The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-10-15

Il
State, it has very gnorany done. And ignorance and
wickedness go farther than does the Union in call
ing upon the wings not to listen to poje which will dis
member and matilate" sovereign State The boundaries
of Texas, member of this Union have been Sc
lied but most wisely, Congress has declared that those
boundaries shall be arranged by negotiation with Mexico
without consulting her. To this Texas agreed and what
ever she may wish the subject she has right
opinion nj relation to what her boundaries shall be- Such
being the case, insist that the policy of this govern
menr was to accept of Santa Annals offer make the
NneeeS to latitude 81 degrees morrill, and then thai
parallel to the Pacihc the southern boundary between the
United States and Mexco-we, of course insisting upon
every condition of the treaty offered by Mr. Trlst,
the solitary exception Of the line of boundary.
As we have heretofore said the country lying between
the Neees and the Rio Grade is absolutely wortessnot
worth possessing by any naon-and therefore should
have been allowed interfere with the conclusion of
honorable peace.
The argument of this whole passage, coming from
leading wing Journal is well worthy OF attention Stated
in few words it is as follows: "The Rio Grande was
the welsetled boundary of the old province of Texas
1t also the wel:establshed boundary of the ndepend.
ent State of Texas England has recognised it. Our
Congress, both wings and democrats, have adopted it
and therefore, since Congress has reserved itself in the
Resolution of Annexation the right adjust the boundary
OF Texas, ought at the bidding of Mexico, to aban-
don the Rio Grande. which is the boundary, and
adopt the Nueces which is not the true boundary, and
which, being adopted, cuts of part OF sovereign State
which we have admitted into our Union!"
Now, what is this right of negotiation to the bound
airy of Texas left TO Congress by the Resolution of An
nexaton, and which, in the judgment Of the Courier,
makes 1t incumbent upon Congress TO accept from Mex
leo the wrong boundary instead of the right one, and
leaves to Texas no right to opinion in relation to
what her boundaries shall be % The power to settle the
boundaries of Texas given Gin so far as it is conferred
upon Congress by the Resolution of Annexaton) in the
following words Said State TO be formed subject to the
adjustment by this government OF all questions of bound
AIRY that may arise with other governments The Courier
is enrey wrong in asserting that the resolution says ex
pressly anything about "negotiation" The word does
al all in the Joint Resolution in relation to the
boundaries of Texas Still less does the Resolution of
Annexation give any color to the idea that Congress is
authorized under to cut off part of the rghtfu terri
tory OF Texas and substitute wrong boundary for the
right On the contrary the first and enacting clause
of the Joint Resolution is as follows
Resoptd By the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of america IN Congress assembled That Con-
gess doth that the territory property included tein
and righuy belonging to the republic of Teras, may be
erected into State to be called the State of Teras ,ci
republican form Of government be adopted by the peo-
with the consent of the existing government order that
the may be admitted of the States of this
Union.
Most clearly, then, any fair principle of construc-
ton, the power to dust the boundaries of Texas is
given to Congress- subject to this virtual mitaonthat
those boundaries should embrace the teritory properly
included in and rghuly belonging to- the republic of
Texas" 1t this territory which Congress consented
to receive into the Union And this territory on the re-
peated showing of the Courier itself, is the territory
bounded, not by the Nueces, but by the Rio Grande
But says the Courier" the strip of land between the
Nueces and the Rio Grande is not worth having Be it
so. Then is Mexico still less justified in insisting upon
it as her uitmdtum in spirit of menace and bravado,
and it, to carry out her instructions to her commission
treat with us, she were the victorious party and
we the vanqushed Mexico cannot claim that she re-
qures this land to be left vacant for her protection for
she has the protection of mountain desert in the Sierra
Madre the Rio Grande be fixed the boundary But the
"Couriers position TO the value of the land in question
absurd This barren and sandy desert, the Courier
calls it, controls the mouth of the Rio Grande which
it borders Will the Courier deny that the right of navi
eating this river, the main outlet of all that region into
the Gulf of Mexico is without value to those who pos
the territory of its upper watersTexas, and New
Mexico, and Upper California;
Yet after all, the value of the land between the Nue.
and the Rio Grande if greater than it is
is not the real question at issue between us and
Mexico in this matter of the boundary of Texas That
boundary queson-at first question of national right
and of public good faith towards Texas--has become
that has arisen upon ii, question emphat
caly of national honor. On the Couriers own putting
of the case, we, with all the right sde have re-
PEELED Mexican invasion from beyond this rghtful
frontier line of of States; we have since been
rghtiuy prosecuting the war; with view TO its sue
cessfu termination We have forced our enemy 10 give
at least pretended hearing to proered terms of
peace And now the question arises, whether, at the
dictaton Of our enemy, and against our own right we
shall surrender to that enemy the very territory on which
we first made rghtful battle with him, and from which
we rightuly repealed him. So to surrender this land
would be plainly national discontinue and humiliation
1t would be bad faith to Texas 1t would be perversion
Of the right of Congress under the Resolution of Annexa
ton. 1t would sacrifice the chief commercial facility and
advantage of the whole valley Of the Rio Grande 1t
would in word, be gross and fragrant national dis
honor.
Extract ola letter to the Editor from Somerset county,
Pennsylvania
Yesterday great day in Pennsylvania The