The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-12-19

litical sovereignty by the principal powers OF
the world, no hostile foot finding rest within
her territory for six or seven years, and MeXi'
co Notwithstanding for all that period from
any further attempt 70 reestablGsh her own
authority over thai territory, It cannot but DC
surprising 10 find Mr. dc BocanegTa, the sec
rotary of foreign affairs ofMexlco) complain
ing that for that whole period citlzens OF the
o. States, or its government, have been favor
ing the rebels of Texas, and supplying them
with vessels, ammunition and morley, as the
war for the reduction of the province ofTex-
us had been constantly prosecuted by Mexico
and her success prevented by these influen-
ces from abroad" In the same despatch the
secretary of state afiirms that "since 1887 the
| u. States have regarded Texas ns an indie
pendent sovereignty as much as Mexico; and
! thai trade and commerce with citizens OF a
government at war with Mexico cannot, on
! that account, be regarded as an intercourse
by which assistance aud succor are given 10
| Mexican rebels. The whole current of MIR
de Bocanegra's remarks runs in the same di-
rection, rs ifthe independence ofTeXas had
not been acknowledged. Ii has been ac-
! knowledged-it was acknowledged IN 1857
against the remonstrance aud protest oi'MeX-
leo; and most ofthe acts, of any Importance,
of which Mr. dc Bocanegra complains, flow
] necessarily lTOIl llul hAS opNNnS
of Texas as still being ian integral part OF
the territory ofthe Mexican repubic:' but he
cannot but understand that the U. States do
not so regard it. The real complaint OF Mex
leo, therefore, is, in substance, neither more
nor less than complaint against the recog-
milton of Texan independence. IL may be
thought rather late to repeat that complaint,
aud not quite ust to confine ITO the United
States, to the exemption of England, France
and Belgium, unless the United States, having
been tire first to acknowledge the indepen-
dence of Mexico herself are TO be blamed for
setting an example for the recognition that
of Texas" And he added, thut "the constl-
tuition, public treaties, and the laws oblige the
President to regard Texas as an independent
state and its territory as no part OF the terri
tory of Mexico" Texas had been an inde-
pendent state, with an organized government
defying the power of Mexico to overthrow
or reconquer her, for more than ten years be-
fore Mexico commenced the present war u
gainst the U. States. Mexico herself had
been recognized MS an independent nation by
the U. States, aud by other powers, many
wears before Spain, of which, before her rev.
2lution, she had been colony, would ngree
o recognize her as such, and yet Mexico
was at that time, 10 the estimation of the civ
liked world, aud in fact, hone the less an in
denendent power because Spain still claim
ed l,cr as colony. IfSpain had continued
until the present period to assert that Mexico
was one other colonies in rebellion against
her, this would not have made her so, or
changed the fact other independent exis-
tence.
Texas, at the period of her annexation to
the Unit ed States, bore the same relation to
Mexico that Mexico had borne to Spain for
4 oclnntuIaArnl bos
Independence, with This important difference
that, before the annexation Of Texas to the
United States was consCmmuted, Mexico
herself bv formal act of her government,
had acknowledged the independence of Tex
as as n nation. Il is true thatin the act of
reco rntion she prescribed condition, which
she had no power or authority to impose, that
Texas should not annex herselfto any other
power: but this could not in any degree de-
tract from recognition which Mexico then
made of her actual independence. Upon
this plain statement of facts, il is absurd for
Mexico to alege ms preteXt for commence
ing hostities against the United States, that
re yas is still a part other territory.
BIT there are those who, conceding all this
to be true, assume the ground that the true,
ives teru boundary of Texas is the Nueees,in-
stead of the Rio Grande: and that therefore,
in marching our army to the cast bank OF the
latter river, we passed the Texan line and
invaded the territory ofMexico. A simple
statement of facts, known to exist, will con-
clusivelv refute such an assumption Texas,
as ceded TO the United States by France in
1903, has been always claimed as extending
west to tile Rio Grande or Rio Bravo. The
fact is established by the authority of our
most eminent statesmen AT period when the
question was as we'll ifnot better understood
than il is at ptesent. During Mr. Jetferson's
administration, Messrs. Monroe and Pickney,
who had been sent on special mission TO
Madrid, charged among other things with
the adjustment of boundary between the two
countries. 10 note addressed 10 the Spanish
minister of Foreign Affairs, under date of
the 2Sth of January, 1905, asserted that the
boundaries of Luisiana, ms coded TO the U.
Suites hy France, "are river Perdido on the
east, and the river Bravo on the vest" and
thew add that the "facts and principles which
Justify this conclusion are so satisfactory TO
our government as to convince it that the
United States have not better right TO the
Island ofNew Orleans, under cession referr-
ed to, than they have to the whole district of
territory which is above described"
Down to the conclusion of the Florida
treaty, in February 1919, by which the ter
ritory was ceded to Spain, the United States
asserted and maintained their territorial
rights to this extent. In the month of June
1918, during Mr. Monroe's administration, in.
70 rmation having been received that n number
of foreign adventures had landed at Calves.
ton, with the avowed purpose of forming 1
setten1ent in that vicinity, special mes sen
ger was despatched by the government of
the United States, with instructions from the
Secretary of State TO warn them to desist
should they be found there, cor any othe
place north ofthe Rio Bravo, and within thu
territory claimed by the United States" III
was instructed, should they he found in tn,
I .or,,r,, north of that river. TO make known Il