Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-12-24
TON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER q 1911

MORNING
seemed to me inconsistent with the expecta-
,,,at in defence Of the clam OF leSns our troops
should march Immediately to that river. What the
Executive of Texas had determined not to hight tor,
but settle by negotiation, to say the least OF it, could as
well be left TO the U. States on the same conditions"
The question ms whether, under the circumstan-
ccs, we should take n position to make war for this
claim, in the face of an acknowledgement. on the pdrf
Of this G2rernment that il could be settled By ncgo-
tiafion. ut once decided that we should take no
such position, but should regard only as ,oithin the
limits of our protection that portion Of territory Ac-
TuALI,y POSSESSED ny Texas, and 'rhich she did not
consider as subject TO negotiation.' to Mr..
Your purpose will be the defence of Texas, if she
is invaded by Mexico, and yon ,riH be in position at
Corpus Christi, San Antonio,, AND OTHER POINTS on
THE NrECES, ready to act accordlng 10 circumstances.
III Gen. Taylor, Inty 7, 1919.
These extracts taken together establish, upon the
EVIDENCE OF our Government ltseli; through It's Dlplo-
matte Representative in Texas, that Mexico was IN
p0sscssi0n of the territory trpst of the Nucces Except
the county of Pa,ricio) and Texas of the territory east
of the Nucces, with the addition. ct Patricio that
Mexico was admitted by our own Envoy to be in pos
session of the east bank of The Rio Grande.. and that
Corpus Christi was the most ,resfern point then occu-
pied by Tcrds. These admissions from n source so
well -iniormed, so free from bias IN favor OF any inter
est but that Of the United States, dncludng Texas)
are fatal to every pretension OF territorial right on the
part of Texas between the Rio Grande and the Nue.
ces, the small county of Patricio perhaps excepted.
All that remains, therefore to sustain the pretension
of our Administration that the boundary of Texas ex-
tended TO the Rio Grande, and that by her annexation
the Rio Grande became the boundary of the United
States. is the act Of the Legislature OF Texas declar-
ing its boundary to extend to the kio Grande. II that
act could be considered OF any effect whatever, it
would q, most leave ground for controversy and nego-
tiation, ns was assumed by MIR. Donclson. But that
act itself was q mere nulllty.
To that effect we have the opinion of Senator
Woodbury., tnowlan Associate Judge OF the Supreme
Court of the United States) in his Speech in favor OF
~ratifying the Treaty of Annexation;
Texas, By a mere idur," said he, " could acquire
no title but what she conquered from Mexico, and ac-
tuolly governed. Hence, though her law includes
more than the ancient Texas. she could hold and CON
reg. only that, OF, at the %uttermo,st, only what she err
ercised clear jurisdiction ouer."
Texas never had exercised jurisdiction of any sort
over any Tertiary on the Rio Grande, and could not
therefore, by possibility convey to the United State:
any title to it.
To the same effect we have the authority of Mr.
GALi.ATiN, which saves us and our readers the trouble
of searching further on the subject:
"The Republic of Texas did, by an act of Decem.
Der, 1896, declare the Rio del Norte to be its bounda
~. 1t will not be seriously contendcd that n natior
mas q right, by a law of its own, to determine what i.
or shall be the boundary between it and another coun
Try. The act was nothing more than the expression
OF the rishcs or pretensions of the Government. A,
regards right, the act of Teras is a mere NULIITY."
1t is thus conclusively demonstrated that the terri
tory between the Nueces and the Rio Grande nevc
h"u pus-'u bu' u M Ssfph VI iieHi " utNi'
and was in no sense 6 American SOIL or territory o
tr United States. The fact is, moreover, too no,ori
our TO need to he here dwclt upon, that the army of til,
; Utited States, when it ncared the Rio Grande, chased
t the Mexican custom officers out of their houses, and
5 wltn il encamped on the bank of the river, found it
7 self'n the midst of n Mexican population, and occu
pyinI the corn and cotton fields which they had flee
iromin dismay. The flag of the United States wa
4 planted by our army, as in defiance, under the guns q
n Mexican fort, and at the same time the vessels OF on
2 Navybl' ckaded the mouth of the Rio Grande-a rv
, cr running, from its source to the ocean, altogether be
S tween Mexican banks, without a Texan settlement G
any sor, W thin a hundred miles of it. Nay, Genera
TAYLOR himself, after literally obeying the Executiv
orders by occupying, q position opposite Matamorn:
= April 6, 1876 his proceedings:
e "On our sile a battery for four eighteen FOUNDER
9 will be complied, and the guns placed i'll battery to
i day. These guns bear directly upon the public squar
of .Ndtdm0rd., and lrithin good range TOR demOfiSh
o Ing the torn. Their OBJECT CANNOT BE MISTAKEN u
e THE ENEMY"
The Enemy, What enemy ! Does not this Ian
i guage prove hat the brave old General understoo
very well wha he was sent there for! War did ne
Y exist until he lad placed a battery of guns bearing d
} rectly upon the public square of Matamorns, the obJe'
OF which, as ne very truly reports to Mr. MARC
could not be mistaken!
=, And by this invasion of Mexican territory, unde
, peremptory orders from Washington to the Commar
ding General. was the war begun by the Pres'dei
Of the United States, without the knowledge OF Coz
gress, though then in session. Nor then nor since h'
there been a drop OF American Omitted States bloc
/ Eutu ny vi fhui, =" sun W. '.'N' " 'ai'
has a Mexican soldier or armed man set his foot upo
American soil, Texas proper included)
The foundation of the Presidents first, second. an
last War Manifestoes against Mexico being thus with
I drawn from under them, what is there lett to sustai
I any part of the recommendation, in the Message be
fore us, Of a further and more vindictive prosecute
But to proceed The ground upon which the Pres
1 ident placed the War, when, having got into it, h
2 was obliged to cal upon Congress to sustain him in i
' IS, as we have shown, so far from being solid OF ,ru,
!, that n lS llrpctlv the rpyarsa So for from, lf.xi,
D having Invaded the United States, our President inva
a ded Mexico and so far from the war having exist
ed ny the act Of Mexico, it cxisted-so far as it
possible for the United States to be at irar without tn
T consent OF the ~war-making power-by the act of Nj
FOLK alone Nor, IN our opinion, did it exist withou
b premedtation. 1t had been contemplated as possibl,
at least, from the moment of his coming to the Pres
c dency; The government paper, as we have alread
g remarked, had notbcen in existence more than a wee
d before in that mirror Of the Presidential sentiment, tn
INVASION, and even the conquest OF Mexico, were tore
o shadowed--we may say predicted--in the event
= Mexico venturlng 10 exercise any authority on the ea'
4 bank of the Rio Grande. As early MS June, 1915
e mark the daiel-the Commander Of the Naval fore
Of the United States in the Pacific was directed TO loo
out for n war with Mexico, and, on receipt OF the new
: OF IT, TO possess himself of the port of. san francisco, o
!, the coast OF California, and such other ports as his fore
would permit. lie had been so instructed even earIl'
v than this Tor the letter To him begins: " You attei
il ton is still particularly directed" &c. to the contil
v gcncy OF war. Congress was to meet IN the Decernb'
n following. Early in November, the Message of ii
e ! VslutH W tohEitss btilE III u Slult W IntUuIdlIb
already contained, as we had every reason to bcliev
. n recommendations OF hos,iiities against Mexico,
some form or other, on the ground of unsatisticd claim
f OF our citizens, OF unpaid indemnity money, and 9th,
C alleged grievances. On the 9th OF November, how
q. ever, jus, three weeks before the session OF Congre
= began, information having been received from OF
d Consul at Mexico that the Mexican Government WI
n willing to receive n Commissioner to negotiate co,
4 corning the Texas boundary, the Message was pcrtor,
changed. The body of the indictment against tn
Government was indeed retained, as the reader W
n perceive il he will take the trouble to refer to the Me
= sage itself the recommendation OF reprisals, or OF "
v in some form, being the only thing omitted.' A Mini
THE evidence which satisfied our mind OF the fac
here referred to may interest scme readers. We W
therefore briefly state it. In the Journal OF Commerc
e whose correspondent was at that time certainly
n conildcnuni communication with persons familiar wi
the movements of the Government, we found, al
/ copied into the National lnteligencer, the follow il
letter.
e WASHINGTON, October 30, uSt5)
, " am happy to learn that the Executive has dete
5 mined not to send a special agent to Mexico, to d.
mand payment OF indemnities.
( " Dui | an glad 10 state FOR the information of Me.
lean claimants, and for the information OF all tho
# who entertain a Just sense OF our national nights al
# dignity, that the course OF the Executive on TINS sui
e Ject will be one that will fully meet their expectation
u and De far more cDecfire than the tee6fe ana Joim'
ri a"A fI.g u - a"I .Ahlnh "a DaaRn HDHl