Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1845-09-01

Ia seeking 10 recover the ~dismembersd part III orf own
country, they did not undertake 10 dismember The EN-,
pirr oi a %neighbor. Like a General. he saw the natural
frontier Of his country in the ridge Of mountains ut The
heed of the Red Rirer aud .arkansas, and in The desert
prsiries which lie east n the .Nueees; and like a staies'
man, he Was for limiting the domain Of his country To
this natural frontier. Leaving the whole valley Ut The
Rio del Norie 10 the Mexicsns, and taking the whole
valley Of the Mississippi TO ourselves. he sought line
suitable 10 Both parties. more than q hundred miles this
side cf the Rio Grande. and even east ot The little river
Nueces, q solitary fmniier stream connected with no
system of rivers, and falling into the Gulf Of MexicD in q
shallow aud difficult part Of its coast. This was his
boundary, and no act VI his lie shows q more wise and
enlightened forecast.
"a less spacious head would have stood out for our
ancieui claim to the lorer RIO del N rte; his judgment
enabled him 10 See that II would be an Ell enactment up
on the geogra phical divisions of Mexico-would bring
The population of the two great countries into contact and
collislon-give rise TO disputes for the navigation Of the
river, and the possession OF its mouth-and snw The seeds
Of eternal dissention In advancing the salient angle Of
one empire into the natural domain Of the other. His
sagacious mind saw this, and waving the question Of
old limits, he inok those which tho future peace and har.
mony Of The two countries required, and left the whole
extent Of the Rio del Norte-every inch Of its soil, and
every drop Of lis waters, with all its towns and villages,
aud its fields and focks-lo its ancient possessors, who
had held il for centuries"
Between two such high authorities as Senator Benton
and the Executive organ, it does not become us to de
cide-nor is IL our purpose, with The limited knowledge
We p"ssess upon the subject, to attempt it. We content
ourselves, for the present. with saying, that The mere
that we hay "cisimed' to the Rio Grsnde
as the western boundary Of Texas, even since 1903, does
not show that claim to be q just one; aud, on the other
hand. the fact that. by asserting that claim, we should
"annex" TO The United States a large territory on which
no Texan ever "settled, - while a large portion o it is
in possession OF the Mexicaas, and has been for centuries
pasta territory embracing Mexican towns and villages,
under The rule of Mexican Governors and Custom House
fact, we say, goes far to inyalidale that
"clalm. " and 10 demonstrate lis injustice, not 10 say its
absurdiiy. We repeat. too, that, whatever be The pre- Use
territorial limits Of Texas, il becomes Us 10 be magnani.
nous and liberal towards a power 50 weak as Mexico.
and Standing towards US in The attitude she now occu.
nIes-lesl the world say, that, in The assertion by force
OF a claim al best so doub, ful, and which some Of our
wisest statesmen pronounce 10 be unjust, we have given
'ndubllable% evidence, that. when rapine and plumber tempt
II to acts Of aggression upon a defenceless %neishbor, the
Model Republic Of the New World is not \ whit more
forbearing OF just than The sceplred Tyran,s Of the Old.