Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1846-12-23

lufISu Ctlon over Tue territory ana nnaUl
tants west of the Nueces. She organized
and defined the limits of counties extend
ing TO The Rio Graude. She established a
cus!om-house and collected duties, and also
posi- Offices and post roads, in it, She cs>
iablished land Office, and issued numer.
Gus grants Tor land within its limits. =
senator and q Representative residing with.
in it were elec.ed to thcCongress fthe Re
publ C, and served as such bcfole the act
Of ann, xa;on took place. In bo:h The con-
gress and Convention Of Texas which gave
their assent TO The terms Of annexation to
the United States, proposed by our Con-
gress, were representatives, residing west
OF The Neuces, who took part in the act OF
annexation itself.
'Rhis was the Texas which, by the 1ct of
cur Congress of the ooh December, 1915,
was admitted as one Of The states OF our
Union. That the Congress OF the United
States understood the state of Texas which
they admitted into the Union 10 extend be
yond the Neuces in apparent from the fact,
tha, on the thirty first OF December, l945.
only two days after the act OF admission
they passed law 10 establish a collection
district in the State of Texas by which
they created a poTt Of delivery at Corpus
Chrisli, siluIted west of the Neuces, aud
being The same point nj which the Texas
custom house, under The laws OF that Re-
public, had been located, and objected that
a suryeyor TO collect the revenue should be
appointed for tia; port by The President, by
aud with the advice of the Senate. sur
veyor was accordingly nominated and con-
filmed by the Senate, and has been ever
since in The performance Of his duties
All these acts The Republic Of Texas, and
OF our Congress, proceeded the orders ioI
the advance OF our amy 10 The cast BANK
Of the Rio Grande. Subsequently. Con.
g,ess passed an act establishing certain post
rou,es,' extending west of the Neuccs.-
The country west Of that river now cons,i-
,u!es part Of one Of ihe Congressional DIS
tricts OF Texas, and is represented in The
House of Representatives. The Sen1tors
Gom that State were chosen by a Legisla-
ture in which the country west OF that riv-
er was represented. In view of all these
facts, it is difficulties locomotive upon what
ground il can be mainl lined iha'. IN occu.
pyng the coantly west Of the Nuecos with
our army, with view solely 10 lis security
and defence, we invaded the Territory OF
Mexico. But it would have been still more
difficult to Justify the Executive, whose du.
~ II is 10 see that the lJws be faithfully ex
eculcd, if in the face Of all these procee
dlngs both ofthe Congress Of Texas and of
the United States, he had assumed the he
spoons bIIy Of Yielding up the territory west
Of The Nueces To Mexico, or Of rctdS NJ TO
pro ect and defend this territory and lis IN
habilenis, including Corpus CArstl, as well
as the remainder of Texas, against the
threatened Mexican invasion.
But Mexico herself has never placed the
war which she has wagel upon the ground
that our army occupied the intermediate
territory Between the Neuces and The Rio
Grande. Her re(uted pretenSon that Tex
as was not in fact an independent State,
but rebelious province, WAS obsina,eIy
persevered in; and her avowed purpose in
commencing war with the United
States was TO rocorquer Texas, and
10 restore Mexican authority over the
whole terrilory--not TO the Neuces only,
but to the Sabine. In view Of the procla-
med menaces Of Mexico % this effect, |
deemed ii my duly, as q measure OF pre-
caution and defence, TO order our army 20
occupy position on our frontier as mil
itary post, from which our troops could
best res st and repe any attempted inva-
sion which Mexico ght make.
Our army had occupied position at Cor
pus Chrs,. west Of the Nueces, as carly
as August, IS45, without complaint from
any quarter Had the Neuces been rcgar
ded rs the true western boundary Of Tex
as, that boundary hid been passed by our
army many months before il advanced TO
the els .crn bunk Of The Rio Grande. In
my annual add ess Of December last, | in.
formed Congress thIt upon the invitation
of both Congress and Convention Of Tex
as had deemed ii proper TO order strong
squadron 10 the coasts Of Mexico, and to
concentrate an efficient military force on
the western frontier Of Texas, to protect
and defend the inhabitants against the me
ne ced invasion OF Mexico. In that mes,
sage informed Congress that the moment
the terms o. annexation offe red by the u.
S. were accepted by Texas, the Latter be
come So far Il part OF our own country as
TO make il our duty to afford such plotec-
ton and defence; and that for that purpose
our squadron had been ordered 10 the Gulf.
aud our army to "take n position between
the Neuces and Del Nortc,' or Rio Grande
aud TO repel any invasion Of The Texan
Territory which might be attempted by The
Mexicah forces.
1t was deemed proper 10 issuethis order
because, soon after tie Preslden, Of Texas
in Apr lS45, had issued hs proclam,tio
converting he Congress OF that republic, tor
the purpose OF submit ting 10 iht body the
terms Of annexltion, proposed by the I'm
ted States, the government Of Mexico made
serious threats Of invading The Tex an ter.
ritorv. These threats became more im>
POSING as 1t became more apparent IN the
progress of the question, that the people of
Texls would decide in flvor of accepting
the terms of annexation. and finally, they
had assumed such formidable character
rs induced both the Congress and Conven-
ton uf Texas 10 request that military
force should be sent by the U. States n o
her Territory for he purpose of proiec ing
and defending her ag inst The threatened
invasion. II would have been viola ion