for them.”
Pictured here is an image of a flag known as the “Conrad Independence Flag” named after Edward Conrad (Refugio). Conrad would actually leave the Convention early to join the Army as a junior officer and would see Texas to win its independence, but only just. He died while serving in Victoria in July 1836. At 26 years old, he was one of the youngest delegates to the convention.
