A Scene from the 1976 television miniseries, Texas an American story:
Texas President Wright Patman is portrayed by Berry Hagman.
Texas Vice President James Carlson is portrayed by Earl Boen.
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Henry Grimes is portrayed by Gene Hackman.
Patman's female secretary, Susan Dalton, is portrayed by Farrah Fawcett.
House Sergeant-At-Arms, Richard Carver, is portrayed by Martin Milner.
House Page, Thomas Martin, is portrayed by Paul Reubens.
Texas Congressmen William Sinclair is portrayed by Raymond Burr.
Texas Congressmen Leonard Ward is portrayed by Adam West.
Texas Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes III is portrayed by Abe Vigoda.
Texas Congressmen Albert Gil is portrayed Cesar Romero.
Congressional Aide to Congressmen Holmes is portrayed by Ron Howard.
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Scene Setting:
Approximately 10:00 are, April 19, 1948 inside the Texas House of Representatives Chamber located in the East Wing of the Texas Capitol Building. Both Texan Vice President James Carlson, and Speaker of the House Henry Grimes, are standing behind the speaker’s raised podium as they overlook lawmakers from both houses of the Congress of Texas idly milling about the floor of the chamber. The air is filled with the murmur of at least two dozen simultaneously ongoing conversations, while the scene is full of Texas congressmen cordially greeting one another with hearty handshakes and friendly pats on the back.
The immense coffered ceiling looms a full two stories above the chamber floor, while the chamber floor itself contains enough desk sitting space to easily accommodate one hundred and seventy-five legislators. However, with nearly all of the western house districts lost to the US state of Houston, there is more than enough room for everyone attending today's special joint session to have a seat.
Ringing the walls midway between the floor and the ceiling is an open loft area known as the House Gallery, where the citizens of Texas sometimes gather to watch as their representatives hammer out a new bill. However today's joint session of the Texas Congress is a special closed door session, and currently there are no curious onlookers leaning over the railing to catch a glimpse of their elected officials.
House Speaker Henry Grimes checks the large Roman numeral clock located at the far end of the chamber, above the double doors leading to the East Corridor.
James Carlson: Looks like some of our esteemed congressmen are going to need some help finding their seats.
Henry Grimes: I reckon you're right, as he lets out a long sigh.
(Grimes picks up a ceremonial gavel and loudly hammers it four times against a wooden sounding disk located on his podium. Grimes loudly speaks into the microphone in front of him.)
Henry Grimes: The joint meeting will now come together! The joint meeting will now come to order!
(Grimes looks on as lawmakers nonchalantly take their seats over the next half minute or so.)
Henry Grimes: I will now turn this meeting over to Vice President James Carlson, who has requested that this special joint session be held.
(Grimes then steps away from the microphone so that Carlson can take his place.)
James Carlson: Thank you Mr. Speaker.......Esteemed members of Congress. As you already know...President Patman has recently returned from visiting Washington DC and Los Angeles, California.....where he met respectively with US President Thomas Dewey and California Governor, Earl Warren......President Patman will issue a few brief remarks regarding his recent trips to the US, and President Patman will also be commenting upon our future relationship with the United States of America.
(The camera pans around to take in the congressmen who are all sitting at their desks in rapt silence.)
James Carlson: After President Dewey has finished making his remarks; he will then be taking a few brief questions from members of this joint session. However, I would like to remind everyone that the matters about to be discussed here in this chamber are of the utmost national security, and that they are not to be discussed with anyone else, including members of the press. Now are there any questions on this matter?
(Someone sniffles loudly from the chamber floor.)
James Carlson: Good! And now ....Members of the Congress, it is my privilege to present to you the President of the Republic of Texas, John William Wright Patman!
(The House Sergeant-At-Arms, who is seated at his own lectern directly below the house speaker's podium immediately stands from his chair and loudly commands...)
Sergeant-At-Arms: All rise for the President of the Republic!
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The scene changes to a small anteroom located behind the speaker's podium where President Dewey and his personal secretary Susan Dalton are having a conversation. Dewey is wearing an expensive looking double breasted suit as he stands directly in front of Susan.
Wright Patman: How do I look, Darling? Do I look like I've been up all night?
Susan Dalton: Oh.....that darned cowlick on the side of your head is sticking up again!
(Susan licks her palm and then uses the moisture on her hand to slick Patman's hair back into place.)
Susan Dalton: There....now you look fine! (As she adjusts the lapel of his jacket, and then uses the tip of her finger to smooth over Patman's eyebrow.)
Wright Patman: I can't stand this suit, it's too tight, and it looks like something one of those ridiculous zoot suiters out in California would probably wear. Why did I ever let you talk me into buying it anyway? (In a friendly teasing manner.)
Susan Dalton: Well, I think that it makes you look just like a dashing Hollywood movie star, and I'm certain that everyone else will think that it makes you look handsome as well. Besides, you can't make such a historical address wearing your stetson and a bolo tie, now can you? (As she continues to fuss of the president's jacket.)
Wright Patman: No....I suppose not.
Susan Dalton: Oh, there's one other thing, I almost forgot the most important detail.
(Susan stops fumbling with the president's jacket and reaches over to a tan satchel case resting atop a nearby bookcase. She quickly undoes the claps and hands Dewey several sheets of paper.)
Susan Dalton: I retyped your speech with all of the changes you've asked for ...and this time I double spaced it so that your eyes can easily return to the correct space on the page after you've looked away. So that other copy in your suit pocket isn't any good, use this one instead!
Wright Patman: Thank you so much, Darling, but I'm going to let you hold onto both of these for me. (As he pulls the copy he'd been carrying in his inner jacket pocket, and hands both copies of his speech back to Susan.) If I don't have what I want to say right up here (as he uses his index finger to tap his own temple) then I've got no business being here. Besides, we both know that I work best when I'm under pressure, and if I read my own speech one more time I'm gonna go crazier than a dog in a hubcap factory.
(Just then a male house page sticks his head and shoulders into doorway leading into the anteroom.)
House Page: Mr. President, Sir, you've been announced on the house floor.
Wright Patman: That looks like my que, wish me luck, Darling.
(Susan leans forward and abruptly kisses Patman on his cheek as she squeezes his shoulders. The kiss leaves a smear of red lipstick on Patman's cheek.)
Susan Dalton: Don't worry, you'll have them eating out of your hand before they even know what's hit them.
Wright Patman: I sure hope you're right. (And then so low that Susan cannot hear him,) Otherwise I may have to ask Dewey to grant me political amnesty somewhere in the US.
(Patman walks past Susan and out the door leading to the House Chamber.)
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The scene changes back to the House of Representatives Chamber as Patman walks out of a standard sized door located to the left of the speaker's podium. The congressmen applaud enthusiastically at the sight of their president. Patman walks over to the rows of desks lining the floor and shakes hands with several lawmakers in the first row. After that he waves to a few others in the back rows, and then turns to ascend the stairs leading to the speaker's podium. Patman shakes hands with the speaker of the house, and the vice president, before then stepping in front of the microphone. House Speaker Grimes pounds his mallet four times to bring the applause to a halt.
Wright Patman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, distinguished members of the Texan Congress....
(The camera pans around to show the sitting congressmen who are listening intently to Patman's words.)
Wright Patman: Jake Featherston promised us that he would give us the truth, and that he would turn the Confederate States of American into a great and powerful nation...(pause)....But rather than actually supplying any of us with the actual truth......President Jake Featherston sold us all on a false bill of goods which nearly destroyed our beloved Texas.......once and for all!
(A round of polite applause from the sitting congressmen.)
Wright Patman: What is more, the haughty East Coast aristocracy which used to rule over the Confederacy from their ivory towers in Richmond, Charleston, and Atlanta jumped on the Freedom Party bandwagon far too quickly...and those so called elite blue bloods of the Old Confederacy bear much of the responsibility for getting us into such a horribly disastrous war - a war which wasted the lives of our young men - and a war which we had no chance of ever winning..........
(Another round of applause - this time slightly more intense.)
Wright Patman: Because......without the help of the Confederate ruling class......Jake Featherston would have never been able to wreak the terrible amount of death and destruction upon the North American continent that he was able to achieve....However, today,......how many of those same pompous fools ....are now living the high life in overseas locations such as Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, or Melbourne - as the average Confederate citizen suffers for their mistakes? (Patman points to the far wall directly in front of him as if he were pointing towards Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, and Melbourne all at the same time.)
(The intensity of the applause increases slightly more.)
Wright Patman: I'm not here to tell any of you the truth...(Dramatic pause as Patman's eyes circle the sitting congressmen) but I am here to tell you about the harsh facts concerning our current situation..... and I'm also here to inform you of the steps that we must take in order to secure a place for Texas in the coming world......
(Just then the same round headed house page who had earlier summoned Patman from the anteroom quickly climbs the stairs and whispers something into Patman's ear. Patman stops speaking and then takes out a handkerchief and uses it to wipe away a shadow on his cheek. Someone in the rear seating of the chamber coughs loudly. The cough sounds a little bit like the word "floozy". Patman begins speaking without missing a beat.)
Wright Patman: To date, the Republic of Texas has only been able to obtain diplomatic recognition from a tiny handful of nations- The United States, The Republic of Canada, the Republic of Mexico, and the Republic of Quebec. (Patman counts off the names of each country that has granted diplomatic recognition to the Republic of by raising the fingers of his right hand as he says the name of each country aloud. He holds his four fingers up for a few seconds for dramatic effect.)
(There is no visible reaction from the congressmen as Patman pauses while displaying his four fingers.)
Wright Patman: Even the US's great ally, Germany, has decided to withhold diplomatic recognition....and during a recent interview with the New York Times, the German Foreign Minister stated that he fully expects that our government will be overthrown by some sort of a coup within the next eighteen months or so...and that following that.....Texas is expected to spend the rest of its existence as some sort of third-rate banana republic ruled by a constantly revolving cadre of strongmen and thugs.
(Patman pauses to let his latest remark sink in. There are a few snuffles and chair squeaks from the house floor, but no real reaction from the congressmen is forthcoming.)
Wright Patman: We must face the fact that the rest of the world simply doesn't love us very much, and that the rest of the European diplomatic community has decided to follow Germany's lead in denying us diplomatic recognition.....What is more, in the after math of certain events which occurred here in Texas, and in other parts of the Confederacy, I believe that it may take several decades, or longer, before we are finally able to wash the filthy stench of Jake Featherston off of our hands, and to convince the nations of the civilized world that we deserve to be a part of their community.....
(Another pause. A few congressmen silently nod their heads in agreement, but it appears that Patman may be broaching an unpopular topic which many do not wish to face.)
Wright Patman: Another issue we must face is the relatively small size of our country, and the fact that we will likely never be able to expand beyond our current borders...(pause to let that sink in)...Initially we had hopes of expanding our territory by persuading the United States into granting us Sonora and Chihuahua, but when the announcement was made that Sonora and Chihuahua would instead be granted to Mexico.....our dreams of becoming a bicoastal nation quietly died with that announcement (sadly). Today, we are surrounded by powerful neighbors, including a hostile Republic of Mexico on the other side of the Rio Grande, and we must face the fact that there is virtually no possibility of us ever expanding our nation's borders beyond their current size.
(Someone from the middle of the floor cries out, "Give us back Houston!" Patman's stride is broken, but he manages to quickly recover.)
Wright Patman: I'll be talking about the US state of Houston in just a bit, and yes.......there is a concrete plan in place which will allow for Houston to be rejoined to Texas.
(This time many of the congressmen stand up from their chairs as they enthusiastically clap. Patman makes a shushing motion with his right hand as he encourages the congressmen to sit back down again.)
Wright Patman: We will get back to Houston in just a bit, but first, we must finish going over some of the obstacles which are currently plaguing us as an independent nation........
(The congressmen have settled down, but they are still somewhat giddy over the mention of Houston rejoining Texas.)
Wright Patman: We must be honest with ourselves, and acknowledge the fact that Texas hasn't seen anything remotely resembling real economic prosperity since before the start of the First Great War!
(Patman slams his fist on the podium in order to emphasize his point. The congressmen stop tittle-tattling to one another over Houston rejoining Texas.)
Wright Patman: At the moment, we are only just now beginning to come out of the postwar recession which wracked our economy during the first few years of Texan independence......and it looks like our GDP for fiscal year 1947-48 will experience a 1.8% growth rate, when figures are finally tabulated this coming June.
(A round of applause arises from the congressmen. Patman makes a silencing motion with his hand, as he wears a look of mild disapproval upon his face.)
Wright Patman: Now please, a growth rate of 1.8% is absolutely paltry when compared to the 5.5% economic growth which the US is experiencing, or the 2.5% growth Mexico now enjoys.....We need to get ourselves on the same economic growth bandwagon which everyone else is ridding upon, and the sooner we do it the better.....
(The congressmen have returned to their uncomfortable stony silence.)
Wright Patman: A week-and-a-half ago, California Governor Earl Warren invited me to visit his state, and during my trip out to Los Angeles......I was surprised to learn that California has a four lane superhighway called the 101 which stretches all the way from Los Angeles.....to San Francisco! Now here in Texas....the only four lane expressways we have are the ones found within some of our busier downtown business districts......Why, if someone wants to drive their car from Austin to Dallas...Highway 2 is nothing but a meandering two lane country road all the way from point A to point B...
(Patman throw up his hands in mock exacerbation.)
Wright Patman: Furthermore, when I visited the San Fernando Valley......I learned that one in five suburban Los Angeles Country homes has a backyard swimming pool! Meanwhile, here in the Republic of Texas....roughly three in five Texan homes do not even have heated indoor plumbing!.......Now what is wrong with the picture when the average Californian can go for a swim in a heated outdoor pool, but here in Texas.....taking a hot shower is considered to be something of a luxury?
(A few congressmen squirm uncomfortably in their seats.)
Wright Patman: Gentlemen!...The uncomfortable truth is that the citizens of Texas are living at least a quarter century behind their counterparts in California, and the people of Texas deserve better than that.....
(The congressmen sit stone faced like statues.)
Wright Patman: Now part of our economic problem stems from the fact that...all throughout the Great Depression years....the Confederate government back in Richmond saw fit to take Texas tax dollars....and to use those Texas tax dollars to build major infrastructure projects in Tennessee and Georgia....Where they didn't do anyone living in Texas the slightest bit of good! (As if explaining something to a small child.)......Let's face it......Texas was essentially nothing other than a fat cash-cow for the folks back in Richmond to plunder as they pleased, and now as a result....Texas is currently one of the most underdeveloped and backwards English speaking region in all of North America!
(The Congressmen continue to maintain their frozen looks.)
Wright Patman: In fact, the only reason that we are now starting to finally creep out of the recession, is because of the US government's decision to purchase a freight car worth of our treasury bonds. If they hadn't stepped in and done that, then we might be looking at 1920's style hyper-inflation right now!
(We've got our oil, we can rebuild our economy without anyone's help! someone shouts.)
Wright Patman: That's right!.......We've got our oil! (As Patman points a finger at the area of the floor where the shout came from.) But do you know who also has oil? Sequoyah has oil!...... Houston has oil!.... Pennsylvania has oil!.....and California has oil off its coast as well!......(In a lower voice) And to make matters even worse.....I recently read that scientists in Germany are very-very close to synthesizing a cost-effective replacement for gasoline, and when that happens........the bottom is going to drop out of oil! (Patman makes a helpless gesture with his hands.)
(A loud unhappy murmur arises from the house floor. Many of the congressmen are oilmen, and they are alarmed by Patman's remarks. Patman holds up a hand has he does his best to put a congenial look upon his face.)
Wright Patman: Now - Now look, I'm not here to rain on your parade! (As Patman makes an emphasizing gesture with his hand.) I'm just doing my best to explain the harsh realities which are facing all of us today! Now, we can either bury our heads in the sand and pretend that these problems don't exist, or we can face them head on like grown men!.....
(The murmurs from the floor begin to die down.)
Wright Patman: We've got no potential for territorial growth, we are facing an extremely hostile neighbor along our southern border, we've got limited diplomatic recognition from around the globe, and we've got a very stagnant and backwards economy to boot!
(Well, what do you propose to do about all of those problems, you're the president after all!)
Wright Patman: Many of you supported me four years ago when I decided to take Texas out of the Confederacy and to turn us into an independent nation......However, in the very near future I'm going to need your support once again....for an even bolder and more ambitious plan..........A plan which will guarantee that Texas is able to take its rightful place in the modern world, and that our grandchildren won't end up living in an underdeveloped country ruled by a petty dictatorship......
(This time a healthy round of applause from the congressmen.)
Wright Patman: As you know, approximately three weeks ago I visited President Dewey at the US White House in Washington DC.......During my visit President Dewey and I discussed the possibility of Texas once again becoming a US state...
(A small round of confused applause with intermittent false starts and stops.)
Wright Patman: I told President Dewey that I was open to the idea of Texas becoming a US state, provided that certain conditions were first met.......
(The floor of the House Chamber is extremely quiet as everyone waits for Patman to continue.)
Wright Patman: Firstly, the US state of Houston must be abolished, and its territories must be returned to Texas! This point is completely non-negotiable, and Texas will not reenter the Union without the territories she lost when the US state of Houston was created!
(The congressmen erupt in raucous applause, and it takes House Speaker more than a full minute of banging his gavel to make everyone settle down.)
Wright Patman: Secondly, the US state of Texas will maintain its own Self-Defense-Force completely separate from the US federal army, or any other state militias under federal control. The people of Texas have suffered too much under the heels of fools, despots, and dictators ruling them from back east, and as I've explained to President Dewey, the good citizens of Texas deserve to hold an insurance policy against anyone ever again trampling on their liberties.
(An enthusiastic round of applause from the floor of the house, the camera catches one or two congressmen with a glint in their eyes.)
Wright Patman: Thirdly, and lastly, I will remain on as the head of the executive branch of the government until the current term I was elected to expires in January of 1951. In other words, I will automatically transition from being our current sitting president to our first US governor in roughly eighty-seven years. (Shrugs shoulders as if no big deal.)
(A scattered round of applause from around the floor.)
Wright Patman: Now I'd like to take a few brief questions before this joint session is adjourned.
(An overweight congressman in the front row manages to get his hand up first. Patman points to him.)
Congressmen William Sinclair: Congressmen William Sinclair of the Seventh House District - representing Plano. Mr. President, if this body agrees to support the idea of US statehood, can you give us any idea of what the time frame would look like, and also what sort of roadblocks might there be on the US side?
Wright Patman: President Dewey wants the citizens of Texas and Houston to be able to vote on the issue of US statehood in a special plebiscite election tentatively scheduled for this coming November 1st............The citizens of Texas will be able to vote on whether they wish to remain an independent nation, or become a US state......However, over in the US state of Houston, the voters will only get to decide if they wish to rejoin Texas, or remain a separate US state.
Congressmen William Sinclair: But what happens if the citizens of Houston decide that they wish to remain the US state of Houston, and that they no longer wish to call themselves Texans?
Wright Patman: Texas roots run deep.....and back in 1940 the people of Houston voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Texas.......Therefore it is simply a fore drawn conclusion that they will do the same thing once again today in 1948.
Congressmen William Sinclair: But as far as a timeline, what is the soonest you foresee us becoming a US state again?
Wright Patman: If the people of Texas and Houston approve the plebiscite this coming November, then it could theoretically be in front of the US Congress by early December, and we could possibly be looking at official US statehood by January of 1949.
Congressmen William Sinclair: Can you give us any idea as to whether or not there is strong support among US lawmakers for Texas becoming a US state? As I seem to recall, several Socialist members of the US Congress made rather disparaging comments about us in the past, and I'm just wondering if that particular drum is still being beat very hard inside the US Capitol?
Wright Patman: I was able to meet with some senior members of the Democratic National Committee during my trip to Washington DC, and all of them expressed enthusiasm over the idea of Texas rejoining the Union, and currently the US Democrats hold a super-majority in both houses of the US Congress, so I do not foresee any obstacles....when and if the matter is put to a vote.
Congressmen William Sinclair: Thank you, Mr. President.
(Dewey points to another congressman in the middle right section of the chamber floor.)
Congressmen Leonard Ward: Congressmen Leonard Ward of the First Senatorial District, including Paris, Tyler, and Longview. Mr. President, you mentioned our stagnate economy, but I fail to see how becoming a US state will remedy that problem. Can you give us some specific examples of how surrendering our national sovereignty will put more food on the table for the average Texan family?
Wright Patman: To begin with, Texas will be the largest state in the Union, and that says something right there!.....Now, I know that we were also once the largest state in the Confederacy, but during its last thirty-five years of its existence, the Confederate States of America was a poorly managed institution, so therefore Texas was unable to live up to its full potential as an economic powerhouse.
Congressmen Leonard Ward: Yes, Mr. President, but what specifically would need to happen in order for the people of Texas to fully benefit from becoming US citizens?
Wright Patman: During my trip to Washington DC I was able to meet with some of President Dewey's top economic advisors......These men are some of the brightest economists found anywhere in the US, and they typically advise the US President on issues ranging from employment trends, international trade, emerging technologies, and other important economic issues....and I'd have to say that judging from the current overall robustness of the US economy, that they must be doing a very good job......At any rate...the US economists I spoke with had coined a new phrase to describe the defeated Confederacy, and the phrase they used to describe the old CSA was - the New Sun Belt Region!...... According to the US economists I spoke with, the Sun Belt Region should begin to experience an economic boom sometime during the middle of the 1950s. Also, as it was explained to me, the defense industry, the aerospace industry, agriculture, and the electronics industry are all expected to be major players in the economic development of the so called Sun Belt Region. (Looking hopeful that his vague answer will be sufficient enough to satisfy the congressmen's curiosity.)
Congressmen Leonard Ward: But are you aware of any specific economic plans which might benefit the people of Texas....post reintegration into the US?
Wright Patman: As a matter of fact.......I met with senior executives of the General Motor Corporation, and these gentlemen expressed a very strong interest in taking over the now shuttered Vauxhall auto assembly plant here in Austin.......Also I met with members of the Lockheed aircraft corporation who are interested in building their next generation of military helicopters at one of our defunct Confederate defense plants in Fort Worth.....I'm certain that there will be many similar proposals in the near future, due to the low labor costs associated with manufacturing here in Texas.
Congressmen Leonard Ward: Thank you Mr. President.
(This time Patman points to another congressmen in the front row. This time an ancient gentlemen with a drooping lip, hanging face, and unfocused eyes.)
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes the 3rd! Representing the Fifteenth Senatorial District comprising Dallas, Lewisville, and Irving! Mr. President! I've been serving in this legislative body since before the turn of the century, and you cannot tell me for one God damned cotton picking minute that US President Dewey is fixing to allow us back into the Union without demanding a pound of flesh from us! Everyone knows that Yankees despise us to high heaven, so what sort of humiliation are we Texans going to have to suffer in order to come crawling back on our hands and knees? I demand to know sir, and do not try to hoodwink me with your mealy mouthed double talk! (A droplet of spittle falls from the congressmen's lower lip as he concludes his tirade.)
Wright Patman: Congressmen Holmes, Sir, I've made it abundantly clear to US President Dewey that if Texas is going to be admitted back into the United States of America, then the people of Texas cannot be half-citizens, and that they must allowed full participation in the US democratic process. The people of Texas will not be making any concessions, and we will not be giving up any of our freedoms and liberties in order to become a US state. (Smugly, with his chin up.) After all, we are all Americans right, why not start acting like it?
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: Are you going to be giving them free oil? They've been after our oil since the end of the Second Mexican War, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you're planning on paying them off with our precious Texas oil? (The congressmen head bobbles with rage as he imagines tanker cars full of free Texas oil heading towards the US.)
Wright Patman: No Congressmen (very patiently) I can assure you that we will not be giving away our wealth, or making any other concessions in order to become a US state, and I'm certain that everyone sitting here in this chamber knows that I'd never agree to such a one-sided agreement.
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: What about your military adventurism with the US into Sequoyah? Are you going to be sending our young men off to fight in Dewey's dirty little wars up in Canada and Alaska? Our young men need to stay here in Texas to build roads, hospitals, and schools, (making bracket like gestures with hands while imagining roads, schools, and hospitals springing into existence) they don't need to be sent off and die for the people of Canada, they need to stay right here where they belong!
Wright Patman: Congressmen Holmes, if we become US citizens......then defending the United States would indeed be a part of our civic responsibilities.......just as others living in the US might be called upon to defend the people of Texas.....Now, US President Dewey may be a hardboiled leader, but I can assure you that he is no Jake Featherston, and he isn't interested in embarking upon a war of conquest across the North American continent. In fact, if Dewey were the tyrant you suspect him of being, then why did he agree to grant the people of Canada their freedom? (Congressmen Holmes doesn't answer the rhetorical question).....President Dewey has assured me that his primary goal is the rebuilding and reintegration of the defeated Confederacy, and everything else as far as he is concerned takes a backseat to that priority.......Also, as you may recall, last year I sent two detachments of intelligence officers from our Texas Self-Defense-Force into Georgia to help US authorities unravel a Freedom Party extremist movement that was beginning to coalesce around the Savannah area. We may be called upon again to do battle with Freedom Party extremists operating in the Old Confederacy......it's just a fact of life.....
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: Ah-Ha! Now I've got you! You're planning on allowing Dewey to use our young lads to kill fellow Confederate civilians....just so that you can get in good with those dirty Yankees! (As he points a gnarled trembling finger at Patman.)
Wright Patman: Need I remind everyone in this chamber.....that from the point of view of the Freedom Party Extremists, we are all nothing but a bunch of traitors, each and every one of us?.......In fact, most Freedom Party hardliners think that the only reason Jake Featherston lost the war.............was because we decided amongst ourselves to take Texas out of the Confederacy!.......Does everyone remember that?......The Freedom Party is like a dangerous wounded animal, and it cannot be allowed to survive ANYWHERE! (Patman thumps the podium with his closed fist.) Because if these men ever manage to gain a tiny bit of power anywhere on the North American continent....then the very first thing they are going to do is to march each and every one of us through the gates of a death camp in whatever postage stamp of country they've managed to establish for themselves. That is why we must work with the US government to eradicate these madmen, they are simply too dangerous to have around in a free-society. Does that address your concerns, Congressman Holmes? (Gritting his teeth.)
(Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes III appears to have fallen asleep during Patman's rebuttal. An aide using a handkerchief to wipe the spittle from the congressmen's chin looks up the president and says.)
Congressional Aide: Thank you, Mr. President.
(Patman points to someone in the very back row.)
Congressmen Albert Gil: Congress Albert Gil, Radical Liberal, representing the Tenth House District - Representing the city of Houston and the surrounding area! (The congressman has a decidedly flamboyant mannerism about himself, while tending to speak with an exaggerated Spanish accent. A few of the other nearby congressmen titter as he speaks.) Mr. President, is there any truth to the rumor that you are planning on merging the Texas Whig Party with the US Democratic Party?
Wright Patman: That matter is scheduled to be voted on by the National Committee of the Texas Whig Party sometime within the coming weeks, and such a decision is not mine alone to make....Moreover, if you take a careful look at the party platforms of both the Texas Whig Party, and the US Democratic Party, you'll see that there is a close match in ideology, and it would only make perfect sense to merge the two parties if Texas is to become a state.
Congressmen Albert Gil: But what will ever become of the Texas Radical Liberal Party? How will we stand against you Whigs after you've merged with the US Democratic Party? We'd become a one party state, and the whole thing seems rather un-American if you ask me! (Theatrical outrage in Gil's voice. Other nearby congressmen, mostly Whigs, cannot resist the urge to laugh aloud.)
Wright Patman: Far be it from me to give the opposition party political advice, but if I were in your shoes I'd have someone within my party make contact with the US Republican Party, so that the two of you can form some sort of an alliance together.
Congressmen Albert Gil: This issue isn't over yet! (As he shakes his fist and begins marching towards the main double doors leading towards the East Corridor.
(President Patman has a look of bemusement upon his face as he watches the angry congressmen storm out of the chambers.)
Texas President Wright Patman is portrayed by Berry Hagman.
Texas Vice President James Carlson is portrayed by Earl Boen.
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Henry Grimes is portrayed by Gene Hackman.
Patman's female secretary, Susan Dalton, is portrayed by Farrah Fawcett.
House Sergeant-At-Arms, Richard Carver, is portrayed by Martin Milner.
House Page, Thomas Martin, is portrayed by Paul Reubens.
Texas Congressmen William Sinclair is portrayed by Raymond Burr.
Texas Congressmen Leonard Ward is portrayed by Adam West.
Texas Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes III is portrayed by Abe Vigoda.
Texas Congressmen Albert Gil is portrayed Cesar Romero.
Congressional Aide to Congressmen Holmes is portrayed by Ron Howard.
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Scene Setting:
Approximately 10:00 are, April 19, 1948 inside the Texas House of Representatives Chamber located in the East Wing of the Texas Capitol Building. Both Texan Vice President James Carlson, and Speaker of the House Henry Grimes, are standing behind the speaker’s raised podium as they overlook lawmakers from both houses of the Congress of Texas idly milling about the floor of the chamber. The air is filled with the murmur of at least two dozen simultaneously ongoing conversations, while the scene is full of Texas congressmen cordially greeting one another with hearty handshakes and friendly pats on the back.
The immense coffered ceiling looms a full two stories above the chamber floor, while the chamber floor itself contains enough desk sitting space to easily accommodate one hundred and seventy-five legislators. However, with nearly all of the western house districts lost to the US state of Houston, there is more than enough room for everyone attending today's special joint session to have a seat.
Ringing the walls midway between the floor and the ceiling is an open loft area known as the House Gallery, where the citizens of Texas sometimes gather to watch as their representatives hammer out a new bill. However today's joint session of the Texas Congress is a special closed door session, and currently there are no curious onlookers leaning over the railing to catch a glimpse of their elected officials.
House Speaker Henry Grimes checks the large Roman numeral clock located at the far end of the chamber, above the double doors leading to the East Corridor.
James Carlson: Looks like some of our esteemed congressmen are going to need some help finding their seats.
Henry Grimes: I reckon you're right, as he lets out a long sigh.
(Grimes picks up a ceremonial gavel and loudly hammers it four times against a wooden sounding disk located on his podium. Grimes loudly speaks into the microphone in front of him.)
Henry Grimes: The joint meeting will now come together! The joint meeting will now come to order!
(Grimes looks on as lawmakers nonchalantly take their seats over the next half minute or so.)
Henry Grimes: I will now turn this meeting over to Vice President James Carlson, who has requested that this special joint session be held.
(Grimes then steps away from the microphone so that Carlson can take his place.)
James Carlson: Thank you Mr. Speaker.......Esteemed members of Congress. As you already know...President Patman has recently returned from visiting Washington DC and Los Angeles, California.....where he met respectively with US President Thomas Dewey and California Governor, Earl Warren......President Patman will issue a few brief remarks regarding his recent trips to the US, and President Patman will also be commenting upon our future relationship with the United States of America.
(The camera pans around to take in the congressmen who are all sitting at their desks in rapt silence.)
James Carlson: After President Dewey has finished making his remarks; he will then be taking a few brief questions from members of this joint session. However, I would like to remind everyone that the matters about to be discussed here in this chamber are of the utmost national security, and that they are not to be discussed with anyone else, including members of the press. Now are there any questions on this matter?
(Someone sniffles loudly from the chamber floor.)
James Carlson: Good! And now ....Members of the Congress, it is my privilege to present to you the President of the Republic of Texas, John William Wright Patman!
(The House Sergeant-At-Arms, who is seated at his own lectern directly below the house speaker's podium immediately stands from his chair and loudly commands...)
Sergeant-At-Arms: All rise for the President of the Republic!
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The scene changes to a small anteroom located behind the speaker's podium where President Dewey and his personal secretary Susan Dalton are having a conversation. Dewey is wearing an expensive looking double breasted suit as he stands directly in front of Susan.
Wright Patman: How do I look, Darling? Do I look like I've been up all night?
Susan Dalton: Oh.....that darned cowlick on the side of your head is sticking up again!
(Susan licks her palm and then uses the moisture on her hand to slick Patman's hair back into place.)
Susan Dalton: There....now you look fine! (As she adjusts the lapel of his jacket, and then uses the tip of her finger to smooth over Patman's eyebrow.)
Wright Patman: I can't stand this suit, it's too tight, and it looks like something one of those ridiculous zoot suiters out in California would probably wear. Why did I ever let you talk me into buying it anyway? (In a friendly teasing manner.)
Susan Dalton: Well, I think that it makes you look just like a dashing Hollywood movie star, and I'm certain that everyone else will think that it makes you look handsome as well. Besides, you can't make such a historical address wearing your stetson and a bolo tie, now can you? (As she continues to fuss of the president's jacket.)
Wright Patman: No....I suppose not.
Susan Dalton: Oh, there's one other thing, I almost forgot the most important detail.
(Susan stops fumbling with the president's jacket and reaches over to a tan satchel case resting atop a nearby bookcase. She quickly undoes the claps and hands Dewey several sheets of paper.)
Susan Dalton: I retyped your speech with all of the changes you've asked for ...and this time I double spaced it so that your eyes can easily return to the correct space on the page after you've looked away. So that other copy in your suit pocket isn't any good, use this one instead!
Wright Patman: Thank you so much, Darling, but I'm going to let you hold onto both of these for me. (As he pulls the copy he'd been carrying in his inner jacket pocket, and hands both copies of his speech back to Susan.) If I don't have what I want to say right up here (as he uses his index finger to tap his own temple) then I've got no business being here. Besides, we both know that I work best when I'm under pressure, and if I read my own speech one more time I'm gonna go crazier than a dog in a hubcap factory.
(Just then a male house page sticks his head and shoulders into doorway leading into the anteroom.)
House Page: Mr. President, Sir, you've been announced on the house floor.
Wright Patman: That looks like my que, wish me luck, Darling.
(Susan leans forward and abruptly kisses Patman on his cheek as she squeezes his shoulders. The kiss leaves a smear of red lipstick on Patman's cheek.)
Susan Dalton: Don't worry, you'll have them eating out of your hand before they even know what's hit them.
Wright Patman: I sure hope you're right. (And then so low that Susan cannot hear him,) Otherwise I may have to ask Dewey to grant me political amnesty somewhere in the US.
(Patman walks past Susan and out the door leading to the House Chamber.)
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The scene changes back to the House of Representatives Chamber as Patman walks out of a standard sized door located to the left of the speaker's podium. The congressmen applaud enthusiastically at the sight of their president. Patman walks over to the rows of desks lining the floor and shakes hands with several lawmakers in the first row. After that he waves to a few others in the back rows, and then turns to ascend the stairs leading to the speaker's podium. Patman shakes hands with the speaker of the house, and the vice president, before then stepping in front of the microphone. House Speaker Grimes pounds his mallet four times to bring the applause to a halt.
Wright Patman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, distinguished members of the Texan Congress....
(The camera pans around to show the sitting congressmen who are listening intently to Patman's words.)
Wright Patman: Jake Featherston promised us that he would give us the truth, and that he would turn the Confederate States of American into a great and powerful nation...(pause)....But rather than actually supplying any of us with the actual truth......President Jake Featherston sold us all on a false bill of goods which nearly destroyed our beloved Texas.......once and for all!
(A round of polite applause from the sitting congressmen.)
Wright Patman: What is more, the haughty East Coast aristocracy which used to rule over the Confederacy from their ivory towers in Richmond, Charleston, and Atlanta jumped on the Freedom Party bandwagon far too quickly...and those so called elite blue bloods of the Old Confederacy bear much of the responsibility for getting us into such a horribly disastrous war - a war which wasted the lives of our young men - and a war which we had no chance of ever winning..........
(Another round of applause - this time slightly more intense.)
Wright Patman: Because......without the help of the Confederate ruling class......Jake Featherston would have never been able to wreak the terrible amount of death and destruction upon the North American continent that he was able to achieve....However, today,......how many of those same pompous fools ....are now living the high life in overseas locations such as Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, or Melbourne - as the average Confederate citizen suffers for their mistakes? (Patman points to the far wall directly in front of him as if he were pointing towards Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, and Melbourne all at the same time.)
(The intensity of the applause increases slightly more.)
Wright Patman: I'm not here to tell any of you the truth...(Dramatic pause as Patman's eyes circle the sitting congressmen) but I am here to tell you about the harsh facts concerning our current situation..... and I'm also here to inform you of the steps that we must take in order to secure a place for Texas in the coming world......
(Just then the same round headed house page who had earlier summoned Patman from the anteroom quickly climbs the stairs and whispers something into Patman's ear. Patman stops speaking and then takes out a handkerchief and uses it to wipe away a shadow on his cheek. Someone in the rear seating of the chamber coughs loudly. The cough sounds a little bit like the word "floozy". Patman begins speaking without missing a beat.)
Wright Patman: To date, the Republic of Texas has only been able to obtain diplomatic recognition from a tiny handful of nations- The United States, The Republic of Canada, the Republic of Mexico, and the Republic of Quebec. (Patman counts off the names of each country that has granted diplomatic recognition to the Republic of by raising the fingers of his right hand as he says the name of each country aloud. He holds his four fingers up for a few seconds for dramatic effect.)
(There is no visible reaction from the congressmen as Patman pauses while displaying his four fingers.)
Wright Patman: Even the US's great ally, Germany, has decided to withhold diplomatic recognition....and during a recent interview with the New York Times, the German Foreign Minister stated that he fully expects that our government will be overthrown by some sort of a coup within the next eighteen months or so...and that following that.....Texas is expected to spend the rest of its existence as some sort of third-rate banana republic ruled by a constantly revolving cadre of strongmen and thugs.
(Patman pauses to let his latest remark sink in. There are a few snuffles and chair squeaks from the house floor, but no real reaction from the congressmen is forthcoming.)
Wright Patman: We must face the fact that the rest of the world simply doesn't love us very much, and that the rest of the European diplomatic community has decided to follow Germany's lead in denying us diplomatic recognition.....What is more, in the after math of certain events which occurred here in Texas, and in other parts of the Confederacy, I believe that it may take several decades, or longer, before we are finally able to wash the filthy stench of Jake Featherston off of our hands, and to convince the nations of the civilized world that we deserve to be a part of their community.....
(Another pause. A few congressmen silently nod their heads in agreement, but it appears that Patman may be broaching an unpopular topic which many do not wish to face.)
Wright Patman: Another issue we must face is the relatively small size of our country, and the fact that we will likely never be able to expand beyond our current borders...(pause to let that sink in)...Initially we had hopes of expanding our territory by persuading the United States into granting us Sonora and Chihuahua, but when the announcement was made that Sonora and Chihuahua would instead be granted to Mexico.....our dreams of becoming a bicoastal nation quietly died with that announcement (sadly). Today, we are surrounded by powerful neighbors, including a hostile Republic of Mexico on the other side of the Rio Grande, and we must face the fact that there is virtually no possibility of us ever expanding our nation's borders beyond their current size.
(Someone from the middle of the floor cries out, "Give us back Houston!" Patman's stride is broken, but he manages to quickly recover.)
Wright Patman: I'll be talking about the US state of Houston in just a bit, and yes.......there is a concrete plan in place which will allow for Houston to be rejoined to Texas.
(This time many of the congressmen stand up from their chairs as they enthusiastically clap. Patman makes a shushing motion with his right hand as he encourages the congressmen to sit back down again.)
Wright Patman: We will get back to Houston in just a bit, but first, we must finish going over some of the obstacles which are currently plaguing us as an independent nation........
(The congressmen have settled down, but they are still somewhat giddy over the mention of Houston rejoining Texas.)
Wright Patman: We must be honest with ourselves, and acknowledge the fact that Texas hasn't seen anything remotely resembling real economic prosperity since before the start of the First Great War!
(Patman slams his fist on the podium in order to emphasize his point. The congressmen stop tittle-tattling to one another over Houston rejoining Texas.)
Wright Patman: At the moment, we are only just now beginning to come out of the postwar recession which wracked our economy during the first few years of Texan independence......and it looks like our GDP for fiscal year 1947-48 will experience a 1.8% growth rate, when figures are finally tabulated this coming June.
(A round of applause arises from the congressmen. Patman makes a silencing motion with his hand, as he wears a look of mild disapproval upon his face.)
Wright Patman: Now please, a growth rate of 1.8% is absolutely paltry when compared to the 5.5% economic growth which the US is experiencing, or the 2.5% growth Mexico now enjoys.....We need to get ourselves on the same economic growth bandwagon which everyone else is ridding upon, and the sooner we do it the better.....
(The congressmen have returned to their uncomfortable stony silence.)
Wright Patman: A week-and-a-half ago, California Governor Earl Warren invited me to visit his state, and during my trip out to Los Angeles......I was surprised to learn that California has a four lane superhighway called the 101 which stretches all the way from Los Angeles.....to San Francisco! Now here in Texas....the only four lane expressways we have are the ones found within some of our busier downtown business districts......Why, if someone wants to drive their car from Austin to Dallas...Highway 2 is nothing but a meandering two lane country road all the way from point A to point B...
(Patman throw up his hands in mock exacerbation.)
Wright Patman: Furthermore, when I visited the San Fernando Valley......I learned that one in five suburban Los Angeles Country homes has a backyard swimming pool! Meanwhile, here in the Republic of Texas....roughly three in five Texan homes do not even have heated indoor plumbing!.......Now what is wrong with the picture when the average Californian can go for a swim in a heated outdoor pool, but here in Texas.....taking a hot shower is considered to be something of a luxury?
(A few congressmen squirm uncomfortably in their seats.)
Wright Patman: Gentlemen!...The uncomfortable truth is that the citizens of Texas are living at least a quarter century behind their counterparts in California, and the people of Texas deserve better than that.....
(The congressmen sit stone faced like statues.)
Wright Patman: Now part of our economic problem stems from the fact that...all throughout the Great Depression years....the Confederate government back in Richmond saw fit to take Texas tax dollars....and to use those Texas tax dollars to build major infrastructure projects in Tennessee and Georgia....Where they didn't do anyone living in Texas the slightest bit of good! (As if explaining something to a small child.)......Let's face it......Texas was essentially nothing other than a fat cash-cow for the folks back in Richmond to plunder as they pleased, and now as a result....Texas is currently one of the most underdeveloped and backwards English speaking region in all of North America!
(The Congressmen continue to maintain their frozen looks.)
Wright Patman: In fact, the only reason that we are now starting to finally creep out of the recession, is because of the US government's decision to purchase a freight car worth of our treasury bonds. If they hadn't stepped in and done that, then we might be looking at 1920's style hyper-inflation right now!
(We've got our oil, we can rebuild our economy without anyone's help! someone shouts.)
Wright Patman: That's right!.......We've got our oil! (As Patman points a finger at the area of the floor where the shout came from.) But do you know who also has oil? Sequoyah has oil!...... Houston has oil!.... Pennsylvania has oil!.....and California has oil off its coast as well!......(In a lower voice) And to make matters even worse.....I recently read that scientists in Germany are very-very close to synthesizing a cost-effective replacement for gasoline, and when that happens........the bottom is going to drop out of oil! (Patman makes a helpless gesture with his hands.)
(A loud unhappy murmur arises from the house floor. Many of the congressmen are oilmen, and they are alarmed by Patman's remarks. Patman holds up a hand has he does his best to put a congenial look upon his face.)
Wright Patman: Now - Now look, I'm not here to rain on your parade! (As Patman makes an emphasizing gesture with his hand.) I'm just doing my best to explain the harsh realities which are facing all of us today! Now, we can either bury our heads in the sand and pretend that these problems don't exist, or we can face them head on like grown men!.....
(The murmurs from the floor begin to die down.)
Wright Patman: We've got no potential for territorial growth, we are facing an extremely hostile neighbor along our southern border, we've got limited diplomatic recognition from around the globe, and we've got a very stagnant and backwards economy to boot!
(Well, what do you propose to do about all of those problems, you're the president after all!)
Wright Patman: Many of you supported me four years ago when I decided to take Texas out of the Confederacy and to turn us into an independent nation......However, in the very near future I'm going to need your support once again....for an even bolder and more ambitious plan..........A plan which will guarantee that Texas is able to take its rightful place in the modern world, and that our grandchildren won't end up living in an underdeveloped country ruled by a petty dictatorship......
(This time a healthy round of applause from the congressmen.)
Wright Patman: As you know, approximately three weeks ago I visited President Dewey at the US White House in Washington DC.......During my visit President Dewey and I discussed the possibility of Texas once again becoming a US state...
(A small round of confused applause with intermittent false starts and stops.)
Wright Patman: I told President Dewey that I was open to the idea of Texas becoming a US state, provided that certain conditions were first met.......
(The floor of the House Chamber is extremely quiet as everyone waits for Patman to continue.)
Wright Patman: Firstly, the US state of Houston must be abolished, and its territories must be returned to Texas! This point is completely non-negotiable, and Texas will not reenter the Union without the territories she lost when the US state of Houston was created!
(The congressmen erupt in raucous applause, and it takes House Speaker more than a full minute of banging his gavel to make everyone settle down.)
Wright Patman: Secondly, the US state of Texas will maintain its own Self-Defense-Force completely separate from the US federal army, or any other state militias under federal control. The people of Texas have suffered too much under the heels of fools, despots, and dictators ruling them from back east, and as I've explained to President Dewey, the good citizens of Texas deserve to hold an insurance policy against anyone ever again trampling on their liberties.
(An enthusiastic round of applause from the floor of the house, the camera catches one or two congressmen with a glint in their eyes.)
Wright Patman: Thirdly, and lastly, I will remain on as the head of the executive branch of the government until the current term I was elected to expires in January of 1951. In other words, I will automatically transition from being our current sitting president to our first US governor in roughly eighty-seven years. (Shrugs shoulders as if no big deal.)
(A scattered round of applause from around the floor.)
Wright Patman: Now I'd like to take a few brief questions before this joint session is adjourned.
(An overweight congressman in the front row manages to get his hand up first. Patman points to him.)
Congressmen William Sinclair: Congressmen William Sinclair of the Seventh House District - representing Plano. Mr. President, if this body agrees to support the idea of US statehood, can you give us any idea of what the time frame would look like, and also what sort of roadblocks might there be on the US side?
Wright Patman: President Dewey wants the citizens of Texas and Houston to be able to vote on the issue of US statehood in a special plebiscite election tentatively scheduled for this coming November 1st............The citizens of Texas will be able to vote on whether they wish to remain an independent nation, or become a US state......However, over in the US state of Houston, the voters will only get to decide if they wish to rejoin Texas, or remain a separate US state.
Congressmen William Sinclair: But what happens if the citizens of Houston decide that they wish to remain the US state of Houston, and that they no longer wish to call themselves Texans?
Wright Patman: Texas roots run deep.....and back in 1940 the people of Houston voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Texas.......Therefore it is simply a fore drawn conclusion that they will do the same thing once again today in 1948.
Congressmen William Sinclair: But as far as a timeline, what is the soonest you foresee us becoming a US state again?
Wright Patman: If the people of Texas and Houston approve the plebiscite this coming November, then it could theoretically be in front of the US Congress by early December, and we could possibly be looking at official US statehood by January of 1949.
Congressmen William Sinclair: Can you give us any idea as to whether or not there is strong support among US lawmakers for Texas becoming a US state? As I seem to recall, several Socialist members of the US Congress made rather disparaging comments about us in the past, and I'm just wondering if that particular drum is still being beat very hard inside the US Capitol?
Wright Patman: I was able to meet with some senior members of the Democratic National Committee during my trip to Washington DC, and all of them expressed enthusiasm over the idea of Texas rejoining the Union, and currently the US Democrats hold a super-majority in both houses of the US Congress, so I do not foresee any obstacles....when and if the matter is put to a vote.
Congressmen William Sinclair: Thank you, Mr. President.
(Dewey points to another congressman in the middle right section of the chamber floor.)
Congressmen Leonard Ward: Congressmen Leonard Ward of the First Senatorial District, including Paris, Tyler, and Longview. Mr. President, you mentioned our stagnate economy, but I fail to see how becoming a US state will remedy that problem. Can you give us some specific examples of how surrendering our national sovereignty will put more food on the table for the average Texan family?
Wright Patman: To begin with, Texas will be the largest state in the Union, and that says something right there!.....Now, I know that we were also once the largest state in the Confederacy, but during its last thirty-five years of its existence, the Confederate States of America was a poorly managed institution, so therefore Texas was unable to live up to its full potential as an economic powerhouse.
Congressmen Leonard Ward: Yes, Mr. President, but what specifically would need to happen in order for the people of Texas to fully benefit from becoming US citizens?
Wright Patman: During my trip to Washington DC I was able to meet with some of President Dewey's top economic advisors......These men are some of the brightest economists found anywhere in the US, and they typically advise the US President on issues ranging from employment trends, international trade, emerging technologies, and other important economic issues....and I'd have to say that judging from the current overall robustness of the US economy, that they must be doing a very good job......At any rate...the US economists I spoke with had coined a new phrase to describe the defeated Confederacy, and the phrase they used to describe the old CSA was - the New Sun Belt Region!...... According to the US economists I spoke with, the Sun Belt Region should begin to experience an economic boom sometime during the middle of the 1950s. Also, as it was explained to me, the defense industry, the aerospace industry, agriculture, and the electronics industry are all expected to be major players in the economic development of the so called Sun Belt Region. (Looking hopeful that his vague answer will be sufficient enough to satisfy the congressmen's curiosity.)
Congressmen Leonard Ward: But are you aware of any specific economic plans which might benefit the people of Texas....post reintegration into the US?
Wright Patman: As a matter of fact.......I met with senior executives of the General Motor Corporation, and these gentlemen expressed a very strong interest in taking over the now shuttered Vauxhall auto assembly plant here in Austin.......Also I met with members of the Lockheed aircraft corporation who are interested in building their next generation of military helicopters at one of our defunct Confederate defense plants in Fort Worth.....I'm certain that there will be many similar proposals in the near future, due to the low labor costs associated with manufacturing here in Texas.
Congressmen Leonard Ward: Thank you Mr. President.
(This time Patman points to another congressmen in the front row. This time an ancient gentlemen with a drooping lip, hanging face, and unfocused eyes.)
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes the 3rd! Representing the Fifteenth Senatorial District comprising Dallas, Lewisville, and Irving! Mr. President! I've been serving in this legislative body since before the turn of the century, and you cannot tell me for one God damned cotton picking minute that US President Dewey is fixing to allow us back into the Union without demanding a pound of flesh from us! Everyone knows that Yankees despise us to high heaven, so what sort of humiliation are we Texans going to have to suffer in order to come crawling back on our hands and knees? I demand to know sir, and do not try to hoodwink me with your mealy mouthed double talk! (A droplet of spittle falls from the congressmen's lower lip as he concludes his tirade.)
Wright Patman: Congressmen Holmes, Sir, I've made it abundantly clear to US President Dewey that if Texas is going to be admitted back into the United States of America, then the people of Texas cannot be half-citizens, and that they must allowed full participation in the US democratic process. The people of Texas will not be making any concessions, and we will not be giving up any of our freedoms and liberties in order to become a US state. (Smugly, with his chin up.) After all, we are all Americans right, why not start acting like it?
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: Are you going to be giving them free oil? They've been after our oil since the end of the Second Mexican War, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you're planning on paying them off with our precious Texas oil? (The congressmen head bobbles with rage as he imagines tanker cars full of free Texas oil heading towards the US.)
Wright Patman: No Congressmen (very patiently) I can assure you that we will not be giving away our wealth, or making any other concessions in order to become a US state, and I'm certain that everyone sitting here in this chamber knows that I'd never agree to such a one-sided agreement.
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: What about your military adventurism with the US into Sequoyah? Are you going to be sending our young men off to fight in Dewey's dirty little wars up in Canada and Alaska? Our young men need to stay here in Texas to build roads, hospitals, and schools, (making bracket like gestures with hands while imagining roads, schools, and hospitals springing into existence) they don't need to be sent off and die for the people of Canada, they need to stay right here where they belong!
Wright Patman: Congressmen Holmes, if we become US citizens......then defending the United States would indeed be a part of our civic responsibilities.......just as others living in the US might be called upon to defend the people of Texas.....Now, US President Dewey may be a hardboiled leader, but I can assure you that he is no Jake Featherston, and he isn't interested in embarking upon a war of conquest across the North American continent. In fact, if Dewey were the tyrant you suspect him of being, then why did he agree to grant the people of Canada their freedom? (Congressmen Holmes doesn't answer the rhetorical question).....President Dewey has assured me that his primary goal is the rebuilding and reintegration of the defeated Confederacy, and everything else as far as he is concerned takes a backseat to that priority.......Also, as you may recall, last year I sent two detachments of intelligence officers from our Texas Self-Defense-Force into Georgia to help US authorities unravel a Freedom Party extremist movement that was beginning to coalesce around the Savannah area. We may be called upon again to do battle with Freedom Party extremists operating in the Old Confederacy......it's just a fact of life.....
Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes: Ah-Ha! Now I've got you! You're planning on allowing Dewey to use our young lads to kill fellow Confederate civilians....just so that you can get in good with those dirty Yankees! (As he points a gnarled trembling finger at Patman.)
Wright Patman: Need I remind everyone in this chamber.....that from the point of view of the Freedom Party Extremists, we are all nothing but a bunch of traitors, each and every one of us?.......In fact, most Freedom Party hardliners think that the only reason Jake Featherston lost the war.............was because we decided amongst ourselves to take Texas out of the Confederacy!.......Does everyone remember that?......The Freedom Party is like a dangerous wounded animal, and it cannot be allowed to survive ANYWHERE! (Patman thumps the podium with his closed fist.) Because if these men ever manage to gain a tiny bit of power anywhere on the North American continent....then the very first thing they are going to do is to march each and every one of us through the gates of a death camp in whatever postage stamp of country they've managed to establish for themselves. That is why we must work with the US government to eradicate these madmen, they are simply too dangerous to have around in a free-society. Does that address your concerns, Congressman Holmes? (Gritting his teeth.)
(Congressmen Silvester Thomas Holmes III appears to have fallen asleep during Patman's rebuttal. An aide using a handkerchief to wipe the spittle from the congressmen's chin looks up the president and says.)
Congressional Aide: Thank you, Mr. President.
(Patman points to someone in the very back row.)
Congressmen Albert Gil: Congress Albert Gil, Radical Liberal, representing the Tenth House District - Representing the city of Houston and the surrounding area! (The congressman has a decidedly flamboyant mannerism about himself, while tending to speak with an exaggerated Spanish accent. A few of the other nearby congressmen titter as he speaks.) Mr. President, is there any truth to the rumor that you are planning on merging the Texas Whig Party with the US Democratic Party?
Wright Patman: That matter is scheduled to be voted on by the National Committee of the Texas Whig Party sometime within the coming weeks, and such a decision is not mine alone to make....Moreover, if you take a careful look at the party platforms of both the Texas Whig Party, and the US Democratic Party, you'll see that there is a close match in ideology, and it would only make perfect sense to merge the two parties if Texas is to become a state.
Congressmen Albert Gil: But what will ever become of the Texas Radical Liberal Party? How will we stand against you Whigs after you've merged with the US Democratic Party? We'd become a one party state, and the whole thing seems rather un-American if you ask me! (Theatrical outrage in Gil's voice. Other nearby congressmen, mostly Whigs, cannot resist the urge to laugh aloud.)
Wright Patman: Far be it from me to give the opposition party political advice, but if I were in your shoes I'd have someone within my party make contact with the US Republican Party, so that the two of you can form some sort of an alliance together.
Congressmen Albert Gil: This issue isn't over yet! (As he shakes his fist and begins marching towards the main double doors leading towards the East Corridor.
(President Patman has a look of bemusement upon his face as he watches the angry congressmen storm out of the chambers.)
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