Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-01-16
LEGAL DEFINITION OF TIE BOUNDS
OF LOUISIANA.
AS nv US PURCHASED or rRANop.

AS nv Us PURCHASED FRANCE
], is little singular that neither in The dis.
cussions between this Government and S,,;n.
from 1915 to 1919, nor yet again i'm the long
and able debates, popular, Congressional. and
OF the press, that have followed the revival
Of our old claim TO Texas, any body has a,ap-
pened to think of looking back into the FIRST
acts oil Congress providing Tor the government,
OF Louisiana aud defining its limits Oh the
sue o: Texas. A valued friend has suggest
ell 10 us the examination; and, having made
II, we present to our readers the results.
The first law as that passed in 1903, Zap
proved 3tsi 0ctOber,) enabling the President,
to take possession of the newly obtained ter (
rttory. IL does not mention any boundaries
but merely empowers the Executive to use.
for establishing and maintaining the authority
oi line United States IN the territory acquired.
the army, navy, and II certain detachment of
the militia before provided for. 1t will at
once be perceived ,ha, it was thought neces-
sary III Md' day to give, 10y particular law.
TO the PRESIDENT, power Ia Use the army and
navy even in what had become our own soil;
but now he is allowed, without consulting
Congress, and unquesiioned by them, to use
that rery army and mary upon foreign soil
and seas. FOR just what likes him.
The remainder of the act merely enables
the Presiden, tn provide for the temporary
government of the Territory until Congress
shall regularly leglslate for it.
The next act is that OF March 26, 1904,
erecting Louisiana into two Territories, de-
finlng their limits, SC. Its first section is in
the words following:
e BE ii enacted, &c. That all that portion
OF country coded by France to the United
States, under the name of Louisiana, which
lies south of the Mississippi Territory and
ct an east and west line to commence on the
Mississippi river at the 33d degree of north
latitude, aud 10 extend west TO the tceSfern
boundary OF the said ceSsion, shall constitute
ga Territory OF the United States, under the
'name of the Territory of Orleans the gov
'ernment whereof shall he organized and adj
'minslered as follows" SC.
The provisions for the management of this
part oil The coded region occupy the ensuing
sections OF The law, down to The 18th, which
provides for second Territory, thus:
The residue Of The province of Louisiana.
seeded to the United States, shall be called the
district OF Louisiana, the government where
'of snail be organized and administered as
follows" SC.
1t Is thus perfectly undeniabls that the
Destern limit IF the Territory of Orleans, as
itsnbsistcd until that territory rose into State,
IN Isl |, 'cds By ourselves adopted as the ex-
tent OF our purchase south of the 33d degree
OF latitude beyond the Mississippi. Every
body knows that its lim, on that quarter was
the Sabine-,he same limit afterwards given
to il as State.
But the act erecting it into State gives, in
all legal form, the extent Of these limits. III
Is OF The 2Olh February, 1911, and is entitled
" An act to enable the people of the Terrific
ry OF Orleans to form constitution and State
government" SC. The first section of that
act runs as follows:
lie IL enacted, &c. That the inhabitants
'ot all that part of the territory or country
seeded under the name Of Louisiana, by the
treaty made at Paris on the 3OlI day of
April, lSO3. between the United States and
France, contained within the following limits,
that is to say: Beginning at the mouth of
she rirer SABINE, thence By a line TO be dra,cn
'along The middle of HE said rircr, Including
an islands, TO the thirty second degree of
'tahtude thence due norih TO The norihrrn,oSi
part Of The Mirty-third degree Of north iati-
'fuae thence along The said parallel of lati-
'tude' TO the river Mississippi; thence down
The said river TO the river lbervile; and from
'lakes Maurepas and Ponlchartran. 10 the
'Gulph of Mexico; thence, bounded by the
said G"lph, 10 the place of beginning, i'll
GLIDING all islands within three leagues of
the coast, be and they are hereby authorized
'to form for themselves constitution and
State governneni," SC.
1t thus appears distinctly, in these early but,
decisive National and State acts, that ne our
seiUeS voluntarily adopted, on the side of
Texas, Tie line Of the .Sa6ine-tIlen and now
the line Of possesson-as The real extent of
our purchase from France, as the true Lousi-
ana All the rest, then-.he subsequent claim
TO Texas-was but Il diplomatic afier-thoughi,
skiltuly employed 10 make Spain yield 10 us
what we really then wanted-Florda All
any event, here are the acts, here the recog-
nition OF the Congress, and the Administration
That made and sanctioned the treaty. Here is
Their voluntary declaration of the extent of
what they bargalned for; and we should like
TO see any superior Witnesses in the case
VIVA, becomes now of the proposed re-
annexation, or OF the proposition 10 admit the
State Of Teas into lie Union ?-.Nat. Int.
C@--.s-s-----------
"BRITISH GOLD"
The Intelligencer published an article from
BRUSH Tree trade paper, denyiuD fb.t ono hupd rod