The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-12-08

repeal tha complaint ana not quite las TO connne TO
the United States TO the exemption OF England, France
and Belgium, unless the United States, having been the
hrst 10 acknowledge the Independence OF Mexico her
SELF are to be blamed for setting example for the
cognlton OF that OF Texas And he added, that 'the
constitution, public treaties and the laws oblge the
President TO regard TeXas independent State and
It's territory part of the territory OF Mexico" Tex
as had been independent State with an organized
government defyng the power OF Mexico TO overthrow
or reconquer her Tor more than ten years before Mexico
the present war against the United States
Texas had given such evidence TO the world of her
ability To maintain her separate existence indie
pendent nation, that she had been formally recog-
missed such, not only by the United States but by
several OF the principal powers OF Europe These pow
ers had entered into treaties OF amty, commerce. and
navigation with her They had received and accredt
ed her ministers and other diplomatic agents at their
respective courts, and they had commissioned ministers
and diplomatic agents their part TO the government of
Texas II Mexico Notwithstanding all this and her utter
inability to subdue reconqueT Texas, still stubbonly
refused TO recognise her independent nation, she
was none less so on that account Mexico herself had
been recognised as an independent nation by the United
States and by other powers many years before Span OF
which, before her revolution, she had been a colony
would agree to recognise her as SUCH and yet Mexico
was at that time, IN the estimation OF the civilized world
and IN fact none the less independent power because
Spain still claimed her colony If Spain had contn
ued until the present period TO assert that Mexico
one OF her colonies in rebellion against her, this would
not have made her So or changed the fact OF her indie
pendent existence Texas, at the period OF her
ton 10 the United States bore the relation 10 MeN
Spain acknowledged her independence, with this mpor
tant derence-that before the annexation of Texas TO
the United States was consummated, Mexico herself BY
a formal act of her government, had acknowledged the
Independence OF Texas nation Ii IL 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 in any degree from the recognition which Mexico
then made OF her actual independence Upon this plain
statement OF facts II is absurd for Mexico to allege
pretext for commencing hoshltles against the United
States, that Texas is still part OF her territory
But there are those who, conceding all this TO be
true, assume the ground that the true western boun
dairy OF Texas is the Nueces, instead OF the Rio
Grande; and that, therefore, in marching army To
the east bank OF the latter ryer we passed the Texan
line, and invaded the territory OF Mexico. simple
statement Of facts known TO exist, Will conelusvey re-
States By France in 1903, has been always claimed
west TO the Rio Gmnde or Rio Bravo. This
fact is established by the authority Of our most EN-
inent statesmen at period when the question was as
well not better understood than is at present Du
ring Mr. Jelersons administration Messrs; Monroe and
who had been sent special mission to Mad
rid charged, among other things, with the adjustment
OF the boundary between the two countries, IN note adj
dressed to the Spanish Minister OF Foreign Affairs I'M
der date of the twenty OF January, 1885, assert
that the boundaries of Louisiana, coded to the United
States by France are the Perddo the east, and
the river Bravo on the west" and they add that "the
facts and principles which Justify this conclusion are so
satisfactory TO our government as TO convince that the
United States have better right to the island OF New
Orleans under the cesson referred to, than they have
to the whole district OF territory which is above de-
scribed"
Down to the conclusion of the Florida treaty, in Feb
ruay, 1872 by which this territory was coded to SPAIN
the United States asserted and maintained their territorial
rights TO this extent In the month of June, ISIS, du
ring Mr.. Monroe's administration, information having
been received that number OF foreign adventures had
landed at Galveston, with the ayowed purpose OF forming
settlement in that vicinity, Especial messenger was de-
spached by the government OF the United States, with
from the Secretary OF State to warn them to
dess should they be found there or any other place
north of the Rio Bravo and within the territory claimed
by the United States" He instructed should they
be found in the country north of that river, to make
known to them the surprise with which the President
has possession thus taken, without authority from
the United States, OF place within their territorial
limits, and upon which lawful settlement can be made
without their sanction" He was instructed to call
upon them to "avow under what national author
ity they profess TO act" and to give them due
warning that the place is within the United States who
will suffer permanent settlement to be made there,
under any authority other than their own As late as
the eighth of July, 1912, the Secretary of State of the
United States in note addressed to our minister IN Mex
leo, maintains that by the Florida treaty OF 1912 the ter
rtory as far west the Rio Grande was confirmed to
Spain In that note he states that "by the treaty of the
twenty second of February, 1919, between the United
States and Spain, the Sabine adopted the line Of
boundary between the two Powers. Up TO that period,
considerable colonization had been effected in Texas;
but the territory between the Sabine and the Rio Grande
being confirmed to Spain by the treaty, applications were
made TO that Power for grants OF land and such grants,
permssions OF settlement were IN fact made by the
Spanish authorities in favor OF citizens OF the United
States proposing to emgrae to TEXAS in numerous ami-
lies, before the declaration of the independence OF Mex
leo" t#' ..#
The Texas which was coded TO Spain by the Florida
treaty of 1919, embraced all the country claimed by
the State of Texas between the Nueces and the Rio
Grande, The republic OF Texas always claimed
this river as her western boundary, and in her
treaty made with Santa Anna in May, 1886, he recog-
missed it such. By the constitution which Texas
adopted in March, 1885, senatorial and representative dis
trcts organized extending west of the Nueces The
Congress of Texas, the 10th of December 1886, pass
ed "An TO define the boundaries Of the republic Of
Texas" in which they declared the Rio Grande from its
mouth to its TO be their boundary and by the said
act they extended their "civ and political jurisdiction
over the country up to that boundary, During period
adoption OF her constitution and her annexation as one
of the States OF our Union, Texas asserted and ex-
ercsed many acts OF sovereignty and jurisdiction over
the territory and inhabitants west of the Nueces.
She organized and defined the limits of counties eX-
tending to the Rio Grande She established courts of
Justice and extended her judicial system over the ter
rtory. She established custom-house, and collected
Duties and also post Offices and post roads, in it. She
tabshed land office, and issued numerous grants for
land within its limits A senator and representative
residing in it elected to the Congress OF the republic,
and served such before the act OF annexation took
place In both the Congress and convention of Texas,
which gave their assent to the terms OF annexation to the
United States proposed by Congress- were represent
atves residing west Of the Nueces, who took part in the
act of annexation itself This the Texas which, by
the act of Congress OF the twenty OF December
1sl5, admitted one of the States OF our Union
That the Congress Of the United States understood the
tend beyond the Nueces Is apparent from the TACT that
the hirtyrs of December lSi5 only two days after the
act of admission, they passed law "to establish coec
ton district in the State of Texas by which they created
port of delivery Corpus Christi situated west of the
Nueces, and being the same point at which the Texas
custom house. under the laws of that republic, had been