Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-12-17
VOL. III, NO. 81.

stood the SD sstsd
into the Union iQ
apparent from the fa rs a
cember, 1915, only two Y
admission, they passed law
collection district in the State Of
which they create port of delivery at es
Christi situated west of the Nueces, and ben
at the same point at which the Texas CUSTOM
house, under the laws Of that republic, had been
located, and directed that a survey or to collect
the revenue should be appointed for that port by
the President, by and with the advice and con-
sent of tie State. surveyor was accordingly
nominated, and confirmed by the Senate and
has been ever since in the performance of his
duties. All thes acts of the republic of Texas,
and of our Congress, preceded the orders of the
advance of our army to the East bank Of the
Rio Grande. Subsequently, Congress passed
an act " establishing certain post roues," ex-
tending west Of the Nueces. The country west
of that river now constitutes part of one of the
Congressional districts of Texas, and is repre-
scented in the House of Representatives. The
Senators from that State were chosen by Leg
islature in which the country west of that river
WAS represented. In view of all these facts, it
is difficult to conceive upon what ground it can
be maintained that, in occupying the country
west Of the Nueces with our army, with view
solely to its security and defence, we invaded
the territory of Mexico. But it would have
been still more difficult TO justify the Executive,
whose duty it is to see that the laws be faithfully
executed if in the face of all of these proceed
ings, both of the Congress of Texas and the
United States, he had assumed the responsibill-
ity of yielding up the territory west olthe Nucces
TO Mexico, or Of refusing to protect snd defend
this territory and its inhabitants, including Cor,
pus Christi, well as the remainder Of Texas,
against thr threatened Mexican invasion.
But Mexico herself has never placed the war
which she had waged upon the ground that our
army occupied the intermediate territory be-
tween the Nueces and the Rio Grande. Her
refuted pretention that Texas was not in fuct
an independent State, but rebeous province,
was obStinately persevered in and her a'owcd
purpose in commencing a war with the United
States was to reconquer Texas and restore
Mexican authority over the whole territory-not
to the NueCes only, but to the Sapine In view
of the proclaimed menaccs of Mexico to this
effect. dcemi my duty, as mesure Of pre-
caution and defense, to order our army to occu-
py position on our ftOnter a military post,
from which our troops could best resist and re-
pe and attempted invasion which Mexico
might make.
Our army had occupied position at Corpus
Christi, west Of the Nueces, as early as August,
l945, without complaint from any quarter.-
Had the Nueces been regarded as the true west
ern boundary of Texas, that boundary bad been
passed by our army many months before it adj
vanced to the eastern bank ut the Rio Grandp.
In my annual message of December last in
formed Congress that, upon the invitation of
both the Congress and Convention of Texas, |
had deemed it proper to order IA strong squad
ron to the coasts of Mexico, and to concentrate
an efficient military force on the western frontier
of Texas to protect and defend the inhabitants
against the menaced invasion of Mexico. In
that message informed Congress that the mo-
ment the terms of annexation offered by the
ITt,ttn .t..ll. u
ter became so far u part of our own country as
to make it our duty to afford such protection and
defence ; and that for that purpose our squad
ron mad been ordered TO theGuIf, aud our army
to " take position between the Nueces and the
Del Norte, or Rio Grande, and {" to repeI any
INVASION of the Texan territory which might be
attempted by the Mexican forces"
1t was deemed proper to issue this order, be-
cause, soon after the President of Texas, in
April, 845, had issued his proclamation ronven-
ing the Congress of that Republic, for the pur-
pose of submitting to that body the terms of an
nexation proposed by the United States, the
Government Of Mexico made serious threats of
invading the Texan territory.
The threats became more Imposing as it be-
came more apparent in the progress of the
question: that the people Of Texas would decide
in favor of accepting the terms of annexation
and, finally, they had assumed such lOrmida-
BILE character as induced both the Congress and
Convention of Texas TO request that military
force should be sent by the United States iutO
her territory for the purpose of protecting and
defending her against the threatened invasion.
1t would have been a violation of good faith to-
ward the people of Texas to have refused to
afford the aid which they desired against a thre-
atened invasion, to which they had been expos
ed by their free determination to annex lheHl-
selver to our Union, in compliance with the ov-
prtu made IN thptu nv the mint resuluIinu IF
our Congress.
Accordingly, portion of the army was or
dered to advance into Texas. Corpus Christi
was the position selected by General Taylor
He encamped at that place in August, 1916, and
the army remained in that position until the e.
leyenth Of March, 1916, when it moved west
ward, and on the twenty-eight Of that month
reached the east bank of the Rio Grande OPP
poSte to MatamorOs. This movement was
made 10 pursuance Of orders from the War De-
partment, issued Eon the thirtelh of January,
1916. Before these orders were issued, the dis
patch of our minister in Mexico, Transmitting
the decision of the Council of Government Of
Mexico, advising that he should not he re ceiv-
ed, and also the dispatch of our consul residing
in the city of MexicO-the former bearing date
the 18th, and the latter on the 18th of De-
cember, 1915, copies of both of which acconpa-
led my message to Congress of the 1lIh of May
last-were received at the Department of State.
These communications rendered it highly prob
able, # not absolutely certain, that our minister
would not he received by the Government of
Gen. Herrera. 1t was also well known that
but little hope could lie entertained of differ
ent result from Gen. Paroles, in ease the re, o.
lutonary movement which he was prosecuting
should prove successful, as was highly proia-
bic. The partzans of Paroles, as our Minister,
in the dispatch referred to, states, brealhed the
ferceot hostility against the United States, de-
nounccd the proposed negotiation as treason,
and openly called upon the troops and the peo-
pie to put down the government Of Herrera by
force The conquest of Texas, and war with
the United States, were openly threatened
These were the circumstances existing, when it
was deemed proper to order the army under the
command Of General Taylor to advance to the
western frontier of Texas, and occupy posi-
tion on or near the Rio Grande.
The apprehensons of contemplated Mexi-
invasion have been since fully justified by
the event. The determination of Mexico to
rush into hostilities with the United States was
afterward manifested from the whole TENOR of
the nntp' of thp Meyican Minister or EorpiUn f