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

der. because soon afirr. the President oI
Texas. in April. lsi5, hal issued his
proclamation converting the Congress oI
that republic. Tor The purpose of snbmi'-
tiny to lha. body the terms of annexaii N
proposed by the u. States, the govern.
,meni Of Mexico made serious threats ol
invading The Texan territory. These
t';rea.s became more imppsing as il be.
came moro apparent, in the progress 81
the question, tha, the people OF Texas
would decide in favor or accepting the
terms of annexation; and finally, tbs had
assumed such formidable character. rs
induced 10th the G ngress AID C,Lv,n
ton oil Texas 10 request that military
force should be sent bv the UnieI States
inio her territory for the purpose Of FRO.
,ecilng and defending her acains, the
threatened invasion. Il w,ud have beer
a violation Of good faith toward, the peo.
pie OF Texas 10 have refused to ah'rl the
aid which they desired agains, a threaten.
ed invasion. to which they had been ey.
posed by their free determination /, an.
mex themselves to our Union. in compi-
ance with the overture made 10 them b.,
the join, resolution Of Congress.
Accordingly, portion Of the army was
ordered TO advance into Texas. Corpus
Christi was the position selected by Gen
Taylor. He encampad at that place in
August. 1915, and the army remained IN
tha! position until the eleventh Of Nav
l640, when it moved westward. anil
on .he 2S!h Of tina, month reached the
east bank of the Rio Granle. opposite to
Ma!amoros. This movement, was made
in pursuance of orders from the War De-
parImeni. issued on the 18Th Of January.
1916. Before these orders were issued,
The despatch Of our minister in Mexico
transmitting the decision Of the Council
OF Government of Mexico. advising that
he should no; be received and also the
despatch Of our Consul residing in the
CITY OF MeXIco-ihe Gurmer bearing date
on the l7th. and the latter on the 18Th of
December, 1915 copies of both of which
accompanied my message to Congress Of
the lllh OF May lSi-wcre received al
the Department of Safe. These commu
nicallons rendered it h ghly probable, il
no. absolutely certain, that our minister
would no! be received by The Government
of General Herrera. i, was alsl known
that but li!ile hope coull be eu.artaiued
OF different result. from Gen. Paredes, IL
case the revolutionary movement which
he was prosecuting should prove succass-
fat as was highly probable. The part.
Fans Of Pare Is, as our minister in the
despatch referred to, states, breathed the
tlercess hostility against the United States.
denounced the proposed negotiation as
treason, and openly called upon ,he troops
anu the people 10 Pu, down the Govern.
ment of Herrera by force. The recon.
ques. Of Texas and war with the United
States were openly threatened. These
were The circumstances existing, when
II was deemed proper to order The armv
under The command OF Gen. Tay lor to
advance on the western frontier of Tex.
as and occupy position on or near The
rio Grande.
The apprehensi0ns of contemplated
Mexican invasion have been since fully
justified 10y the event. The determine.
lion Of Mexico to rush into hos,ii,es
with the United States was afterwards
manifested from the whole tenor Of the
note OF The Mexican Minister of Foreign
Affairs to our Minister, bearing date on
the l2th MYch, 1916. Paroles had then
revolullonlzed the government, and his
minister, after referring to the resolution
for The annexalio Of Texas, which had
feen adopted by our Congress in March,
1915, proceeds to declare that fact such
as this, or TO speak with greater exact
ness so notable an act Of usurpaion. Gre
a'ed an impsrlous necessity thai Mexico.
Tor her own honor, should -epeI it with
proper frmness anil dignity. The 81.
premc government had beforehand iecllr.
cd TIA, 1t would look upon such an act
as casus 6eW; anl a. consequence
oil this declaration, negotiation was, by its
very nature, at an eAl, and was the only
recourse Of the Mexican government.
II appears. also, that on the fourth Of
April following, General Paroles, through
his minister Of war, issued orders to the
Mexican general in command on the
Texan frontier TO "a,iack" our army "hy
every means which war permits" TO
This General Paredes had been pledge;
10 the army and people of Mexico during
the military revolution which had brouph,
ham into power. Ga the 18Th of April.
1916, General Paroles addressed n letter
TO the commander on that frontier. in
which lie stated to him "a! the prescn,
date | suppose you nj the head of tina,
valiant army, either fighting already, or
preparing for the operations of cam
palgn;" and "supposIng you already on
the theatre Of operations, and with all the
forces assembled, it is indispensable tia,
hoslil'les be commenced, yourself taking
the initiative agains, the enemy"
The movement! Of our army to the Rio
Eranns was made hy the commando,