American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-12-09

'N' ~ hootIIS array dllu SIlGullHn luC DlbOu VI
our citizens.
S Such are the grave causes of complaint on
the part of the United States against Mexico
, causes which existed long before the annexa.
ton of Texas to the American Union; and vet
animated by the love ofpeace, and magnani.
NOUS moderation, VIC did not adopt those mea.
sures Of redress which, under such circumstan-
ces, are the justified resort of injured nations
! The annexation of Texas to the United
States constituted no Just cause Of offence tc
: Mexico. The pretext that it did so is wholly
} Inconsistent and irreconcilable with well au-
. thenticated facts connected with the revolution
: by which Texas became independent Of Next
co. Tint this may be the more manifest, it
may be proper to advert to the causes and to
the history of the principal events Of that rev.
oluton
Texas has constituted portion of the ancient
province Of Louisiana, coded to the United
, States by France in the year 1903. In the
year 1919, the United States, by the Florida
treaty, ceded to Spain all that part of Lousi-
} ana within the present limits of Texas; and
Mexico, by the revolution which separated her
from Spain, and rendered her an independent
nation, succeeded to the rights of the mother
country over this territory. In the year 1924,
Mexico established federal constitution, un-
bNl "ulCl tllO "tAlCuH IcpuDHC WIS composed
OF number of sovereign States, confederated
together in federal Union similar to our own.
Each of these States had lis own Executive,
legislature, and judiciary, and for all, except
federal purposes was as independent of the
general government, and that of the other
States, as is Pennsylvania or Virginia under
our constitution. Texas and Coahuila united
and formed one of these Mexican States The
State constitution which they adopted and
which was approved by the Mexican confGder-
acy, asserted that they were "lree and indepen-
dent Of the other Mexican United States and
of every other power and dominion whatsoev-
err" and proclaimed the great principle of hui
man liberty, that "the sovereignty oi'the State
resides originally and essentially IN the general
mass OF the individuals who compose it," To
the government under this constitution, as well
as to that under the federal constitution, the
people Of Texas owed allegiance.
Emigrants fTsm foreign countries, including
the United States, were invited by the coloni
zaton laws Of the State and Of the Federal 90
Vernment to settle in Texas. Advantageous
terms were offered to induce them to leave
their own country and become Mexican cit-
ZGns. This invitation was accepted by many
Of our citizens, in the full faith that in their
new home they would be governed by laws
enacted by representatives, elected by them
selves, and that their lives, liberty, and prop
erty would be protected by constitutional qua
rantees similar to those which existed in the
republic they had left. Under government
thus organized they continued until the year
1885, when military revolution broke out in
the city of Mexico, which entirely subverted
the federal and state constitutions, and placed
a military dictator at the head Of the govern
ment.
By sweeping decree of Congress subser-
Went to the will of the dictator, the several
State constitutions were abolished, and the
States themselves converted into mere depart
ments Of the Central Government The peo-
Pile of Texas were unwilling to submit 10 this
usurpatIOn. Resistance to such tyranny be-
came high duty. Texas was fully absolved
| from all allegiance to the Central Government
of Mexico from the moment that government
! had abolished her State constitution, and in its
! place substituted an arbitrary and despotic
Central Government.
Such were the principal causes of the Texan
revolution. The people of Texas at once de-
termineu upon resistance, and flew TO arms
! In the midst of these important and exciting
events, however, they did not omit to place
their Liberties upon Il secure and permanent
/ foundation. They elected members to a con-
vention, who, in the month of March, 1886, is.
sued a formal declaration, that their "political
conneXion with the Mexican nation has forever
ended, and that the people of Texas do now
constitute free and independent republic, and
are fully invested with all the rights and attr-
butes which properly belong to Independent
nations" They also adopted for their govern
ment liberal republican constitution. About
the same time, Santa Anna, then the dictator
of Mexico, invaded Texas with numerous ar
my, for the purpose Of subduing her people,
and enforcing obedience to his arbitrary and
despotic government. On the twenty-6rst of
April, 1886, he was met by the Texan citizen
soldiers, and on that day was achieved by
them the memorable victory Of San Jacinto,
by which they conquered their independence
Considering the numbers engaged on the res
pectve sides, history does not record a more
brilliant achievement. Santa Anna himself
was among the captives.
In the month of May, 1886, Santa Anna &C.
ksowlodged, by treaty with the Texan au-
thorties, in the most solemn form, ''the full,
entire, and perfect independence of the republic
of Texas" 1t is true he was then prisoner
o. war, but it is equally true that he had failed
to reconquer Texas, and had met with signal
defeat that his authority had not been revok-
ed, and that by virtue Of this treaty he obtain
ed his personal release. BY it hostilities were
suspended, and the army which had invaded
Texas under his command returned in pursu-
ance ef this arrangement, unmolested, to Mexi-
| CO.
From the day that the battle Of San Jacinto
was fought until the present hour, Mexico has
never possessed the power to reconquer Texas.
Ia the language of the Secretary of State Of
the United States, in despatch to our minis
ter in Mexico, under date of the sth of July,
1912, "Mexico may have chosen to consider,
and may still choose to consider Texas as hav-
ing been at all times since 1885, and as still
world has been obliged to take very different
view of the matter. From the time of the bat