The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-12-17

- ~ J"".iSc anu SAteHncu her Jutlclal system
o over the territory. She established a custom.
l. house, and collected duties, and also post of.
e fees and post-roads in it. She established
It land office, and issued numerous grants for
e land, within its limits A Senator and Rep.
: Iesentative residing in it we've elected to tho
n Congress Of the republic, and served as such
I, before the act OF annexation took place. In
: both the Congress and Convention of Texas,
J, which gave their assent to the terms Of annexs
alton to the United States, proposed by otf
8 Congress, were representatives residing west
4 OF the Nueces, who took part in the act of an.
t neXaton itself This was the Texas which,
l by the act of our Congress Of the 29th of De-
: Cember, 1916, was admitted rs 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 beyond the Nueces is apparent from
the fact, that on the 3lst of December, l845,
only two days after the act of admission, thew
passed law Ito establish a collection dis
trict in the State Of Texas" by which they
created port of delivery at Corpus Christi,
situated west Of the Nueces, and being at the
same point at which the Texas custom Louse,
under the laws Of that republic, had been To-
Gated, and directed that surveyor TO 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 &C.
cordingly nominated, and confirmed by the
Senate and has been ever since in the performs
ance Of his duties. All these acts OF the re-
public Of Texas, and ofour Congress, proceed.
ed the orders for the advance Of our army to
the East bank of the Rio Grande. Suisse
quently, Congress passed an act establish
ing certain post routes, extending west Of
fba Nuonns Tho 1P 10
now constitutes part of one of the Congress
sional districts Of Texasand is Represented in
the house Of Representatives. The Senators
from that State were chosen by Legislature
in which the country west Of that river was
represented.
Our army had occupied position at Cor.
pus Christi, west of the Nueces, as early as
August, 1916, without complaint from any
quarter. Had the Nueces Leen regarded as
the true western boundary of Texas, that
boundary had been passed by our army many
months before it advanced to the eastern
bank Of the Rio Grande In my annual
message of December last informed Com
gress that, upon the invitation of Texas, l had
deemed it proper to order strong squadron
to the coast Of Mexico, and to concentrate
an efficient military force on the western
frontier OF Texas, TO protect and defend the
inhabitants against the menaced invasion OF
Mexico. In that message ! informed Con-
gress that the moment the terms of annexa-
ton offered by the United States we're ac-
cepted by Texas, the latter became so far
part OF our own country as to make it our Gu
ty to afford such protection and defence and
that for that purpose our squadron had been
ordered to the Gulf, and our army TO take
position between the Nueces and the Del
Norte," or Rio Grande, and "to repel any in
vasion Of the Texan territory which might
be attempted by the Mexican forces"
1t was deemed proper TO issue this order,
because, soon after the President OF Texas
in April, 1s45, had issued the proclamation
converting the Congress of that Republic, for
the purpose Of submitting to that body the
States, the Government of Mexico made
serious threats Of invading the Texan terri
tory.
Accordingly, a portion of the army was or
dered to advance into Texas. Corpus Chris
ii was the position selected by Gen. Taylor.
lie encamped at that place in August, 1s45,
and the army remained in that position until
the eleventh Of March, 1886, when it moved
westward, and on the twenty-eighth of that
month reached the east bank of the lilo
Grande opposite to Matamoras This move.
mcnt was made in pursuance Of orders ficm
the War Department, issued on the tliItieth
of January, 1916. Before these orders we're
issued, the dispatch OF our minister in Next
CO, transmitting the decision Of the Council
of Government of Mexico, advising that lie
should not be received, and also the dispatch
of our consul residing in the city of Mexico
the former bearing date on the 18th and the
latter on the 18th Of December, 1916, copies
of both of which accompanied my message to
Congress Of the 18th OF May last-were re.
ceiyed at the Department Of State. These
communications rendered it highly probable,
if not absolutely certain, that our ninisteE
would not be received by the Cover, nent Of
General Herrera. 1t was also well known
that but little hope could bc entertained OF a
different result from General Paroles, in
case the revolutionary mo, emcnt which Lee
was prosecuting should prove successful, rs
was highly probable The partisans of Pa
redes, as our minister, in the dispatch refer
red to states, breathed the fercest hostility
against the United States, denounced the pro-
posed negotiation as treason and openly CALI
ed upon the troops and the people to put down
the government Of Herrera by force. Tie
re-conquest CT Texas, and war with the United
States, were openly threatened.
1t appears that on the 4th of April, 1916,
Gen. Paroles, through his Minister of War,
issued orders to the Mexican General in coul-
mand on the Texas frontier TO attack" cur
army Shy every means which war permits"
To this General Paroles had been pledged to
the army and people of Mexico during the
military revolution which had brought linn
into power. On the 18th of April, lS46, Gen.
Paredes addressed a letter TO tie Cen manGer
on that frontier,in which he stated to him, "at
the present date / suppose you at tie head CT
that valiant army, either fighting already, or
for the operations of can raign !"
and supposing you already on the theatre Of
operations, and with all the forces assembled,
it is indispensable that bostilities be con.renc