The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-12-26
The Boundary of Texas---The
cause of the War.

The President, in his message, labors hard
to prove the Rio Grande the western bounda.
ry ofTexas, and thereby to clear his skirts of
counting the war with Mexico. Col. TIL
Benton has thrown some light upon this sub.
iect-Whilc the Tyler treaty was pending IN
the Senate of the United States, Mr. Benton
submitted to that body a resolution, affirming
"That the incorporation of the left bank
of the Rio del Norte Rio Grande) into the A.
merican Union, by virtue ola treaty with
Texas, comprehending as the said incorpor
alton would do, part of the Mexican de-
partmenls ofNew Mexico, chihuahua, COah.
niIa. and Tamaulpas, WOULD BE AN ACT
OF DIRECT AGGRESSION ON MEXICO,
for all the consequence Of lohicl, the United
States would stand Irresponsible"
Yet this is precisely what President Polk
did, without the authority of Congress, and
indeed in opposition to the spirit ifnot the
language of the annexation resolution adopt
ed by that body--and it is for this that we
hold him irresponsible" to the country. which
by that unauthorized and Unconstitutional
he has involved in an expensive and bloody
war.
In his speech against the Treaty, and ia
vor of the above Resolution, Mr. Benton drew
the distinction between the old Spanish Tex
as, which he asserted we should ultimaey
and rightly have, and the false Texas, whi&
pretended to bound itself by the Rio Grande.
After describing the numerous .Nerican towns
and cities on the Rio Grande, he goes on
denounce the attempt ut "spollatlon ana ROB
berry" in the following indignant terms.
| In addition to the old Texas; these parts Of
four States-these towns and villnges-these
people and territory-these fiocks ard heards
this SLICE of the Republic of Mexico, two
thousand miles long, and some hundred broad
all this our President has cut off from its
mother empire, and presents TO us, and de-
clares it is ours till the Senate rejects it, tie
! calls it Texas! and the cutting off nc calls n.
| anneXation. Humbolt calls it New NeXlC
chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo San lander
NOW Tamnulipas:)nnd the civilized world
NAV qualify this re annexation by the appli-
cation of some odous and terrible epithet.
| Demosthenes advised the people OF Athens
not TO take, bur to re take n certain city; and
| i'm that re laid the virtue which saved the act
! from the character ofspoliation and robbery
| viii it be equally potent win us' ana III
that re, prefiXed to the annexation, Legitimate
the seizure oftwo thousand miles ola neigh
boris dominion, with whom we have treaties
of peace, and friendship, and commerce
viii it legitimate this seizure, made by VIZ
tue ola treaty with Texas, when no TeM
f0rce-witness the disastrous expeditions
Mierand to Santa Fe have been near it with
out being killed or taken 10 the last MANI
And in another passage, see how he speaks
of the crime and iydmy" # "dismemberng the
Mexican Republic"
o these two Texases, go for the recover,
of the old one, and all the dismembereO
part OF the valley ofthc Mississippi between
the Red river and the Arkansas. go iol
this recovery whenever it can be made with
out the crime and infamy of unjust war
the first denouucer ofthc treaty OF lol9-
the first advocate for the recovery of Texas
the consistent, uniform, and disinterested ad
vocate for this recovery;I go for it whenlt car
be accomplished without crime and iniam
ms declared in the third resolution which
have submitted; and wash my hands otaI
attempt to dsmember the Mexican republ,E
by Selling dominions in New Mexico, Chm
uahua, Conhuila, aud Tnmaulipas.