Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-01-30
PROCEEDINGS In CONGRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM OUR DAILY REPORTS OF THE
PROCEEDINGS IN BOTH HOUSES.
SATURDAY, JANUARY %, ls47.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
BOUNDARY OF TEXAS, &c.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
BOUNDARY OF TEXAS, &C.
Mr. REED, from the Committee the Post Office and Post
Roads, to which referred bill for the establishment Of
additional post routes in Texas reported the back the
House, with amendment striking out the third section of
the bill
The bill then read for information.
Mr.. GRINNELL said he believed that of the routes
proposed by this bill lay within the disputed territory For
he disposed 10 vote for any that Texas might
ask, if lay within the boundaries Of that State the time of
the annexation Of Texas to the United States beyond that he
did not wish to go.
Mr.. WHITE moved to commit the bill to the Committee
Of the Whole. Negatved Yeas rs nays 90.
The amendment reported by the Committee the Post
Office and Post Roads, viz to strike out the Sd section,
agreed to.
Mr. VINTON moved to amend the bill by adding TO the
I'd section the following
Prouded That nothing in this shall be understood
contain an by Congress of its opinion as to the
ton Of boundary between the territory the United States
Mexico"
Mr. VINTON said that the last session of Congress- an
act had passed to establish collection district the State of
Texas In which, among other places, Corpus Christi
made port OF delivery, and further than that the
wholly SILENT and made mention whatever of the country
between the Nueces and the Rio Grande did it
the least reference aluson the valley of the Rio Gane
nor to the boundary of Texas Mr. " said that the
that act passed this House, he had remotes
idea that had any bearing whatever upon the question of
boundary between Texas and Mexico did he believe any
member Of the House entertained such thought Very shortly
after the passage that act the President the United States
without consulting Congress- which then in session. and
without much letting them know of the movement
dered the American army then Corpus Christi advance
into the valley Of the Rio Grande and take up position
its banks At the time of the annexation of Texas the
United States the valley Of that river in the exclusive
occupancy of the Mexcans who living under the laws
of Mexico No citizen of Texas dwet on the banks of that
river the law of Texas administered there. That the
Mexcans in the possession Of the valley Of that river and
that they lived under Mexican law he had never heard dis
puted denied At the time the President of the United
States ordered the American army advance into the valley
OF that river the first and only act of Congress then in
respecting the State OF Texas Except the of adms
son this establish collection district in that State
The President in his annual message seeks justify himself
Tor making without the authority of Congress- by
ing that this collection district extended the Rio Gande
when there not word in the law about that river the
country washed by its waters about the limits and bound
aries OF Texas and having assumed that contrary fact
he next that the provision of the constitution that
imposes on him the obligation that the laws faith
oily executed made his duty to advance the army into the
aey OF that river though the people there opposing
the surveyor of the port Of Corpus Christi in the discharge
his duty, which is hundred and fifty miles from the Rio
rande and when the order was given there
appointed and the ground Corpus Christi
pc opposed Under this groundess pretex that he
ing in obedience 10 this injunction of the constitutions he ad
yanced the American army into the valley of that ver took
forcbe possession OF IT. drove off the Mexican inhabitants and
occupied the spot where up that hour there had been
Mexican custom-house, at the mouth of the river
And thus without deigning consult Congress- which
The United States made Mexico. He (Mr. W
serted that the President made the because principle
Of the law Of nations Of could be
palmer better settled than that if country be in dispute
between two nations and of Them the the dispute
arose. possession of the disputed territory or any part
o the party not in possession shall proceed forcby with
military force 10 seize upon what thus in the
Of the other, such military seizure act of wa is
ITSELF Now, this exactly more less than what the
President Of the United States had DONE The party who
thus acts undertakes to settle the dispute by force and that
among nations is Nor in this view of the NATTER does
it make any difference which country had the and lawful
title to the country thus in dispute for, by this mode of pro-
ceedng the party Selling the country overrides and tanpes
down all negotiation and other peaceful modes of terminating
the controversy and resorts to force. Now it. after having
thus deliberately informed Congress that he understands
acts and his duty this way the present BILL which proposes
TO establish post routes in the valley Of the Rio
Grande shall become law, shall again be told that he
bound downha bad authortavey settled the ques
ton of boundary in dispute between and Mexico Mr. "
said he thought what had happened rendered it emneny
proper for Congress TO be its guard against such Executive
differences and applications by which Congress stripped Of
its control over the great question of peace And IL
the President does IN fact understand way then
il also proper that should throw such mpedment
his way, when he shall hereafter with Mexico
for the adjustment of the disputed questions between the
countries For these reasons he had thought it proper and
indeed necessary to offer the proposed amendment which,
without affirming denying the title of the United States
the territory dispute should in future, protect Congress
against such Executive differences and encroachmens its
powers declaring tnat, what
the BILL is not the intention of Congress express opn
ion upon the question Of boundary between the
debate here succeeded of much spirit and little inter
est the Of which the amendment proposed by Mr.
VSToS strongly opposed by Mr. PILLsBURr, Mr. DaoM-
and Mr. KAUFMAN, and ably supported by Mr.. j. r..
ISsERsoLL.
Mr.. STANTON moved the previous question: which was
seconded and the question agreeing the amendment OF
Mr.. VINToS decided in the negative as follows
YEAS-Messrs. Abbott Arnold Ashmun Barringer Mil
ton Brown Burlington, William w. Campbell, Carroll John
g. Chapman, Cooke Cranston, Crozer, Garrett Davis De-
lano Dixon, Dockery Edwin III. Ewing, Foot Gentry, Gid
dings, Graham, Order, Grinnel Hale, Hampton Harper,
John W. Houston Samuel d. Hubbard Hudson, Washington
Hunt Joseph X lngersoll Daniel y. King, Thomas Butler
King Lewis, Long, McGaughey, McHenry, McIlvaine,
Marsh Miller, Moseey, Pendeton Ripley, julius Rock
WE'LL John A. Rockwell, Root, Runk, Schenck, Seaman,
Truman Smith, Caleb b. Smith, Stephens strohm, Tilden
Toombs Trumbo Vance, Vinton, White, Winthrop, Wood
ruff, Wright, Young-63.
NAYS-Messrs. Stephen Adams, Atkinson, Bayy, Diggs,
James Black, A. James Black, Bowdon Bowlin Brocken-
brough, William q. Brown Cathcart, Reuben Chapman,
Chase Chapman, Clarke, Cobb, Collin, Cottre, Cullom,
Daniel, DE Mott Dobbin Dromsoole, Edal Ellsworth,
Erdman Ficklin, Fries Garyn, Giles, Gordon, Hamn,
Harmanson Hastings, Henley Hoge Hopkins George s..
Houston, Edmund W. HUBBARD, Hunter Charles lngersol,
James H. johnson, Andrew Johnson George W. jones' Sea-
born Jones, Kaufman Kennedy LETTER. Leb La Sere Lyon,
Lumpkn, Maclay MCLEAN, McCelland, McCernsnd, Me-
Daniel, Joseph j. Mcdowell James Mcdowell Mckay, j..
Martin, Barclay Martin, Morse Mouon Norris, Parish,
Perr Perry, Phelps Pilisbury, Reid Ritter Roberts Rus
SELL Sawyer, Scammon, Seldom, Alexander d. Sims, Leon
Strong, James Thompson Thurman Tbbats Towns Tred-
way. Wentworth Wheaton Wick Williams WiImot Wood-