Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-01-13


whom alone ii belongs to determine whether
War at any time or under any circumstances,
be just and necessary Or was IT, whether n
crime or a mistake, the unauthorized act of the
President, to whom the Constitution has denied
all power over the question OF War? This is
the true question; nor can all the wire drawn
sophstry and special pleading Of the Presidents
message Of last year, referred to in that which
is now before us, deceive a single individual. be
he Wing or be he Democrat, of common infor-
alton, against the we'll known and well aulhenti-
Gated iacts in the case. Need we add that,
whoever the President be, who, trampDg down
the barriers which the Constitution has erected
for the protection of the General welfare, and
for the security of life, liberty, and property of
the citizen, of his own mere will and pleasure
plunges the country into War, with or without
cause that man is a Despot! The Nation that
quietly folds its arms and permits this to be done
with IMMUNITY, may deudc itself with the fancy
that it lives under written law and Constitution,
but it Is an idle dream. That Nation Is a Nation
Of slaves, and lives under Despotlsln.
To proceed, however, TO the main point, upon
the re-asserton Of which alone, the President
relies to Justify himself before his own fellow
citizens for his agency in this War, viz that the
Mexican Government finally under wholly I'M
jusl6abie preteXts, involved the two countries III
war, by invading the territory of Texas, striking
own citizens Oh American soil" Not one rord
Of This is true. We regret the necessity, but the
President has imposed on us the obligation, OF
renewing the demonstration of the utter falsily
of the whole of ii. Mexico did not involve the
two countries in war; Mexico did not invade the
territory of Texas Mexico did not strike the
first blow: Mexico did NOT shed the blood OF
our citizens on our own soil.
This whole question, il will be seen, resolves
itself into one OF territorial boundary.
Did, at the breaking out of this war, the terri
tory between the Nueces and the Rio Grande
(Del Norie) belong to Mexico or to the United
States?
1t did not belong to the United States The
Republic OF Texas had no lille to it. She had
not even "A respectable CLAIM, to it, She pretend
ed to no such title when she called Convention
10 form her constitution; for not member was
called to that Convention from any territory
bounding on the Rio Grande. Nor, when in
her Constitution, she apportioned the Represen-
ta,on in her Legislature among the several dis
trcts of her territory, did she enunerate any dis
tricts laying upon the Rio Grande as entitled to
representation in the Texan General Assembly.
The whole country on the Rio Grande, and in
deed the whole country west of the Neuces, ex-
cept the small settlement Of San Fatrco, was
exclusively in the possession of the MeXcans,
until the army Of the United States marched into
it, driving before it the Mexican civil officers and
the peaceful inhabitants. Texas having no title
TO the territory, the annexation of Texas to this
Union could confer none upon the United States.
Were peace to be made tomorrow on the basis
of leaving things as they were before the war,
the territory between the Neuces aud the Rio
Grande would still constitute part of the Mex.
lean States of Tamaupas, &c.
This state Of the fact is none of our first dis
covering, much less of our imagining. We de-
rive nearly all Of our information on the subject
from the highest Democratic authority. When
the Treaty with Texas, by which she undertook
to convey 20 the United States western boun-
dairy to the Rio Grande, was depending in the
Senate, Mr.. Senator BENTON thigh authority on
the subject) indignantly denounced ii as an at
tempted fraud and outrage.
al wash my hands," said he, "of all attempts
to dismenbcr the Nericun Republic, By siezing he,
dominions in .Ne,c. .Mrico, chihuahua, and Tam
autipas The treaty, in all TINT relates 10 The
boundary Of The Rio Grande, is an act Of nnpar-
aielied outrage on .Merico. is he Seizure aj
tpo housGnd miles Of mr. territory, without word
Of exploration with her, and by virtue Of a trea-
ty with Texas, to which she 10 no patty"
Mr.. Benton further declared that tic claim Sc,
I'D by Texas by the Treaty, if maintained
would cut off the cal ital and forty towns aud
" under the dominion Of Mexico, as Quebec
and all the towns of Canada are under the do
minion Of Great Britain"
Mr. b. closed his speech by offering The follow.
ing resolution:
ed, That the Incorporation Of the left
Bank of the Rio del Norte into the American
Union, by virtue of treaty with Texas, com
pretending, as the said incorporation would do, d
portion of the Mexican Departments of New
Mexico, Chihuahua, Coehulla, and Tamnulipas
would be an act of direct aggression upon Meri
co, for all The consequences Of wfich the United
States could stand responsible.
To the same effect, that great Democratic
leader, the Hon. S,LAs WRIGHT, (whose late
death has been so justly lamented by men Of all
parties,) who was present during the whole de-
bate upon the Texas Treaty and gave lis vote
against It's ratification, declared to his constitu
enis, in u speech delivered at WATERFOWL, as
follows:
81 felt it my duty to vote against the ratiica
ton of the Treaty, for the annexation. believe
that the treaty, from the boundaries that must b.
implied from ii, embraced country 10 whicl
Ieras had no claim, 0per nhich she had nerer as
serted jurisdiction, and whieh she had no right Il
cede,"
But, many years before the date of this debate
the records of the United States had borne tcsti
mony to the true boundary of Texas. In le3t
an Agent was dispatched by the President OF thu
United States Gen. Jackson) to examine and re
port upon the condition OF Texas which had thei
established an independent Government; and il
his report, dated in August of that year, he re
ported that 'the political limits of Texas proper
previous to the last revolution, were the .Nuece
rirtr on The Hest along the Red river on tn
north; the Sabine on the east; and the Gulf G
Mexico on the South
At the time OF the contamination of the act
annexation, Mr.. Donelson being the Charge d
Affairs Of the United States to that young RI
public. communicated freely with his Govern
nent as 10 the position of things in Texas
From his letters we extract the following pass,
ges, showing what was The fact as TO the linn
OF the territory actually occupied by Texas, eve
at that time;
"Corpus Christi is said to be as healthy
Pensacola, convenient place for supplies, al
THE MOST WESTERN POINT NOW OCCUPIED .
TExAs."- Letter 10 The Secretary Of State. Jui
80, 1916.
''The occupation Of the country between Il
Neuces and the Rio Grande, you are aware, rs
disputed question. Texas holds Corpus Chris
Mexico HOLDS THE BRAZos DE SANTIAGO"
Letter to Gen. Taylor, June %, ls45.
"Your purpose will be the defence of Tex
If she is invaded by Mexico, and you wih be