The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-12-25

VI inutI iSUieHtC " htAlCD.
The Texas which was ceded to Spain
w the Florida Treaty &c 1919, embraced
all the country nav claimed By the State
Of Texas between the NueceS and the
Rio Grande. The r'puhic Of Texas al
WAYS claimed this river as r western
boundary, and in her treaty made with
Santa Anna IN May, 1886, he recognized
il as such. Hy the constitution which
Texas adopted in March, 1886, senalori-
al and representative districts were or
g,nized, extending west Of the Nueccs.
The Congress Of Texas, on the 10Th Of
December, 1885, passed An act 10 deline
the boundaries Of the republic Of Texas,
in which they declared the Rio Grande
from lis mou,h to its source to be their
boundary, and b. the said act they ex-
teNded their civil and political jurisdic-
ion' over the country w to that bouuda-
ry. During period Of more than nine
wears, which interviewed between the o.
Anptiun Of her constitution and her an
nexa.ion as one the States Of our Union,
Texas asserted and exercised many acts
Of sovereignty and jurisdiction over the
territory and Inhabitants west Of the Nue..
ces, She organized and defined the lin
its Of counuc. extending 10 the Rio
Grande. She established a custom-house,
and collected duties, and also pos, offices
and post roads. in il. She established a
land office, and issued numerous grants
for lands, within iIs limits. 4 senator
and representative residing in il were
elected u the Congress OF the Republic,
and served as such before the act Of an
neXaiion took place. In bo,h the Con
gress and Convention Of Texas. which
gave their assent to the terms of anncXa-
ton to tie U. States proposed by our
Congress, were repres, natives residing
west of the Nucces, who took part in the
act Of annexation itself. This was the
rcxas which. by the act Of our Congress
Of the 30 Of December. 1915, was adj
milted as one &C the States Of orr Union.
That the Congress Of the L. s. under.
stood the Stale Of Texas which they adj.
miued into the Uaion 10 extend beyond
the Nucces, is apparent from the fact.
that on the 3lst Of December, 1915, only
two days after the act Of admission, they
passed law 'to establish a collection dis
lrici in the State Of Texas, by which they
created pert Of delivery at Corpus Chris
ii, situated west Of the Nueccs, and be.
ing the same point a; which the Texan
under the laws of that re-
public, had been located, and directed
that surveyor 10 collect The revenue.
should be appointed for that port by the
President, by and with the advice and
consent Of the Senate. A surveyor was
accordingly nominated and confirmed by
the Senate, and has been ever since in tho
performance Of his duties. All these
acts OF the republic Of Fexas, and OF our
Congress, preceded the orders 70! the al
vance Of our army TO he east bank Of the
Rio Grande. Subsequently, Congress
passed an act, establishing certain post.
extending west of the Nueces.
The country west Of that river now
constitutes part Of one Of the Congress
ional districts Of Texas, and is represent
ed in the House Of Representatives. The
Senators from that State were chosen by
a legislature in which the country west
of that river was represented, In view
of all these facts, it is difficult 10 conceive
upon what ground it can be maintained
that, in occupying the country west OF
the Nueces with our army, with view
solely to i;s security and defence, we in
vaded the territory Of Mexico. But it
would have been still more difficult to
justify the Executive, whose duty i! is to
see that the laws be faithfully executed,
il, in the face Of all these proceedings,
both Of the Congress OF Texas and Of the
United States, lie had assumed the re.
'ponsibiity of yielding up the territory
west OF The Nueces to Mexico, or Of re-
fusing TO protect and defend this territory
and its Inhabitants, including Corpus
Christi, as well as lhe remainder of Tex
as, agains! the threatened Mexican inva.
SION.
Bu, Mexico herself has never placed
The war which she has waged upon the
ground that our army occupied the inter
mediate territory between the Nueces and
the Rio Grandc. Her reruted pretension
that Texas was not in fact an indepen-
dent State, but a rebelious province, was
obstinaiely persevered it; and her avow-
ed purpose, in commencing a war with
the u. Staas was TO re-conquer Texas,
and TO restore Mexican authority over the
whole icrritory-not TO the Nueces only,
but TO the Sabine. in view Of the pro-
claimed mcnaccs Of Mexico TO this effect,
| deemed it my duty, as measure Of pre-
caution aud defence, to order our army to
occupy position on our lroler as a mil.
itary post, from which our troops could
bes, resist and repel any attempted iuya.
sion which Mexico might make.
Our army Rad occupied position at
Corpus Christi, wr,; Of the Nueces, as
early as August, 1916, without PLAIN;
from any quarter. Had the Nueces been
regarded as the true western boundary Of