The Arkansas banner., 1844-05-01


 zen pe.n,icate his efelrs o,a tsat s@e3eff
 CONTINUED.
 Texas. as Mr. Jefferson declared. was a. clearly embraced in the purchase by us oi Louisiana as New Orleans ltsell; and that It was part of that region, as demonstrated " the discovery. by the great La Sale, of the source and mouth of the Mississippi, and hls occupancy for France west of the Colorado. Our ripht 10 Texas. as part of Louisiana, was asserted and demonstrated hv Presidents Jefferson, Madison, Monroe. and John Quincy Adams. No one of our Presidents has ever doubted our title and Mr. Clay has ever maintained 1t as clear and unquestionable. Louisiana was acquired by a treaty with France, in 1903, by Mir. Jefferson; and in the letter to Mir. Madison, the Secretary oi State. dated March 3I, 1904, he says, expressing his own views and those of Mr. Jefferson, that Louisiana s extended westwardly to the Rio Bravo, otherwise called Rio del Norte Orders were accordingly obtained from the iSpanish authorities for the delivery ot dH the posts on the west side of the Mississippi And in his letter of the 3lst January, 1854, MT. Madison declares that Mir. Laussat, the French commissioner who deltrercd Inc poS- session ot Loaisiana 10 Hs, announced the Del Norte as it's boundary" Here, then, in the delivery of the possession oi Louisiana by Spain to France. and France to us, Texas is included In the letter of Mr. Madison Of the 9th July, 1904, he declares tue opposl- ton of Mir Jefferson 10 the :" refinquiSimeRt of anv territory whatever eastward of the Rio Bravon In the letter of James Monroe of the Sth November, 1903, he incloses doc umeuts which he says "prove inconteStdbfy' that the boundary of Louisiana is the Rio Bravo to the west;n and MT. Pinckney unites with him in similar declaration. In sub sequent letter-not 10 foreign government, but to Mr. Madison-of the 20ih April, 1905. they assert our title as unquestionable. In Mr. Monroe's letters, as Secretary ot State. dated January 19, 1916, and June 10, lSl6 he says none could question our ttie te Texas ;,' and he expresses his concuTenct in opinion with Jefferson and Madison, < tla our ttle to the Rio del Norte was as clear as to the island of New Orleans" In hls letter as Secretary of State, 10 Don Onls, of the i2tls March. ISIS, John Quincy Adams says: The claim of France always dld extend westward to the Rio Bravo ;' :. she alfagS claimed the territory which you call 1eXas as being within the limits, and forming part, of Louisiana After demonstrating our title to Texas in this letter, MT. Adams says = :. We'll might Messrs. Pinckney and Monroe write to NJ. Cevallos, ill 1905, that the claim of the United States to the boundary of the Rio Bravo was as clear as the right 10 the island of New Orleans Again, in his letter of the 3lst October, ISIS, Mir Adams says Al q. eb,Ih hn.rnt,A be power of further controversy"
 Here. then, by the discovery and occupa- ton of Texas, as part of Louisiana, by La Sale, for France, in 1885; by the delivery of possession 10 Us, in 1903, by Spain and France; by the action of our government, from the date of the treaty ot acquisition te : the date of the treaty of surrender, (avoWedly so on its face } by the opinion of all oul Presidents and ministers connected III any way with the acquisition. our title to IeXa' was undoubted It was surrended to Spain by the treaty of lSl9; but Mr. Clay main tained, in his speech of the Sd April, lo2O that territory could not Dc alieaaied merely by treaty and consequently that, notwiih standing the treaty, Texas was StH our oar't In the cesson of a portion of Maine, 1t Wa'
 
 chusetts and Maine, and conceded by this government, that no portion ot Maine could be ceded by treaty without the consent ot Maine. Did Texas assent to this treaty, or can we cede part of a territory, but not oi a State? These are grave questions; they raise the point whether Texas is not now a part of our territory, and whether her people may not now rightfully claim the protection oi our government and laws. Recolect this was moi d question of settlement, under the powers of this government, of disputed boundary The treaty declares, as respects Texas, that we S cede 10 his Catholic majeSty.' Commenting on this in his speech before re ferred to, Mr. Clay says 1t was not a question of the power in case of dispute .sof fixing boundary previously existing" "ltwas, ci the contrary, the case of an avewed cessiol of territory from the United States to Spain Although, then, the government may be com petent to fix disputed boundary, by ascer tainiDg as~near as practicable where It IS although, also, State, with the consent o this government, as ill the case of Maine mny cede a portion of her terrltory.-yet l by no means follows that this government by treaty, could cede Territory of the Union Could we by treaty cede Florida to Spain especially without consulting the people O Floridao and, if not, the treaty by which Texas was surrendered was, as Mir Cla! contended, iaoperatice.
 By the treaty of 1903, by which, we have seen, Texas was acquired by us from France we pledged our faith to France, and to th' people Of TeraS, never to surrender that terri tory The Sd article of that treaty declares {. the inhabitants of the ceded territory sbai 6e incorporated in the Union of the UniteC States, and admitted as soon as possible, ac cording to the principles of the federal con stitution, to the enjoyment of all the rights advantages, and immunities of citizsns cf thc United States; and in the mean time they shall be protected in the free enjoyment O their liberty, property, and the religion whicl they proiessn Such was our pledge to Franct