Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1848-02-03

NueceS, was necessarily an lmmeGlatP
act of offence on the par, of,he Ameri.
can Executive. Bu, it was also ne
cessarily the result of that obligation to
execute the law Of annexation imA
posed BY the constitution on the Pres
ldent. t-l.. t..-....
On the other hand, if The act Of an
bexation was legal and constitutional,
but regarded by Mexico as an act of
war, then no movement of the Execu-
tive connected with the defence OF the
new territory, even wilbou, the concur
renee Of Congress, can be treated as
the cause of the war. Sir, the course
ofthe opposition on this point renders
lit necessary to look back little at the
history Of this "act Of annexation. -
shall not, however, weary the COM
mit,ee with more on this point than a
review of facts, which confute the de-
cIaration that the President,by his own
illegal act in occupying tie territory
west of the Nueces without the concur
renee of Congress, caused the war. II
will not be denied, sir, that the act of
annexation was formal &C! Of the law
making power of our government
The army Of the United States was
not moved beyond the Sabine until a
convention ofthe people of Texas had
accepted the terms Of annexation offer
ed by Congress. This was in the
summer Of 1915, when the government
of the United States assigned General
Taylor to the command Of the army of
observation, destined 10 defend and
protect the soil of Texas, informing
him that his ultimate destination would
be the western frontier of Texas, on or
near the Rio Grande, (see Mr.. Ban
crof's despatch in June or July, 1915. }
In December, 1915, Congress was in
formed that General Taylor had been
assigned to the defence of the country
west TO the Rio Grande. In ,he same
month, and after receiving this infor-
nation, Congress, by formal act, con-
summated annexation, and extended
the American jurisdiction over the
whole of Texas, without reserve or
limitation. A reference to this act of
admissicn of the State of Texas (29'h
Dec. 1845,) will show that it was the
State of Texas that was admitted, with
constitution already formed, affirming
the declaratory statutes which defined
the boundary west to the Rio Grande;
and with such boundary she was ad-
mitted a State into the Union. This
act of Congress settles the question at
issue, and establishes the concurrence
of Congress with the President in ia
king possession and sovereignty over
the county west to the Rio Grande;
for on the same day another act was
passed, extending. in general terms,
the laws of the United States within
the State Of Texas. ar
Mr.. KAUFMAN (in'erposing) said:
The constitution of the republic OF
Texas does not define the western
boundary Of that State. 1t was defn-
ed, however, by law of the first Con.
gress of the republic Of Texas, passed
in December, 1886. The constitution
of the State Of Texas declares all laws
Of the republic Of Texas in force not
repugnant to the United States consti-
tuition, or the annexation resolutions.
Mr.. Boris asked the gentleman
from Texas whether the boundary of
Texas, as described by the act Of Con-
gress Of 1886, included Santa Fe?
Mr.. KAUFMAN replied, thatit inclu-
ded all the territory east of the HI"
Grande, from its mouth 10 its source;
and that the Congress Of the United
States which passed the annexation
resolutions, approved March lst, lS45,
understood that Texas included Santa
| Fe; for it provides that all territory
north Of SO 1-2 degrees shall be free
territory; while Santa Fee is south of
So 1-2 degrees north latitude.
Mr.. McLANE continued. Suisse
quently (he said) Congress organized
the revenue district in Texas, in such
wise that one districts was bounded on
the west by the Nueces, another on
The east by TIE Nueces, and west BY
the Rio Grande-and :he Senate con-
! frmed the nomination of revenue OH
GERS assigned to the districts so located.
Sir, would remark that | am not now
engaged with an examination OF the
boundary question between Texas and
Mexico. ! am considering the caum.
ny thrown upon this government by
the declaration that the occupation OF
the country between the Nueces and
the Rio Grande was the illegal and I'M
constitutional act of the President,
without the concurrence of Congress:
Sir, ! think it just to get rio ofthis is
sue, before | engage with any exami.
nation ofihe real origin ofthe war; for
! consider the declaration, SO often re-
peated by the opposition. that the oc-
cupation of the country between the