Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-10-27
THE HISTORY
OF THE MEXICAN WAR.
Letters from John P. Kennedy, to his Constituents.


trict, and. particularly to the Mechanics end
IPorking men Of that District of both Political
Parties.
In the two last letters have shown you the OBJ
iecons taken 10y certain prominent leaders OF the
Democratic party against the treaty OF anne Ration,
and that these objections referred exclusively to the
ertent Of territory claimed By 1eras.
You Will see, from what am now about to lay
before YOU, that before Texas could be annexed.
the Administration and its friends were compelled
virtually to disavow any purpose Of taking more
territory than included i'm the old boundaries of
Texas,-unless by the consent of Mexico herself
IN other words, that Congress would not agree to
annex Texas with her boundary on the Rio Grande.
The treaty was rejected, as have said, on the
Sih of June, 1874. On the lth ofJune the Pres
ident sent message TO the House Of Representatives,
informing them of the fact of the rejection by the
Senate, and, in effect, asking them to take up the
subject in the way OF ordinary legislation. This
message was referred TO the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, and nothing was done during the remainder
OF that session. In this message the President re-
fers to the boundary question: and says of it, that it
was-'pnposciy left open for negotiation with
Mexico as aordng the best opportunity for the most
friendly and pacific drrdn genients."
AT the next session of Congress in December
iol3, the question OF annexation Immediately
resumed
Ga the | tl of December Mr. Benton reported a
bill Tor the annexation, in which he provided that
TO open negotiations ,cHh .ucricO and Teas for
The adjustment Of boundaries,' and for the annexa-
ton OF the latter. among Others, on the following
terms as regarded boundary. LIST. The boundary
or the annexed territory 10 be Ia the desert praries
acest 81 lie .NueceS, and along the highlands and
mountain heights which divides the waters of the
Mississippi from the waters of the Rio del Norte,
and to latitude 10 degrees north
L his Is what Mr.. Benton proposed that skONld
open nGSottdtions to obtain from .HericO.
This boundary OF the desert prairie between the
Nueces and the Rio Grande, Mr.. Benton had pre-
vousiy brought TO the notice of the Senate rs that
which was recommended by Gen. jackson in 1929
In his speech upon that point, he said
The proposition of General Jackson did not 90
the length OF this treaty (thc treaty OF annexation
upon which he was speaking) by two thousand
miles 1t stopped at the mountains which lie at
abe head of the Red River and the Arkansas. and
which divided the ancient Louisiana from New
Mexico. and the desert prairies which lie to the
west of the Nueces His proposition included no
part of New Mexico, chihuahua, Coahuila or Ia
mauiipas; erieMdcd 10 40 part efthe rivcr evcn
OF the caIey Of Rio Diet .Norte. Not drop OF the
water of the river-not inch of the soil of its
valley did he propose to disropt from lis old pos
SCISSOR and to incorporate into our Union"
In accordance with these views Of the respective
rights of Mexico and the United States, in this
matter OF boundary, Mr.. Benon's bill proposed as
you have seen, that we should negotiate for boun
Diary in the desert icticL lies immediately lcest of
the .Nueces. Or course he was satisfied. before he
made this proposition, that Texas had no actual
right beyond the Nueces. a vast desert lies be
tween that river and the Rio del Norte which Mr.
Benton thought good national boundary and
worth negotiating for aciM .Her;co.
AT the same time, the next day after Mr.
Benton offered this proposition in the Senate, the
Committee of Foreign Relations in the House, by
Mr.. Charles j. lngersoll their chairman, reported
Joint Resolutions for the annexation, these were
f.,ll,
followed by number of propositions for the same
purpose, which offered almost daily for sever
a! days, by different members long debate took
place, In the course of which Mr.. Charles j. Inger-
soil, speaking on this subject Of the boundary
which have shown you produced so much obec
lion to this 'reaty,-took occasion to explain the
views OF the Committee of Foreign Relations and
OF the executive on that point. He said 1.-The ter
rtorai limits are marked in the confpuration of
this continent by an Almighty hand The Platte
the Arkansas, the Red, and the Mississippi rivers
ARE naturally our waters with their cstuares in
ihe Bay of Mexico. The S,upendous deserts be-
t,ceen the .Nueces and The RIO Braro. Ithe Rio
tIrande) are the natural boundaries between the
Anglo Saxon and the Mauritan:an races There
ends The oaley of'Hte Wcs!. There .Merico begins -
In the same speech, he apprises the House that he
mas authority for saying that there will be no diff
Guilty with MeXico---that we should be able TO bun
her consent to the ccssion we desired
II am happy"-is his language-''io be author
1=ed TO assure THIS House that those best acquainted
auth The true state Of things apprehend little or no
danger of war. The mDin sineic Of ,cu', Money,
SDh heat Tie bTeI't and end Tie controversy anica-
bly,"
This quotation from the speech of the Chairman
OF the Committee on Foreign Relations, will enable
you to understand precisely what Mr.. Calhoun
meant when, on the 10Th of September previous.
ne wrote this language to Mr.. Shannon, our min
lister III MeXlco-''l on instructed to renew the
declaration made to the Mexican Secretary by our
Charge d'Ailairs, in announcinu the conclusion ST
the treaty that Tie measure ,cas niopted IN no spira
OF hostility TO .WeTicO, and that if annexation should
be consummated, the United States will he prepar-
ed to adjust all questions growing out of it, IscLU
DING THAT or BOUNDARY, on the most liberal
terms"
Can any one doubt, after reviewing these facts.
that our Government had pledged itself to abstain
from Claiming any boundary that would be offensive
10 MeNco-and particularly to make no claim
bounded on the limits set forth in the Texan act of
Congress Can any one doubt that Congress was
unwilling 10 insist upon the Rio Grande Tor Del
Norte) as a rightRul boundary?
We shall see the determination of Congress. in
reference to the question, fully developed in
what eventually took place.
vi the several propositions for annexation which
were Offered i'll the House of Representatives. that
OF Mr.. Brown, of Tennessee, was finally adopted
on the 3h January 1915. Mr. Brown " oFPred
his resolutions as substitute for those Of the com.
mlttee. They began in this way
Res1lYed, That Congress doth consent that the
territory properly included within and rghully be-
longing to the Republic Of Texas may be created
into new State" SC and .'ihat the (1rcoo;ng CON
sent Is given Oh the following conditon'-to wit
"Sad State shall be formed, subject to the adj
Justmcnt by this Government OF all questions of
boundary that may arise with other Governments"
&c.
On the 23th of January these resolutions were
passed III the House Of Representatives. by vote
IN srfIf, l.. 4