Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1847-01-09
x AND THE WEST
ERIN BOUNDARY or
MnHtTEHAMA.

NusGes, mud constituting ai integral part
of the Republic Of Mexico, acquired q
valid riRH8to the domain, with an exclusive
sovereign jurisdiction over that territory.
The Government established for the Re
public Of Mexico, with the supposed nsae1
ofthe governed, Ii The opinion Of tho Tex.
ans had been subgerted by the rest Of tho
Mexican States, or by those who usurped
authority over them Therefore, rs the
Texans were In the actual possession oi
the territory; and having a Legitimate right
to resist mn inffaetion Of her organic laws,
they asserted an authority and jurisdiction
over the territory, adverse to the pretsn.
sions Of Mexico, and were able to main.
tain the same, by d force which Mexico
could not overcome, hence with oil the tin.
munitDs incident to Revolutions, the eoan
try became theirs.
Apply these principles 10 tho territory
situated between the rivers NuecPs, and
the Rio del N0rte, and the people residing
therein, and the case will stand thus
The Mexieans residing in this territory,
were In the actual possession Of the do
main, they those 10 submit to the new or.
der Of things, acknowledged the jurisdiction
that Mexico exercised over them, and re.
sisted The %preteusious and revolution Of
Texas, by a force which the Teams could
not overcome hence the imtnunities Incl.
dent to Revolutions Conferred no right over
that territory 10 the Republic Of Texas.
Nov If ii mere assertion Of the Texans,
that the Rio Grande should he their western
boundary, did In faet and right, make it
so, then the mere assertion Of The Mexi.
cans, that the Sabine, continued to be their
eastern boundary, would in fact confer the
same right.
By the resolutions for annexation, the
United States acquired jurisdiction over the
territory, " properly included within, and
rightflIly belonging TO tbe Republic Of
Texas" The words used cannot be 50
Analysed or synthetiZed, us to forces within
their meaning, ono inch Of territory over
which the Jurisdiction Of Texas had moi IN
fart extended, md when the United States
undertook 10 extend the Jurisdiction they
acquired from Texas, the act assumed, all
the features Of a new conquest, unauthori.
zed by auy thing, either expressed Or i'm.
piled in the resolution Of Annexation.
But 1t Is said, Louisiana once extended
to the j" lower Rio del Norte," and that tbs
Republic of Texas, had Il right to consider
as being within her Sovereign jurisdiction,
all the territory which belonged to Louisi.
ma under the maxim ubi major pors esd, bi
est eotam where the greater part IL, there
Ia the whole.
In considering the pfetention urged for
Texas on such Il hypothesis, | will leave
Vut of view the treaty Of 1910, as being
void All 1vtrro, and will assume, that the
western boundary Of Louisiana, as 1t was
AGO tired from France, as being nm open
question; and admit that the inhabitants
who resided in Texas in 1903, and oil who
went there subsequent TO that time, con.
tinue ut all times to owe allegiance to the
United States, and the possession Of the
territory was held, for and on her account;
and by virtue Of the treaty Of 1903, and
the right therein guaranteed to become eli.
items Of the United States, they are now
incorporated in the Union, aud will pro-
coed To examine the claims Of the United
States and Texas, as TO the Rio del Norte,
being the western boundary Of Louisiana,
as it was acquired from France.
1t Is conceded az a principle incident to,
and in fact to be the esscence Of all titles,
acquired by Europeans on this continent,
that they result from priority Of discovery
and settlements combined; Indicating an
intention Of occupying the domain subject
to an " obserred rule" that when there
are different contiguous settlements made
by the several Nations" Tie ~unoccupicd
space between them, should be equaHy dill
ded.7
These principles are recognized and at
irmed IS a just rule Of division, by all who
assert that the western limits Of Louisiana
extended 10 the Rio del Norte, on this the
claim rests, together with the declaration d
Lausattc to Gov. Claiborne and Gen.
Wilkinson, that the "pretcnsons ofFrance
went as far west'as the Rio del Norte,-
"Bul," says Wi itson, " we were not in
| formed that a line Of demarcation had eva
been traced 10 partition these Provinces
As the basis Of this right, st. Bernardo
Bay is claimed as the western settlement
made by France in the year 1886, at which
time it is admitted the eastern settlement
in Mexico, was Panuco, near Tampico
and the " midway" between these two set
Elements, would be the Rio del Norte. This
in point of fact, il admitted, and the only
question for solution is, wat coUHsE shoulc
a line be traced from the Rio del Norte, t.
divide equally between these settlement,
the unoccupied space.
In undertaking to define what would be
a Just line of demarcation between these
provinces, | should be controlled entirely
by the "pretensions'' of France, applied
to the rule and principles observed by Eu
ropeann ations--"an equal lewiston Of tht
unoccupied space"
Let us look at what were the " preten
sions'' of France, when she permitted
formal possession Of Louisiana to be taken
and what wa then deemed the westerl
boundary.
On the l4th September, 1912, the Kin,
confirmed on Crozat, a grant to colonizl
Louisiana, for the purpose among othe
things, " to preserve the possession, we
France) " had taken, in the year 1883 O
all the lands, coasts, and islands, which ar
in the Gulf of Mexico, between Carolin
on the east. and Old and New Mexico o
the west"
At this period, the provinces of Old an
New Mexico extended from the Gulf +,
Mexico, and Atlantic, to the Pacific Oceal
and st. Antonio de Bexar in Old, and San
Ia Fe in New Mexico, both lying west, an
north of Panuco, had been settled by Spail
the first two years, and the second OF
hundred years, before La Sale visits