Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-12-10
,e,ween the Sabine and the Rio Craude

gratis of land. and such grants, or per-
missions Of settlement, were in fact made
by the Spanish authorities in favor Of ci,i-
gems Of the United States proposing 10
igrs,e 10 TEXAS in numerous families, be-
fore the declaration Of independence Of
Mexico"
The Texas which was coded TO Spain
by the Florida treaty of 1919, embraced
all the country now Claimed by the State
oil Texas between the Nueces and the Rio
Gfaade. The republic Of Texas always
claimed this river as her western boun-
Diary, aud in her treaty made with Santa
Anna in May. 1886, he recognised il as
such. BY The constitution which Texas
adopted in March, 1886, senatorial and
representative districts we're Organized
extending west ofthe Nleces. The Con-
grrss Of Texas, on the l9,h Of December,
1886 passed IAN act to define the boun-
daries OF the republic Of Texas" in which
they declared the Rio Grande from its
mouth to its source to be their boundary,
aod by the said act they extended their
"civl and political jurisdiction over the
country op to that boundary. During a
period Of more than nine years. which in-
tervened between he adoption OF her con-
s~titution and her annexation as one OF the
States Of our Union. Texas asserted and
exercised many acts Of sovereignty and
jurisdiction over the territory and iuhabit-
ants west of The Nueces. She organized
and defined the limits of counties extend
ing 10 the Rio Grande. She established
courts of justice and extended her judicial
system over the territory. She establish
ed a custom-honse, aud collected duties,
and also post Offices aud post roads, 10 it.
She established a land office, and issued
numerous grants tof land within its limits.
il were elected to the Congress Of the re-
pubic, and served as such before the act
of annexation took place. Ia both the
Congress aud convention Of Texas, which
gave their assent TO the terms Of annexa-
tlon the United States, proposed by our
Congress, were representatives residing
wesl of the Nueces, who took part in the
act Of annexation itself. This was the
Texas which. by the act Of our Congress
of the twenty-ninth of December, lS45,
was admitted as one Of the States of our
Uaion. That the Congress OF the United
States understood The State Of Texas which
they admitted into the Union to extend
beyond the Nueces is apparent from the
fact, that on the thirty-first of December,
1915, only two days after the act Of ad-
mission, they passed a law "to establish a
collection district in the State of Texss,'
bv which they created a por, of delivery
al Corpus Christi, situated vest OF the NJ
ecps, and being the same point al which
the Texas cas,om-house, under the laws
OF that republic, had been located. and d.
reeted that a surveyor to collect the reve-
nue. should be appointed for that port by
the President. by and with the advice aud
consent OF the Senate. a Surveyor vas
a cordIugly nominated and confirmed ty
the Senate, and has been ever since in the
performance ofhiS duties. All these acts
O! The republic Of Texas, add Of our Com
gr">s- preceded the orders for the advance
Of oSr stny 10 the east bau; OF The Rio
& aide. Subsequently Congress passed
q. a t establishing certain post routes,
extending west OF The Nleces. The coun-
tN vest OF that liver now constitutes a
part Of one OF the congressional districts OF
/, xa>, aud is represented ia the House Of
z pteS natives. TIE senators from that
State we're chosen BY a Legislature in which
the country west OF tha, uver VA repre-
seated. la view OF all these tscts, it i,
difficult 10 conceive upon what ground 1t
caa be maintained that. ia occupying the
country west OF the Nueces with oCr ar
NV, with a view SOLELY to its security and
defence, We invaded the territory of Mex
icu. Bu; il would have been still mote
difficult to Justify the Executive, whose
duty is TO see that the laws be faithfully
executed, it ia the face Of all these pro-
cecd,ngS, both Of the Congress OF Texas
and Of the United States. he had assumed
the responsibility of yielding up the terri
rl,oty west oithe Nueces to Mexico. or OF
refusing 10 protect and de.end this terri
tory and rs inhabitants, ~including Corpus
Chn>ti, as well as the remainder ut Texas,
against the t%hrealened Mexican invasion
Bat Mexico herself has never placed
the war Hhich she has waged upon The
ground that our army occupied the inter
mediate territory between the NueceS and
the Rio Grandc. Her r-Iuted pretenston
that Texas was not IN fact an independent
State, bat a rebeiiaus province, was OBJ
slIitelv %perSevered in: aud her avoWrd
ptGpose ~ commencing a wal with the
U0ited States was 10 reconquer TexaS,
and 10 restore Mexican authority over the
whole territory--not TO the Nueces only,
but to the Sabine. In view of the pro-
CLAIMED menaceS of Mexico tn this effect,
deemed 1t MY duty, as a measure OF pre-
caution and defence, 10 order our army TO
occupy a position ON Vel frontier as a mil
itary post, from which our troops could
best resis, and repei any attempted inva-
sion which Mexico might make.
Our army had occupied a position a Corpus
Christi, west of the Nueces, as early as Au-
gust, iS45, without complaint from any quar-
Ter. Had the Nueces been regarded as the
true western boundary Of Texas, that bounda-
~ had been passed By our army many months
before il advanced TO the eastern bank OF the
RIO Grande. In that annual message in De
eember last | informed Congress, that upon
the invitation Of both the Congress and Con
v%ention of Texas, | had deemed it proper toor-
der a strong squadron 10 the coasts Of Mexico,