Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-12-11

Mexico herself had been recognised as an In
dependent nation by the United States, and by
other Powers, many years before Spain, of
which, before her revolution, she had been a
colony, would agree to recognize her as such,
and yet Mexico was at that time, in the esti-
nation of the civilized world, and in fact, none
the less an Independent power because Spain
still claimed her as colony. If Spain had
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 exis-
| tence. Texas, at the period of her annexation
! to the United States, bore the same relation to
| Mexico that Mexico had borne to Spain for
many years before Spain acknowledged her
independence, with this important difference
| that, before the annexation of Texas to the ..
States was consummated, Mexico herself, by
a formal act OF her government, had acknowl-
edged the independence of Texas as nation.
1t is true, that in the act of recognition she
prescribed a condition, which she had no pow
er or authority to impose, that Texas should
not annex herself 10 any other Power; but
this could not detract in any degree from the
recognition which Mexico then made of hel
actual independence. Upon this plain state
ment Of facts, it is absurd for Mexico to al
lege as a pretext for commencing hostilities a.
gainst the United States, that Texas is still a
part of her Territory.
But there are those who, conceding all this
to be true, assume the ground that the true
western boundary of Texas is the Neuces, in
stead of the Rio Grande and that, therefore
in marching our army to the east hank of the
latter river, we passed the Texan line, and in
vaded the territory of Mexico. A simple state
ment OF facts, known to exist, will conclusive
ly refute such an assumption. Texas, as &C.
lded to the United States.b France in 1903
/ has been always claimed as extending west to
the Rio Grande, or Rio Bravo This fact is es.
/ tablished by the authority of our most eminent
statesmen at period when the question was
as well if not better understood that it is al
present. During Mr. Jefferson's administra-
ton, Messrs. Monroe and Pinckney, who had
been sent on special mission to Madrid, char
ged, among other things, with the adjustment
OF the boundary between the two countries, in a
note addressed to the Spanish Minister of For
eigc Affairs, under date of the twenty-eightf
of January, 1905, assert that the boundaries
of Louisiana, as coded to the United States BY
France, " are the river Perdido on the east &
the river Bravo on the west y and they add
that I" the facts and principles which Justly
this conclusion are so satisfactory to our gov
eminent as to convince it that the u 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 rea-
ty, 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, 1918, during
Mr.. Monroe's administration, information hav-
Ling been received that number of foreign ad-
Iventurers had landed at Galveston, with the a.
vowed purpose of forming a settlement in thai
vicinity, special messenger was despatched
Iby the government of the United States, with
instructions from the Secretary of State to
warn them to desist, should they be found
there g or any other place north of the RiC
Bravo, and within the territory claimed by the
u. States" He was instructed, should the,
be found in the country north OF that river, tC
make known to them Ethe surprise with which
the President has seen possession thus taken
without authority from the United States, of
place within their territorial limits, and upor
which no lawful settlement can be made with
out their SANCTION lis was instructed to cal
upon them to &c avow under what national au
thorlty they profess to act" and to give then
due warning that the place is within the U
States, who will suffer no permanent settle
ment TO be made there, under any authority
other than their own AS late as the eight
of July, 1872, the Secretary of State of the I
> S., in anote addressed to our minister in Mex
leo, maintains that, by the Florida treaty o
1919, the territory as far west as the Ri
Grande was confirmed to Spain In that not
he states that, by the treaty of the twenty
second of February, 1919, between the U. S
and Spain, the Sabine was adopted as the lin
of boundary between the two Powers Up Il
that period, no considerable colonization hal
been effected in Texas; but the territory be
tween the Sabine and the Rio Grande being
confirmed to Spain by the treaty, application
were made to that Power for grants of land
and such grants, or permissons of settlement
. were in fac: made by the Spanish authorize
in favor OF citizens of the United States propo
sing to emigrate to Texas in numerous fami
lies, before the declaration of independence O
Mexico"
The Texas which was coded to Spain b,
the Florida treaty of 1919 embraced all tn
country now claimed by the state of Texas be
, tween the Neuces and the Rio Grande. TIL
republic of Texas always claimed this river a
her western boundary, and in her treaty mad
with Santa Anna, in May, 1886, he recogni
sed it as such. By the constitution whic
0 Texas adopted in March, 1886, senatorial an
: representative districts were organized extend
ing west of the Neuces. The Congress c
> Texas, on the nineteenth of December, 1886
: passed &C An act to define the boundaries {
: the republic of Texas,'' in which they declal
! ed the Rio Grande from it's mouth to its soul
q ce to be their boundary, and by the said az
they extended their &c civil and political iuris
dlction" over the countryup to that boundary
y During period of more than nine year.
5 which INTERVIEWED between the adoption of hi
: lconstitution and her annexation as one of tn
y states of our Union, Texas asserted and exc
II csed many acts of sovereignty and jurisdictio
e over the territory and inhabitants west of tn
e Neuces. She organized and defined the lin
e its OF counties extending to the Rio Grande-
S She established courts Of justice and extende
+ her judicial system over the territory. She e.
L. tablished custom house, and collected autie
+ and also post Offices and post roads, in it,
d She established land Office, and issued n,
/ merous grants for land, within its limits
d senator and representative residing in it we
i elected to the Congress of the republic, ar
IL served as such before the act of annexatic
n took place. In both the Congress and Coz
IL yenton of Texas, which gave their assent
: the terms of annexation to the T. S., propos
;. by our Congress, were representatives residiI
IL west OF the Neuces, who took part in the a
e. of annexation itself. This was the Tex