Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1844-05-25
TEXAS AND THE UNITED STATES.


The pishof Texas 10 be admitted into the Amer
lean Union.
WASHINGTON CRY, April 80, 1914.
GENTLEMEN:-I have seen in the newspa-
pers the published copy Of your communica-
lion 10 me, intended for the information of the
American congress, and expressing the desire
OF Texas to be admitted into the American
union, and shall take pleasure in using the
original, whenever it shall arrive, according
TO your wishes. | say when it shall arrive;
for this original has not yet tome to my hands;
and, therefore, cannot now be communicated
to congressj au1 the copy being published du.
ring my brief absence from he city, feel
myself laid under the necessity Of giving a
public answer to your letter. in order to avoid
the appearance of dsrespectfui inattenton
to your request
You have judged rightly, gentlemen, in adj
dressing your communication to me, and pro.
posing to make me the organ Of your wishes
to the American congress, being as am, the
first opponent of the treaty which dismember'
ed your territory from our Union; the first
advocate for its recovery; the supporter OF
all prudent measures for that purpose; the
enemy Of all movements which would involve
The question IN sectional or partisan politics;
and the firm believer in the speedy and happy
the mutiIated rivers, if the question could be
kept free from improper connexions, and con-
fined to the patriotic basis of nationality and
| honor.
| was member OF the bar in St. Louis, in
The then territory OF Missouri, in the year
1918, when the newspapers announced the
progress of the trelty, which was signed in
| The February following, and which threw
away, Texas, dismembered the valley Of the
| Mississippi, mutilated two Of our noblest rlv-
ers, brought foreign boundary 10 the negh>
borhood Of New Orleans, and established a
desert barrier between Missouri aud Mexico
to interrupt their trade, ana shelter the depre
daiors upon the lives and property of their cit
liens. | was not then in politics, and had
nothing to do with public affairs; but saw
| and felt at once the whole enOrmity Of this
gratuitous and unaccountable sacrifice, and in
stantly raised my voice against it in articles
published in the Saint Louis papers, and in
which were given in advance, all the national
reasons against throwing away the country,
which are now, after lapse OF twenty hye
years, given by others for getting it back -
was young and ardent then, and had some
fire in me, and not only wrote against The trea,
~, but against its authors, and their motives;
and even imprecated a ,oOe upon the heads OF
Mr.. Adams the negotaor and the ostensibIe
author Of the treaty, was the statesman against
whom all my censure was directed, and was
certainly sincere in my then belief of his
great culpabiIity; but the declaration which
he has lately made on the noor Of the house
of representatives, absolves him from all CEN
sure on account Of that treaty, and places
the blame on the majority Of Mr. Monroe 9
cabinet, by whose votes he was governed, con-
trary 10 his own opinions, in establishing the
boundary which so much condemned.
The voice Of a mere individual, not in any
public station, and thousand miles from the
seat Of government, was no impeachment 10 the
progress Of the treaty: it went forward; was
signed IN the month OF February, 1919; ap>
proved by Mr.. Monroe's cabinet; unanimous
ly ratified by the Senate; and greeted with
the universal applause of The public press.
Bat all this concurrence of authorities, and
Of applause, made no impression upon me-
continued 10 look upon the treaty with indig
nation and Amusement; and the more 50. be
cause the published correspondence showed
that the sacrafce Of our territory was gratui
tous and wanton! that the Spanish govern
ment had offered US moro than we had accepts
cd! that we had voluntarily sacraficed our riv
ers, boundaries, and territory! and contin
ued TO assail the treaty under the confiden
belief that such an unnatural boundary coult
not stand, and that the sacraficed territory
would eventually be restored 10 the countr!
from which it had been torn.
The treaty Of 1919, between the United
States and Spain, so far as it applied 10 tn
southwestern boundary OF the United States
was one Of the most graluitous sacrifices eve
made by nation which was not conquered
: and actually occupied by conquering army
1t gave up natural boundary-a great river
desert, and mountain-on the most vuI
nerable flank of The Union-the flank coterm
nous with the largest foreign power on on
continent, and proximate 10 one Of our grea
IS est and most exposed cities and population
n it substituted an arbitrary line under long
ell tude far in the interior of our country, an
re along rivers wholly within our natural bou1
daries, and incapable of being fortified exceE
at the expense OF hundreds Of millions.
gave up 100000 square miles of territory
k. enough to make five or six great states, an
bo all Of il not only valuable in itself, but yalu'
Oh BILE beyond all price from its position with
NJ our natural limits. 1t brought foreign fro
tier-tke frontier Of a non -Slareholding empi
nv to the neighborhood of New Orleans, and q
ter most TO the heart Of the valley Of the Missi
nd sippi. Ii muiilated two Of our great rive
ar the Arkansas and the Red River; stream
equal to the Danube, and both Of which h'
their sources and their mouths within our ma
an ural boundaries, and we're wholly ours by e.
tor siing ,reaties placed foreign power up'
;" their banks, and gave 10 that power rlgf
'if according 10 our oiCH assertion of the lac OF
tions-a right TO navigate those rivers throu