Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-01-22
WHERE Is SANTA FE?

We promised to give this week some en-
tracts from Giddings' speech on the presi-
dents Message. Here are two passages, aud
We wish we had room for more. The facts
presented are interesting, the language bold
and forcible, and the conclusion Irresistible.
The President goes on with the same spe-
cious misrepresentation Of facts to say, that
"TeXas made grants of land west of the
Nueces." That ga Senator and Reprpsen-
tative in the Texan Congress resided west of
the Nueces,' SC. 70 all of which will
only answer, that SO far as they represent the
jurisdiction OF Texis to have extended over
the people in the valley of the Nueces. aud
east OF the desert, they my be true. But if
understood as saying that TeXlS ever eXrr.
cised actual jurisdiction over any portion Of
the people west of the desert, in the valley of
the Rio Grdnde, then are they unfnundrG aud
untrue. Sir, | repeat, that Texas could have
obtained title to the country in the valley of
the Rio Grande only by treaty or by conquest.
1T being occupied by Mexican settlements,
there never was and never will he any other
mode in which Texas or the United States
can obtain title to H.. No man pretpnds that
Texas ever held or claimed it by heuiy.
1t therefore follows that she must have
held it by conquest, or she had no tile to it
whate yer. The President dared not say, in
definite language, that Texas had conquered
it, The historical information of the couu-
try would Instantly have declared such an as
sertion untrue. No friend of the President
in this Hall will dare hiz ird his reputation
for truth by putting forth such a declaration.
They will rely upon sophlstry, upon specious
clrcumlocution, and Misrepresentation. They
cannot be brought to any definite point. Taey
will rely upon the popular credulity, aAd not
upon the intelligence Of the people. Time
must demonstrate the success or failure of the
experiment. ltisancld saying, tha. "Tru,h
is always consistent with ITSELF" And wa
may, with equal proprlety. say, that False
hood is always opposed to Truth. 50 with
this message; It's important points are in d.
rect conflict. We are all aware that >. Santa
Fe,'' the capital of New Mexico, is some
thirty miles east Of the Rio Grande. Now,
if the pretences of the President be true, that
Texas is bounded on thlt river, s.frOm us
mOuM TO lis sonrce," the city of Santa Fe,''
IL within the jurisdiction OF Texas, and go
verned and controlled by Texan laws. Bat
the President, in the latter part Of the mes
cage, while speaking Of the army, and de-
string to blazon forth the glory Of our con-
quests, says:
~ !IlhdllOIiS Ol IOIp uIdICIleS through
the enemy's country, and through a wilder
ness, have been borne without a murmur.-
by rapid movements the province Of New
Mexico, with Santa Fe, its capital, have been
captured without bloodshed."
Thus, after a long and tedious argumentto
convince us that Texas is, in truth, bounded
by the Rio Grande; that she had extended
her jurisdiction 10 that river that her laws
u-Rrn in Torpa nv.r rho Whola tarrif,rv r,ci Of
it, he comes out, and distinctly admits that
the department of New MeXico" extends
far on this side of that river; that Santa
Fe," situated thirty miles east Of it, is, in
truth, the capital Of Onc u The -Neriran States +;
aud, of course, that ii is not, and never was,
included within the bounds of Texas. Iu-
stead Of submitting to Texan laws, he de-
clareS ii TO have been - conquered by Uur ar
n.y." And he informs us, that the comman-
der Of our army there has established a civil
government over the people of that State
Now, these two portions Of the message are
in direct conflict with each other. They can
not both be true. One of them must, of ne
c%eSsity, be unfounded. And | would So
lemnly ask, Which are the peyp'e IN rcccirc as
true, and Which are they 10 diScUd as untruel
For the purpose Of jnsti!ying himself in send
ing our troops to the Rio Gande,'' and
commencing hosiilities there, he declares,
- Santa Fe" to be in T'eras. But, in order
to show the conquestS Of our army, he de-
clares it TO be the capital Of one Of the de-
partments Of Mexico. Now, "A contradic ion
SO pdlpable, and at the same time so import
ant, would have done no credit TO the mrrest
tyro of a county court. Still here il is, in the
presidential message, sent forth TO the people,
and to the world. My colleague Mr..
S-,,rx-,-N ,l, 1,lo. L.. ..,-.,-l r- l.
iinguished friend OF the President on this
floor the admission that he never believed that
Texas included 'Santa Fe." The admission
comedies the fallacy of the whole argument
of the President in regard to the boundary OF
Texas. mir. PLLsBURY, of Texas, said he
had made no such admission Mr.. G.. re-
piled: l did not allude to the member from
Texas. ] referred to the gentleman on his
right, from Tennessee, (Nlr. ~STANToN.) But
l will now inquire of the member from Tex
as, whether " Santa Fe" be in truth The cap
ital of "New Mexico.'' as asserted in the
latter part of the message? or is it within the
boundaries of Texas, as asserted in the fore
part Of that document? Sir, on which horn
Of the dilemma will The gentleman place the
President! If the gentleman from Texas re-
fuses TO answer my interrogatory, ! call on
any personal or political friend of the Expcu-
tive TO answer this plain ana simple question.
If any member will do me and the country
the favor to answer it, will gladly yield the
floor for that purpose; and | now pause for IL
reply.
Mr.. G.. having paused for som time, and
no member rising, resumed :
Mr.. Chairman: The President has many
warm friends on this floor; but no one steps
forth to e~xtricate him from this attitude in
which he has placed himself. Sir, +" Oui IF
his own mouth he is condemned" He has
himself placed the evidence of his misrepre-
s~entation on the records of the nation. 1t
will go into the archives of the Government,
and will descend to posterity, a perpetual
aranT 81 lie U-a,lp1ea .pl rI-baInasa of 1bfa