Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-12-23

In view of ali these facts, F
il is difficult to conceive upon what ground
# can be maintained that, in occupying \
country the west of the Nueces with our i
army, with a view solely to its secureity i
and defence, we invaded the territory Of I
Mexico. Bot it would have been still f
more difficult 70 justify the Executive, I
whose duty ii is TO see that the laws be- I
executed, if in the face of all {
these proceedings, both of the Congress |
of Texas and of the United States, he had t
assumed the responsibility Of yielding up {
the territory west Of the Nueces to Next {
CO, or of refusing to protect and defend
tnis territory and its inhabitants, including
Corpus Christi, as well as the remainder OF
Texas, against threatened Mexican lnva-
sion.
But Mexico herself has never placed
the war which she has waged upon the
ground that our army occupied the inter
mediate territory between the Nueces and
the Rio Graude. Her refuJed Pretension
! that Texas was not in fact an independent
Stale, but rebellious province, was obsil-
! nately persevered in; and her aVowed pur- |
pose in commencing a war with the Uni |
| ted States was to reconquer Texas, and
to restore Mexican authority over the
whole torritOry-not to the NueCeS only
but to the Sabine. In view of the pro
claimed menaces of Mexico to this effect,
| deemed it my duty, as measure OF pre-
caution and defence, to order our army 20
occupy a position on our frontier as a mill
tary post, from which our troops could best
resist and rebel any attempted Invasion
| whi Mexico might make.
Our army had occupied a position at
, Corpus Christi, west of the Nuecos, as
early as August, 1915, without complaint
, from any quarter. Had the Nueces been
regarded as the true western boundary OF
; Texas, that boundary had beer passed by
our army many months before it advanced
\ to the eastern bank of the Rio Grande. =
}. In my annual message Of December last
f | informed Congress that, upon the invita-
O ton Of both the Congress and onventton
# of Texas. had deemed it proper to order
e a strong squadron t. the coast OF Mexico
j. and 10 concentrate an efficient military
+ force on the western frontier OK Texts, tt
10 protect and defend the inhabitants aganS
~ the menaced Invasion of Mexico. In that
+. message informed Congress that the mo
q ment the terms of annexation offered by
!. the United States were accepted by lex
IS as, the latter became SO far part of ou
of own country as 20 make it our duty 10 at
ol ford such protection and defence; and tia
49, for that purpose our squadron had bcel
10 ordered to the Gulf, and our army to ''tak
to position between the Nueces and tn
,e Del Norte," or Rio Grande, and "to rebe
f." any invasion Of the Texan territory whlc
in might be attempted by the Mexican forces.
ed 1t was deemed proper to issue this ordC
te because, soon after the President of Tex5
he in April, 1915, had issued his proclaim
al tons converting the Congress of that II
,rn public, for the purpose of submitting to III
Ith body the terms of annexation proposed |
sed the United States, the government of Me
ich leo made serious threats of invading Il
,ri Texan territory.
an. These threats became more imposir
he as it decame more apparent, IN the pr
De- gress of the question, that the people lie
mo as would decide in favor of accepting II
So terms of annexation; and, finally, they HI
,de assumed such formidable character,
,eir induced both the Congress and Coventi
L
the should be sent by the United States IN
lex her territory for the purpose Of protect
ion. and defending'her against the threaten
acts invasion. 1t would have been vlolau
the of good faith towards the people of Te9
Inc. to have refused to afford the aid which tn
mits desired against threatened invasion,
nde. which they had been exposed by their II
ev. determination TO annex themselves to
,rr;. Union, in compliance with the overtl
use. made to them by the Joint resolution
ices our Congress.
ed n Accordingly portion of the army '
ants ordered to advance inlo Texas. Corr
and Christi was the position selected by
,Iec. neral Taylor. He encamped at
and place in August 1915, and the array
.exa- mained IN that position until the
and Of March, 1876, when it moved westw
their and on the twenty-eighih OF that mo
, tn reached the east bank of the Rio Ora
gress opposite Ma'ahoraS' l MS movement
the made in pursuance OF orders from
E an. War Department, issued on the thrice
,exas Of January 1916. Before these or
ooh were issued, the despatch OF our mini
one in Mexico, transmitting the decision
Con the Council Of Government OF Mex
4 tha advising that he should not be rece
into and also the despatch OF our consul
Csc i siding in the city Of Mexico-the fol
21st bearing date on the 18th and the latte
after the ION OF Dece"ioei' iV7'' ooP'0
law both of which accompanied my mes
n the to Congress on the eleventh of May
.,od = were received at the the Departme