Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1846-12-24

Congress expanded her boundary to the RIO
Grande. Conquest aud Treaty are the only
modes by which territory can be transferred
from one nation To another. If 1t could be
done by the mode adopted by Texas, all her
territory would now belong To Mexico, be
cause Mexico has claimed a thousand times,
~ every possible form, and sllll does, the
whole country known as Texas.
These Observations are equally applicable
10 our acts Of Congress. passed since annex
ation,. establishing a port OF delivery at Cor
pus Christi, aud post route or two west OF
the Naeces. This Legislation did not inter
fere with the Mexican people and authorities
seated east of the Rio GraB6e. But, II our
Congress had passed an act in the words Of
the previous &C, OF Texas declaring the RIO
Gronde TO be the western boundary Of Tex.
as, il would neither have strengthened the
right of the United States nor have weaken.
ed that of Mexico. The question of right
would have been left just where II was, and
as II stood before Such is another of the
broken reeds upon which President Polk
leans in this his great strait.
But the President is so hard pressed that
he rather unwi,tngly, il would seem, quotes
this language In reference TO Texas, from
the despatch Of our Secretary of State in
1872 to our Mia,sterin Mexico "Praciically
free and independent, acknowledged az a
political sovereignty by The principal Pow.
crs of The world, no hostile foot resting ,ciihin
her (7trdsl terriiory /or SIR or seren gears,
and Mexico herse. reirainlng for all that
period from any further attempt to re-es,ab-
lish her own authority ever that territory
&c. This is testimony adduced by the Pres
ideu, hlmself and. although it may prove
that Texas was independent, it establishes
concluslvely that, in the judgment Of the
then Administration, Texas did not extend to
the Rio Grande, or include all the Mexican
towns and people east Of il, from Santiago
along its whole course to the cities OF Santa
Fc, Tons and upward.
But the President in this Message protests
that he could not assume "lhe responsibility
of yielding up the territory west Of the Nue.
ces to Mexico, or refusing 10 protect and de-
fend this territory and its inhabitants,
inc udlng Corpus Christi, as well as The
remainder Of Texas, against the threaten.
cd Invasion" TO which il is enough to
reply that General TAYLoR's post at Corpus
Christi protected amply every Texan settler
west of the Nueces, and the Presiden, will
not say to the contrary. Mexico made no
Taylor was in full march to the Rio Grande.
II was not until her own people and aulhorl-
ly on the Rio Grande were invaded by the
army under his command that she prepared
for resistance and to defend them The
President was not required even by Mexico
to yield up any territory but OF his own
will, and whilst Congress was in session, he
marched our army into country where the
f. l..l N.,,
to be defeated he, upon his own mere au
lhority, invaded country that was and ever
had been in the full possession Of Mexico,
and expelled her officers and laws from it by
force of arms.
Thus began the War.
The true issue, therefore, between the
President and the People is not whether there
existed, prior to the year 1915, as the Presl
dent now argues, jnsli6able cause Of war;
bu, whether he, the President had consttu-
uonal power to determine that question.
much less to act as he did upon that determi-
nation. The question OF the sufficiency Of
cause for war was one for Congress, and
not Tor the resident, to decide. Congress
was IN session when the order was expcdi.
ted for the march Of the Army to the Rio
Grande, and upon that decisive and concu.
sive step the President failed in his duty to
ask the sanction OF the Constitutional authori-
~.
To the Government Of Mexico, end as be-
tween that Government and the United States
It 10 Of little consequence hoi0 the war was
brought on. The war now exists, and must
be fought out, unless the Almighty shall
breathe into the councils OF both countries al
once the spirit Of peace. But, as between
the President and the People Of the United
States, it 10 of infinite consequence to know
for what purpose, and with what utertor OBJ
jecis, this war is to be further prosecuted.
"'rhe war has not been wagod in the spri;
of conquest" So says the Message and, If
the declaration of the Message were not
contradcted by notorious facts, we should
most sinc erely rejoice IN it. But have we
no, before US the rescHps Of our Military
and Naval Commanders, openly and officially
proc claiming The contrary !? Did no, General
KEARNEY, on taking possession Of Santa Fe,
publicly announce his "intention to hold
the Department of new Mexico as part of
The United States, and under the name OF the
TERRITORY of .Ne,o .Merico ?' Did he not al
so issue another ukase 10 which. "by Iuihor
iiy of The President Of the United States. ="
he announced the establishment of Civil
Government for "the Territory" thus annex
ed by proclamation, inc ludlDg an entire judi.
cial system, as well as n Governor, Secretary,
&c dating the same Sat Santa Fe, the cap
i,al Of the Territory Of New Mexico, in the
seventy. first year of the Independence Of the
United States?" II this be not acquisi,ion,po-
lllical and territorial annexation, as well'as
conquest, what can constitute II /? And so.
in the case of California and Commodore
SToCKToN. from whose first proclamation,
signed by him as "Commander.in-chle and
Governor ofthe Territory Of California and
dated City Of the Angels. California, Au-
gust IL, 1916" we extract the following en-
tire paragraphs;
"I'he flag of the United States is now fly
ing from every commanding position in the
Territory, and California is entirely free
from Mexican dominion.
"The Territory Of California NOW BE-
LONGS TO TIE UNITED STATES, and will be
governed, az soon as circumstances may per.
mi. by officers and laws similar TO those by
which The other territories of The United .Siaies
are regulated aud protected"
IL may not be amiss, in the same connec.
ton, to remind the reader of the letter Of
authority and instructions given by the Sec.
retary OF War to Colonel J. ID. Stevenson, of
thn .E hn ,,,n