Garth,

Sounds like a great meeting tonight. By the way, that was President James K. Polk, rather than John Tyler who signed the resolution to annex Texas on March
1, 1845. See below:

Jim Bevill

On February 27, 1845, a joint resolution for the annexation of Texas with amendments still to be voted on by the House passed the U.S. Senate. The following day, the House adopted the senate version to annex the Republic of Texas. President James K. Polk signed the resolution to adopt the merger on March 1. The ball was now back in Texas’ court, and the resolution was sent back to Anson Jones for his approval. Almost a year had elapsed since the submission of the original proposed treaty of annexation by President Sam Houston. The amended Resolution of Annexation, as presented to Jones, addressed the payment of the public debt as follows. The Republic of Texas:

shall retain funds, debts, taxes and dues of every kind which may belong to, or be due and owing to the said Republic; and shall also retain all the vacant and unappropriated lands lying within its limits, to be applied to the payment of the debts and liabilities of said Republic of Texas, and the residue of said lands, after discharging said debts and liabilities, to be disposed of as said State may direct; but in no event are said debts and liabilities to become a charge upon the Government of the United States.

Although the provision to pay off the public debt of the Republic had been removed from the treaty of annexation by the U.S. Senate, the alternate provision that Texas would retain its public lands “to be applied to the payment of the debts and liabilities of said Republic of Texas” gave creditors hope that the long period of payments in arrears would finally be brought current and subsequently made whole. It was widely thought that Texas had plenty of land, which would eventually be used to pay off its debts.