Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1846-12-19

the FLORIDA treaty of 1919, embraced all tn,
country now claimed by the State of Texa
between the Neuces and the Rio Grande.-
ne republic of Texas ALWAYS claimed th,
river as her western boundary. and in he,
treaty made with Santa Anna. in Nav
1856, he recognised it as such. Bv the con.
sntution which Texas adopted in March
1880, senatorial and representative districts
were organized exte nding west of the Nue.
ceS. ~ -sue
ne congress of Texas on the nineteenth
OF december, 1886, passed can act to define
the boundaries of the republic of Texas.w II
winch they declared the Rio IGrande from
us mouth to its source to be their boundary
and TO the said act they extended their ssciv.
II and political jursdiction'' over the conn.
try up to that boundary. During periof
OF more than nine years, which interyenef
between the adoption of her constitution AM
her annexation as one of the States of on,
Union, Texas asserted and exercised man,
acts .ofsovereignty and jurisdiction over the
territory and the inhabitants west of the
Nueces. She organized and defined the
limits of counties extending to the Rio
Grande. She established courts of Justice
and extended her judicial system over the
territory. She established custom horse
and collected duties, and alSo'post office and
post roads, init. She established land Of
hce, and issued numerous grants of land,-
within its limits. A Senator and a Repre-
sentative residing in it were elected to the
Congress of the Republic, and served as
sue before the act enumeration took place.
In both the congress and convention of Tex
as, which gave their assent to the annexa.
tlon to the United States, proposed by our
congress were representatives residino
west OF the NueceS. who took part in the an
neXahon itself. This was the Texas-
Which, by the act of our Congress. of the
18th OF December, 1916, was admitted as
one otthe States of our Union. That the
congress fthe United States understood the
state OF Texas which they admitted into the
Union TO extend beyond the Nueces. is an
parent from the fact, that on the thirty first
oi december, 1915, ouly two days after the
acs OF admission, they passed law to estab-
ilsn collection district in the State of Tex-
as, by which they created port of deliy-
cry at Corpus Christi, situated west of the
NueceS, and being the same point at which
the Texan custom house, under the laws OF
that republic, was located, and directed that
a surveyor to collect the revenue, should be
appointed for that port by the President, by
and with the advice and consent of the Sem
ate. A surveyor was accordingly nomina-
ted and confirmed by the Senate, and has
been ever since in the performance of his
duties. All these acts of the republic of
leXas and OF our Congress, preceded the or
ders for the advance of our army to the east
bank of the Rio Grande. Subsequently,.
congress passed an act to establish certain
post routes," extending west of the Neuces.
The country west of that river now con-
stitutes part of one of the Congressional
districts of Texas, and is represented in the
House of Representatives. The Senators
rom that State were chosen by the legisla-
ture in which the country west of that river
was represented. In view of all these facts.
1t is difficult to conceive upon what ground
1t can be maintained that, in occupying the
country west of the Nueces with our army.
with view solely to its security and de-
fence we invaded the territory of Mexico
But it would have been still more difficult to
justify the executive whose duty itwas to
see that the laws are faithfully executed, if
IN the face of all these proceedings, both of
the congress Of Texas and the United States
he had assumed the responsibility of YIELD
ing up the territory west of the Nueces to
Mexico, or ofrefnsing to protect and defend
this territory and its inhabitants, and inclu-
ding Corpus Christi, as well as the remain
der OF Texas, against the threatened Mexi-
can invasion.
But Mexico herselfhas never placed the war which
she has waged upon the ground that our army occupied
the intermediate territory between the Nueces and the
RIO eTande. Herrefuted pretension that Texas was
not In fact an independent State but rebelious prov
ince, obstinately persevered in and her avowed
purpose IN commencing war with the U. States was
to reconluer Texas and to restore Mex can authority
over the whole erritory-not to the Nueces onlv bu
to the Sabine. In view of the proclaimed menaces o.
Mexico to this effect, Ideemed it my duty as measure
OF precautlon and defence, to order to occupy
poslAon on our frontier as a military post, from
winch our troops uld best resist and repel any at
tempted invasion which Mexico might make.
Our army had occupied position at Corpus Christi
west OF the Nueces, as early August 1915, without
complaint from any quarter. Had the Nueces been
regarded as the true western boundary of Texas that
boundary had been passedb our army many months
before 1t advanced to the eastern bank of the Ric
Grande. In my annual message of December last
informed Congress that, upon invitation of both the
Congress and Convention of Texas, had deemed il
proper to order strong squadron to the coast of Mex
leo, and TO concentrate efficient military force on
the western frontier of Texas proectand 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 u States
were accepted by Texas the latter became SO far a
ford such protection and defence and that for that
purpose squadron had been ordered to the Gulf,
and our army to take position between the Neuces
and the Del Nore,' Rio Grande, and to repel any
invasion of the Texan territory which might be at
tempted by the Mexican forces"
1t was deemed proper to issue this rider, because
soon AFTER the President of Texas in April 1s45 had
issued his proclamation, convenlng the Congress of
that republic, for the purpose ofSubmng to that bo
dy the terms of annexation proposed by the u States,
the government of Mexico made serious threats of
invading the Texan territory. These threats became
more imposing it became apparent in the pro-
gess of the question, that the people of Texas would
decide In favor of the terms Enumeration and finally
they had assumed such formidable character, as in
duced both the Congress and Convention Of Texas to
request that military force should be sent by the U.
States into her territory for the purpose of protecting
and defending her against the threatened invasion. 1t
would have been violation ofgood faith towards the
people OF Texas to have refused to afford the aid which
they desired against the threatened nvason to which
they had been exposed by their free determination to
annex themselves to our Union, in compliance with
the overture made to them by the joint resolution of
Congress.
Accordingly. portion of the army was ordered to
ton selected by Gen. Taylor, He encamped at that
place in August 1885, and the army remained in that
position until the 18th Of March, 846 when it moved
westward, and the 2Sth of that month reached the
east bank OF the Rio Grande opposite to Matamoras.
This movement was made in pursuance oforders from
the War Department, issued on the 3th of January,
1885, Before these orders issued, the despatch
ofour Minister In Mexico, transmitting the decision
OF the Council of Government of Mexico, adj
vlsng that he should not be received and also the
despatch Of our Consul residing the city of Mexico
fS-4r. fof,