Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-12-11

ed her independence, with this important difier- |
ce--lhal, before the annexation oil Texasto me |
United States was consummated, Mexico herself
by formal acl OF her Government, had acknow-
lodged the ndepende of Texas as a nation
II is true that in The ACT OF recognition she pre-
scrbed a condition which she had no power or
authority 10 impose, that Texas should not annex
herselflo any other Power; but This could not de-
tract in any degree from the recognition which
Mexico then male Of her actual independence -
Upon this plain statement oil facts, il Is absurd Tor
Mexico 10 allegc, rs pretext Tor commencing
hostiies 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 West
ern boundary OF Texas Is The Nueces, instead oil
the Rio Grande; and that. therefore, in marching
our army TO the East bank OF The latleT river, We
passed The Texan line, aEd invaded The territory
OF Mexico. A simple statement Of facts, known
TO exist, will conclnsvely refu,e such an assumP-
ton. Texas, as coded 10 The United States by
France in 1903 has been always claimed as tx.
tending West 10 The Rio Grande or Rio Bravo
This fact is established by the authority OF our
most eminent statesmen al period when The
question was az we'll ii NOT better understood Than
il is at present, During Mr.. Jederson's admins
lralion, Messrs. Monroe and Pincknev, who had
been senl on n special mission 10 Madrid,
charged, among other things, with the adjustment
Of the boundary between the two countries, in
note addressed 10 The Spanish Minister OF 70.
reign Affairs, under date OF The lwenty-eishth OF
January, 1906 assert that thr boundaries oil Lou
isiana, as ceded 10 the United States by France,
"are the river Perdidu on the East, and The river
Bravo on the Wesl;' and they add hat "lle facts
and principles which justify this conclusion are
50 satisfactory To our Government rs To convince
il that The United States have not better right
10 the island OF New Orleans, under the cession
referred 10, than they have TO the whole district oil
territory which is above described"
Down to The conclusion Of The Florida treaty,
| in February, 1919, by which the territory was
coded 10 Spain, the United States asserted and
maintained their territorial rights 10 this extent
In The month Of June 1918, during Mr.. Mon
toe's administration, Information having been re.
ceyed hat number Of foreign adventures had
landed al Galveston, with the avowed purpose oi
forming settlement in that vicinity, special
messenger was despatched BY The Government OF
lhe United States, with instructions from The Sc
crclary OF State, 10 warn them TO desist, should
they be found there, "or any other place North oil
the Rio Bravo, and within the territory claimed
By The United States He was instructed, should
l6ey be found in The country North Of that river,
10 make known to them 'the surprise with which
The President has seen possession thus taken,
without authority from the United States, u
place within their territorial limits, anu upon
which no lawful settlement can be made with
out their sanction" lie was instructed 10 call
upon them to "avow under what national autho-
rity lhey profess 10 acl," and To give them che
warning, chat the place is within the United
States who will suffer no permanent settlement
! 10 be made there, under any authority other imam
| their own, As late "a he eighth OF July, 1912,
The Secretary OF Stale Of HI United States, in
no:c addressed 10 cur minister in Mexico, main
tains that BY the Florida treaty oil 1917 Inc teTIl-
tory as far West as The Rio Gfande was confirm
ed 10 Spain. In that mole he states that, by The
treaty. Of the twenty. second ui FehiuaIy 1919,
between the Unrd States and Spain, The Sabine
wa> adopted as the line 81 boundary between the
,wo powers. Tn 70 ihat period, no considerable
colonization had been effected in Texas; bni the
territory between the Sabine ,.li The Rio Grande
D, ing conf med IL Sra? IL the treaty, anpilca-
lions were made Ia that power Tor grants oil land,
and such grants, or permlsSions ol settlement,
were in fact made By the Spanish authorities in
! favor OF citizens al the United States proposing
10 emisraie 10 Texas in numerous families before
tho declaration Of lie independence Of Mexico"
The Texas which was coded ~ Spain by the
! Florida treaty If 1919, embraced all the country
now claimed By the Stale Of Texas between The
| Nueces and the Rio Grands. The Republic oil
| Texas always claimed This rlveras her Western
boundary and in her treaty made with Santa
Anna in May, 1885, he recognized ii as SUCH
By the Constitution which Texas adopted in
March, 1876 senatorial and representative dis.
tricts we're organic extending West of The Nue.
ces TIE Congress Of Texas, on The 10Th of De-
cember, 1896 passed "An act 10 define The boun-
diaries OF The Republic OF Texas" in which they
declared The Rio Grande from its mourn 10 lis
source 10 be their boundary, and by The said act
they extended their "civi and political juriscic
| ton" over the country up 10 that boundary
| During period oil more than nine years, which
| interviewed between The adoption OF her Constitu
| ton and her annexation As one OF The States oil
our Union, Texas asserted and exercised many
acts of sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Terri
tory and inhabitants w est OF The NueceS. She
organized and defined he limits OF counties ex-
tending to The Rio Grande She established courts
Of Justice, and extended her ju iciaI system over
The territory. She established cusiom-house,
and collected duties and also post Offices and post
roads. in il. She established land office, and
issued numerous grants for land within lis Limits
A senator and representative residing in il were
elected 10 the Congress of The Republic, and seTv-
ed as sueh before The act Of annexation took place
In both the Congress and Cotvca ion ul Texas,
which gave their assent 10 the terms of annexa
ton 10 The UniIed States proposed by our Con-
cress, were representatives residing West OF The
Nueces, who look parl in The &C; Of annexation
itself. This was the Texas which, by The act
oil our Congress OF The twenty-ninlE OF Decem.
Der. lSi5, was admitted as one o! the States
OF our Union. That the Congress Of The Uni.
| led States understood he Stale al Texas which
they admitted into lie Union 10 ex.:ad beyond
the Nasccs, is apparent from he laet. 'ost on
The ,hrty.frst of Decenibe7, 1919, oCy to days
alter The act Of admission, they passed law 10
establish collection district in the Sale OF Tex
as" by which they created port OF delivery al
| Corpus Christi, situated wesi Of the Nncces, and
being the same point al which The Texas CUSTOM
| house under the laws Of that republic, had been
located and directed that sufyeyoriU collect The
revenue should be appointed ior that port by The
| President, by and with The advice and consent OF
The Senate. 4 surveyor was accordingly nomi-
mated and confirmed by The Senate, and has been
ever since in The performance OF his duties. All
these acts Of The republic OF Texas, and OF our
| Congress preceded The orders for The advance OF
| our army 10 the east bank Of The Rio Grande.-
Subsequently, Congress passed an ACT Establish
| ing certain post routes" extending west OF The
Nuecrs. The country west of that river now
constitutes part Of one OF the congressional dis
tricts Of Texas, and is represented IN The House
| of Representatives. The Senators from that State
we're chosen by Legislature in which he coun-
ry west OF Thai river was represented In view Of all
| these facts it is difficult To conceive upon what
ground II can be maintained that, in occupying the
! country west OF The Nueces with our army, with
view solely TO lis security and defence, we in.
vadcd the territory OF Mexico. But il would
have been sill more difficult 10 jnsify The Execn-
i've. whose duty il is To see that The Laws be faith
fully executed ii in The face n all these proceed
ines, both oil The Congress OF Texas and oi The
Unisd States, he had assumed the responsibility
of Welding up The territory west OF The Nueces 10
Mexico, or OF refusing 4 p o'ect and defrnd This
Territory and its Inhabitants, including Corpus
Christi, as well As ths remainder oil Texas,
against the lhr, alened Mexican Invasion.
But Mexico herself has never placed the war
which she has wa.ed upon The g onnd lhal our
army occupied the Intermediate territory between
the Nueces and The Rio Grande. Her refuled
rrelension That Texas was not in fact an indie
penden, State, hut rebellous province, was OBJ
slinalcy persevered in; and her avowed purpose
in commencing war with The United States was
10 reconquer Texas, ard TO restore Mexican au-
,hory over the whole territory not 10 the Nueces
ONLY, but 10 The Sabine. In view Of The proclaim
Ell inenaces Of Mexico 10 This effect, deemed il
a