Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1848-02-10

one OF their most prominent features, contain :
cd provision that the question oil boundary
should be left 10 lie settled by negotiation; and,
if the question Of boundary were to be settled
BY regoti lton, how could this act OF 1896 be
Otherwise than inconsistent with the joint res
oiuiionsl That act fixed the boundary with
out negotiation, declared the Rio Grande TO
be the western boundary. and, as matter OF
course, by the express terms Of annexation,
had no binding force.
But the gentleman from Texas lAlr. kAuF-
Mss) told The committee The other day thai the
act Of 1886 was regarded by Texas as confer
ring jurisdiction upon her 10 The Rio o'ranae.
And TO what extent? Why, the gentleman
said, from the mouth Of the Rio Grande 10 It's
source MIR. L had been as;onished TO hear
that declaration from the gentleman from
Taxas, that Texas bad jurisdiction and occu-
pancy from the mouth 10 The source Of The no
Grandel Why, the gentleman seemed 10
have forgotten that we were now IN the mar
tary possession Of thai country. Aihou5h,
ccording to the Argument o. that gentleman
and OF others. we annexed this whole country,
from ME mouth to the source 1.-THE Rlo Grande,
10 the United States as part and parcel oi Lex
as, yet the President of the United States was
now exercising military jurisdiction over part
of this territory, and the people there, under
this martial law, were now beng called upon
10 determine Of themselves whether they
would be annexed 10 the United States or not!
And not only this, hu: the President oil the u
nised States was also trying TO buy that coun-
try. or TO hold il as indemnity for the expenses
Of this wari Though. at the same tine, the
gentleman from Texas, the gentleman from
Maryland. and others. told as II was part OF
Texas as actually annexed 10 the United
States.
Bat the gentleman from Maryland went fur
Their, and IN order to show that the Congress
OF the United States had recognized the Rio
Grande as the boundary line, alluded 10 an
other fact, which he declared TO exist, VIZ
lha. Congress had organized revenue districts
IN the State of Texas in such way as that one
was bounded on the west by The Rio Grande
Mr.. L. would be very much obliged 10 the
gentleman if he would show him that part of
The history of the proceedings Of Congress
from which lie derived this information-lf he
would show him any where on our statute
books single act of Congress which defined
the Rio Grande as the western boundary line
Of any collection district Congress did pass
an act establishing one revenue district in Tex
as. Mr. i. read from The act declaring that
Texas should be one collection district, and
Galveston port Of entry.] Yet the gentle
men told them that there Were t,r0 revenue
districts established, the western boundary Of
one oil which, he informed them, was the Rio
Grande. The fact was, as appeared from The
act which Mr.. L. held in lis hand, that Cor
pus Christi was the extreme western port OF
delivery, and nowhere in the revenue district
was there any port beyond Corpus Christi.
MIR. McLANE (Mr +. Welding for explana-
nom was understood to admit that the port of
delivery established by this law was at Corpus
Christi; butthere was an inspector ofcusioms
appointed under the law TO reside at Point Is
abel, on the Rio Grande.
Mr.. THOMPSON replied that if the President
had appointed inspectors al Point Isabel he had
violated the laws.
Mr.. GRINNELL, with the consent of Mr.. T.,
remarked that, by an understanding with the
members from Texas during the last session,
II was agreed that the disputed territory should
not be embraced within these revenue dis.
tricfs.
Mr.. THOMPSON, resumed, and said the law
proves that, though ports OF delivery were es-
,abllshed al several places, there were none al
Ioim lsabff. nor beyond Corpus Christi
Congress never legislaied for the disputed ter.
ritory until after the war commenced, After
the commencement of the war they would
Brazos de Santiago TO Point Isabel and Fort
Brown. Before the war there were none be-
Yond corpus Christi, and hence gentlemen
Were IN error IN supposing that Congress had
recognised The disputed territory by The es,ab-
Ilshment OF post routes, as some had supposed
The post routes established since the com
mencement OF the war had been rendered ne
cessary 10 facilitate communication with the
army. The reason why Congress did not es-
taoIlsh post routes beyond Corpus Christi was.
because the county of San Patrco was only
originally recognised as extending TO the Nj
eces rIver; but Texas, after she acquired her
independence. exercised civil jurisdiction be-
yond II TO short distance. so as 10 embrace
Corpus Christi. 1t was true, however. that
since this war had commenced she had ex.
tended her jurisdiction TO the Rio Grande. so
lar as her legislation ecu d do it, This he
found, from the lnteiligtncer OF this morning.
was attended with slme embarrassment
The paper 10 which he referred contained a
paragraph, which was in these words:
"From the settlements on the Rio Grande
10 the country seat at Corpus Christi, It is full
hve days journey, through wilderness com.
Try, almost destitute Of ,cater, NOT HABiraTIoN
IN THE WHOLE DISTANCE, and dangerous Il
trdrefers on account Of The Indians and bands o.
ia'ciess .NericDts. When persons residing on
the RIO Grande border of The county are cited
10 appear at Corpus Christi, il takes at leas
two weeks TO comply with the citation, besides
subJecting them 10 the difficulties and dangers
OF the road"
1t would be seen, then, that it was an easy
matter 10 acquire territory for, so soon as
Texas was annexed 10 the United States the
Texas Congress passed an act to extend hei
boundary TO the Rio Grande and thus il was
that the ''Stupendous desert" was legislaied
INTO texas. and constituted part of it. This
part OF the public history of the country was
perfectly familiar to every gentleman TO whom
he addressed himself; but there were some
peculiar features of II, growing out Of the re-
cognltlon OF Texas itself, which show that I'M
nj this war commenced Texas did not consid
er her title TO the Rio Grande to be good. He
had here an extract written by one of the
Presidents Of Texas, who was now sitting a.
United States Senator at the other end OF
the Capitol, which sustained him in this posi-
ton.
Mr.. j. here read several extracts bearing
on that point. one OF which was from a letter
written by Gen. Hunt TO MIR. Forsyth, in
which Gen. Hunt said that Texas had terrific
ny estimated al 100000 square miles.
But what was Texas as now bounded by
the gentlemen around him? a territory Of
4eO,OOO square miles From less than 900,
600 square miles she had become a county Of