Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-12-17

and its territory as no part of the territory of
Mexico" Texas had been an independent
State, with an organized Government, delylng
the power of Mexico to overthrow or recon
quer her, for more than ten years before Mex
leo commenced the present war against the U
uited States Texas had given such evidence
to the world of her ability to MAINTAIN her sep
arated existence as an independent nation, that
she had been formally recognized as such, not
only by the United States, but by several of the
principal Powers of Europe. These Powers
had entered into treaties of amity, commerce
and navigation with her. They had received
and accredited her ministers and other diploma
tic agents at their respective courts, and they
had commissioned ministers and diplomatic IL
gents on their part to the Government OF lex
as. If Mexico, Notwithstanding all this, and
her utter inability to subdue or reconquer Tex
as, still stuhbornly refused to recognize her as
an Independent nation, she was none the less so
on that account. Mexico herself had been re-
coguized us an independent nation by the Uni
ted States, and by other Powers, many years be-
fore Spain, of which, before her revolution, she
had been a colony, would agree to recognize
her rs such, and yet Mexico was at that time,
in the estimation of tia civilized world, and in
fact, none tho less an independent Power be-
cause Spain still claimed her as colony. If
| Spain bad continued until the present period to
assert that Mexico was one of her colonies, IN
rebellion against her, this would not have made
her so, or changed the fact of her independent
existence. Texas, at the period of her annex
alton to the United States, bore the same reln-
ton to Mexico that Mexico had borne 10 Spain
for many years before Spain acknowledged her
Independence, with this important difference
that, before the anneXton of Texas to the u
nited States was consummated, Mexico herself,
/ by formal act of her Government, had ac-
| knowledged the Independence Of Texas as ma
| ton. 1t is true, that in the act of recognition
she prescribed condition, which she had no
! power or authority TO impose, that Texas should
not annex herself to any other power ; but this
could not detruct in any degree from the recog-
milton which Mexico then made of her actual
Independence. Upon this plain statement of
facts it is absurd for Mexico to allege as pre-
text for commencing hostiIites against the u
nited States, that Texas is still part of her
Territory.
But there are those who, conceding all this to
he true, assume the ground that the true west
ern boundary of Texas is the Nueces, instead
of the Rio Grande and that, therefore, IN
marching our army to The east back OF the lat
ter river, we passed the Texas line, aud invad-
ed the territory of Mexico. A simple statement
If facts, known to exist, will conclusveiy refute
such assumption Texas, coded to the
| United States hy France in 1903, has been al
ways claimed as extending west to the Rio
Grande, or Rio Bravo This fact is establish
ed by the authority of our most eminent states
men at period when the question was as well
! If not better understood than it is at present.
During Mr.. Jetiersons administration, Messrs.
! Monroe and Pnckney, who had been sent on
special mission to Madrid, charged among 9TH
er things, with the adjustment Of boundary be-
tween the two countries in note addressed to
the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, under
late of the 28th Of January, 1905, assert that
the boundaries Of Louisiana, coded to the
United States by France; are the river Per-
dido, on the east and the river Bravo on the
west )" and they add, that {" the facts and prin-
ciples which justify thi, conclusion are so salts
factory 10 our Government to convince it
that the United States have not a better right
to the island of New Orleans, under the cession
referred to, than they have to the Whole district
Of territory which is above Described"
Down to the conclusion Of the Florida treaty,
in February, 1919, by which this territory was
coded to Spain, the United States asserted and
maintained their territorial rights to this extent
In the month of June, l9l9 during Mr. Mon
ro's administration, Information having been
received that number of. foreign adverturers
had landed at Galveston, with the ayowed pur-
pose Of forming settlement in that vicinity, a
special Messenger was dispatched by the Gov
eminent Of the United States, with Instructions
! from the Secretary Of State to warn them to
desist, should they be found there, " or any
other place north of the Rio Bravo, and within
the territory claimed by the United States.'-
He was Instructed, should they be found in the
country north of that river to make known to
them " the surprise with which the President
has seen possession thus taken, without author
ty from the United States, of place within
their territorial limits, and upon which no law
full settlement eau be made without their sane
lion" He was instructed to call upon them to
" av0W under what national authority they pro-
Tess to act," and to give them due warning
" that the place is within the United States,
who will suffer no permanent settlement to be
made there, under any authority other than
their own" As late as the Slh of July, 1912
the Secretary Of State of the United States, in
il note addressed to our Minister in Mexico,
maintains that, by the Florida treaty of 1919,
the territory as far west as the Rio Grande was
confirmed to Spain. In that note he states that,
" by the treaty of the 22d of February, 1919,
between the United States and Spain, the Sab
inc was adopted as the line of boundary be-
tween the two Powers. Up to that period no
considerable colonization had been effected in
Texas but the territory between the Sabine
and the Rio Grande being confirmed to Spain
by the treaty, applications were made to that
Power for grants of land, and such grants, or
permlsSons of settlement were in fact made by
the Spanish authorities in favor of citizens of,
the United States proposing to emgrate to Tex
as in numerous families before the Declaration
of independence by Mexico"
The Texas which was ceded to Spasn by the
Florida treaty Of 1919 embraced all the country
now claimed by the State of Texas betw cen the
Nueces and the Rio Grande. The republic of
Texas always claimed this river as her western
boundary, and in her treaty made with Sauta
Anna, in May, 1886, he recognized it as such.
BY the constitution which Texas adopted in
March, 1886, senatorial aud representative dis
trcts were organized extending west of the
Nueces. The congress of Texas, on the 10Th
of December, 1886, passed can act to define
the boundaries of the republic of Texas" in
which they declared the Rio Grande from its
mouth to its source TO he their boundary, and
by the said act they extended their " civil and
political Jurisdictions over the country up to
that boundary. During period of more than
niue years, which interviewed between the adop-
ton of her Constitution aud her annexation as
one of the States Of our Union Texas asserted
and exercised many acts of sovereignty and iu-
rsdiction over the territory and inhabitants west
of the Nueces. She organized and defined the
the limits of counties extending to the r Grande.
She established courts of justice and extended
her judicial system over the territory. She es-