Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1847-01-07

immed lately upon annexation march our |
army uron Santiago break up the Mexican |
custom house there, and drive her officers,
laws and authority from the soil of the
United States? Why should he delay this
work for months, if he was so urgently i'm.
PEELED by his oath and duty? Santa Fe, too,
the capital of New Mexico, was some miles
within the United States, according to his
present position. 1t was the seat Of for.
eign conflicting Government, which was
then maintaining an adverse rule over
about as many MIxican towns cities and
people east Of the Rio GIande as there were
in the entire country between that river and
the the Sabine which acknowledged the ju-
risdiclion Uf Texas II the lower part of
that stream was the boundary of the United
States on the annexat of Texas, accord
ing to his own position the river was con-
tinualion of the same boundary line to its
source. If he was bound as President TO as
sert the jurisdiction of the United States,
and execute their laws at Santiago, was lie
! not under a stronger obligation 10 expel
foreign Government from Santa Fe and to
reduce that capital and all its dependencies
I under our laws and authority? Yet this
! he never attempted or dreamed Of until Con
gress recognized the unconstitutional war
! which he had commenced. In such diff.
culties does departure from principle in
! volve men.
"'Texas, as coded to the United States by
France, in 1903, has been always claimed
as extending West to the Rio Grande, or the
Rio Bravo" says the Message. Now,
France never coded Teras to the United
States at all she coded LOUISIANA which, the
United States commended, included all the
county between the Mississippi River and
the Rocky Mountains from the source Of
that river to the Rio Grande. The state
ment that France ceded to the United States
Texas. 60 nomine, can have no other effect
than to produce false impression upon the
public mind. Spain always controvered
the position that Louisiana extended to the
Rio Grande. But that is neither the main
nor a collateral question in this matter; it
is only thrown in to distract and to lead the
mind from the true points. Louisiana and
Texas once had a common recognized boun-
Diary, and that was the River Nueces. The
query, however, is as to the boundary of
Texas. Spain owned and was possessed Of
Louisiana, which she ceded to France by the
treaty of October, 1900. Before this ces-
sion she was undisputed soverein of Louis
lana, of Texas, New.Mexico, and all the
other provinces of Mexico. She held and
possessed them all by certain and definite
boundary, and the Western line of Texas,
in which she made settlements more than
century ago, was the River Nueces. Her
ancient, first and only capital of New-Mexi-
co continued to be Sante Fe, which it |
could not have been had the province of
Louisiana extended to the Rio Grande AZ
ter she ceded Louisiana to France, during
the whole period Of its possession by that
power, and after its transfer by her to the
United States, Santa Fe continued to be
the undisputed capital of New Mexico,
where its government was fully and un-
interruptelly administered.
To be Continued