Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-12-17
VOL. XII. NO. 5.--WHoLE NO. 2O96.


dence of Mexico herself, are to be blamed for set.
ting an example for the recognition of that of Tex
as" And he added, that the constitution, public
treaties, and the laws oblige the President to re-
gard Texas as an independent State and its terri
tory as no part of the territory of Mexico" Tex
as had been an independent State, with an organ
lied Government, defying the power of Mexico to
overthrow or re-conquer her for more than ten wears
before Mexico commenced the present war against
the United States. Texas had given such eyi.
dence to the world of her ability to MAINTAIN her
separate existence an independent nation, that
she had been formally recognized as such, not only
by the United States, but by several Of the prnci-
pal Powers of Europe. These Powers had enter
ed into treaties of amty, commerce. and navigation
with her. They had received and accredited her
ministers and other diplomatic agents at their re-
speclve courts, and they had commissioned minis
tiers and diplomatic agents their part to the gov
eminent OF Texas. If Mexico, Notwithstanding
all this, and her utter inability to subdue
quer Texas, still stubbornly refused to recognize
her an independent nation, she the less so
on that account. Mexico herself had been recog-
nized as an independent nation by the United
States, and by other Powers, many years before
SPAIN of which, before her revolution she had been
a colony would agree to recognize her as sucb and
yet MtEico was at that time, in the estimation Of
the cVi' world, and in fact, none the less an in
| dependent lover, because Spain still claimed her
I
ent period 70 assert that Mexico enc OF her col
ONES ia rebellion against her, this would pot have
made her so, or changed the fact of her indepen-
dent existence. Texas, at the period Of her an
nexation to the United States, bore the rela-
ton TO Mexico that Mexico had borne to Spain for
muny years before Spain acknowledged her indie
pendence, with this important difference that before
the annexation Of Texas 10 the United States was
consumated, Mexico herself by formal act Of her
| government, had acknowledged the independence
of Texas as nation. 1t is true, that in the act of
recognition she prescribed condition, which she
had no power or authority to impose. that Texas
should not annex herself to any other Power; but
this could not detract il any degree from the recog
milton which Mexico then made of her actual indie
pendence. Upon this statement of facts, it Is alb
surd Tor Mexico to alledge, as pretext tor com
mencing hosllities against the United States, that
Texas is still part of her territory.
But there are those who, conceding all this to be
true, assume ground that the true western boundary
OF Texas is the Nueces, instead of the Rio Grande
and that therefore, in marching our army to the
east bank of the latter river we passed the Texan
line, and invaded the territory of Mexico. sim
pie statement Of facts, known to exist, will concIu.
slvey refute such assumption Texas as ced-
ed to the United States by France, in 1903, has
been always claimed as extending west to the Rio
Grande, or Rio Bravo This fact is established by
the authority Of our most eminent statesmen, at a
period when the question was well if not better
understood than 1t is at present. During MIR JET
terson's administration, Messrs Monroe and Pick
ney, who had been sent on a special mission to
Madrid, charged, among other things, with the ad-
IJustment Of boundary between the two countries,
III note addressed to the Spanish Minister of For
elgn Affairs, under date of the 2Sth Of January
loO3, assert that the boundaries of Louisiana, as
ceded to the United States by France, ''are the rv
er PerdIdo on the east and the river Bravo on the
west, and they add, that the facts and principles
which justify this conclusion are satisfactory tc
our government as to convince it that the United
States have not better right to the island OF New
Orleans, under the cession referred to- than they
have to the whole district of Territory which is a
bove describedn
Down to the conclusion of the Florida treaty, ir
February 1919 by which this territory cedeC
to Spain, the United States asserted and maintain
ed territorial rights to this extent. In the montt
OF June, 1878, during Mr. Monroe's administration
information having been received that number o
foreign adventurers had landed at Galveston, witt
the avowed purpose of forming settlement in tina
vicinity special messenger was despatched BY
the government of the United States with nstruc
tons from the Secretary of State to warn them t.
deslst, should they be found there, "or any othe
place north of the Rio Bravo, and within the terri
tory claimed by the United States" He was in
structed, should they be found in the country mort
of that river, to make known to them the surpris
with which the President has seen possession thu
taken, without authority from the United States, O
place within their territorial limits, and upo
which no lawful settlement be made withou
their sanction" lie was instructed to call upo
them to " avow under what national authority the
protested to act" and give them due warning tina
the place is within the United States, who will sui
Ter no permanet settlement to be made there unde
any authority other than their own" As late q
Vie 9Th OF July, 1912, the Secretary of State of tn
United States, in note addressed to our ministe
IN Mexico, maintains that, by the Florida treat
OF 1917, the territory as far west as the RIO Grand,
was confirmed to Spain. In that note he state
that SHY the treaty of the 22d of February 1915
between the United States and Spain, the Sabin
was adopted as the line OF boundary between tn
two Powers. Up to that period, no considerabl
colonization had been effected in Texas, but tn
territory between the Sabine and the Rio Grand
being confirmed to Spain by the treaty, application
were made to that Power for grants of land, an
such grants, or permlssons of settlement, were
fact made by the Spanish authorities in favor
citizens OF the United States, proposing to EN-
crate TO Texas in numerous families, before III
declaration Of independence by Mexico"
The Texas which coded to Spain by tn
Florida treaty of 1919, embraced all the countr
now claimed by the State of Texas, between til
Nueces and the Rio Grande. The Republic
Texas always claimed this river as her wesler
boundary, and in her treaty made with Santa Ann
in May, 1886, he recognized it such. BY tn
constitution which Texas adopted in March, 1873
senatorial and representative districts were organ
lied extending to the west Of the Nueces. TIL
Congress otTexas on the nineteenth of Decembe
1886, passed An act to define the boundaries
the republic of Texas" in which they declared tn
Rio Grande, from lis mouth to its source, to b
their boundary, and by the said act they extende
their "ciy and political jurisdiction" over tn
country up to that boundary. During period {
more than nine years, which interviewed betwee
the adoption of her constitution and her annexato
MS one of the States of our Union, Texas asserte
and exercised many acts of sovereignty and juri'
diction over the territory and inhabitants west
the Nueces. She organized and defined The lini
of counties extending to the Rio Grande. Sh
established courts of justice and extended her j
dcial system over the territory She establlshe
a custom house and collected duties, and also POI
offices and post roads in ii. She established Ian