New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-01-19

defence vil .uihonze exp. the N.nieans 70 ii.
RIO Grsrde.
1t better ioi Is to s~si, the stack than run the rs,
Ct eubars.sng the question Of annexs;0n VITA the con
s-qa.nees Of immediate possession Of the teritory % hs
RIO GItnee. You vii find tAai have rs.rs.d ever
point
He mad 10 idea Of the advance Of the army 70 The
Rio Grande or O; attack upon Mexico. he sp
pears 20 have xcted with such caution and prdenc,
as became bis position " The rich, OF defence
would authorize rs 70 expel the Mexicans . the
Rio Grade Sir. how expei the Mexlcans 70 the
Rio GrAnde if Texas had possession Up 70 thai
river Here you have the authority Of your owl
egotiat0r for the fact that Mexico held this tern
tory, and not Texas But you have the same al
ihorty in a dozen places.
The occupas On Of the country between the Euec.,
and The Rio Garse, yoa are s~ars disPates qses
ton Iexs, holds Ccrp1s Chrisu-Ne1ieo holes the BIs
&c Santiago near the mouth Of the Ro Grand-. The
threatened inv.or however, Of Texss Is founded upo1
The assumption thai she has no territory independent Of
Yos can safely hold possession Of csrPe. Christi .aa
sl other points aP the Nases' ana Mexico attempt to
Mr. JoHSsOs-Disp9ted question.
Mr.. PEARcE-" Disputed question" So Il was
| Sir. And while j, was disputed question be shows
| what part was In possession Of Texas and what
part in possession Of Mexico;
You will have observed thai ia ny correspondence
va tn 20 NJ ~ T,s. IT, o 10,
resolution Of Congress ef the question az open one
made this
undsr The ausp.ces Of the British s5d French Govern
msnts the basis q definite treaty with Mexico, let;
the question in the state. And although this Govern
m-nt has since ind Gated Poin on The Rio Grands for
the patton Of our troops did not consider this cir
cumstance varying the question, sineethe President bat
few weeks before ifsued sproca msion srspen1rs hos
Utilities between Texas and Mexico the practical effect OF
hieh Was 70 leave the question precisely a. Il stood when
portion Of the territory and Texas Of another.
Tho proclamation Of between the nations,
founded on proposition. mutually acceptable 70 them,
a 4
hut Mexico IN possession Of the east bank OF the Rio
Grsnce, seemed 70 Inconsistent with the expectation
tina. defence Of the claim Of Texas our troops should
march immediately b that river Whist the Executive Of
Texss hsd determined ght for bat 70 settle BY
collation. 70 say the least Of IT, could well be ei 70 the
a. decided that should take no such position,
ton that portion territory actually possessed by Texas
and which she did not consider subject to nesotaion
Ii it had been in the occupation Of Texas, would
she have been obliged TO fight for it Sir. the incon
sstency is too papable to make it necessary any
longer TO dwell upon it. Again, he says at page go
There usnycircumssnces making IL mex ?etient
IN my judEmeu after the issue Of the proclamation refer
TO- Texas attempt sfocibe possession Of the Rio
Grsnde the aid Of the United States 70 maintain
Why attempt to obtain possession if she already
had y, and Il she had not what becomes of the ar
gument Sir, the argument is scattered 10 the
winds by the testimony Of our own agents, which
we cannot oOntrOyert and which we cannot doubt.
/ might IS well give the Senate. perhaps, some ad-
ditiona authorities. find these facts recognized
by the Secretary Of War, as well as by Senator's
and our Diplomatic agents. find in 4 letter OF the
Secretary OF War 10 Gen. Taylor, OF the 18th May
"Ihe Rio Grande claimed to be the boundary between
tbs counties. aud up this boundary you are to
Size thereof which In the sexual occupany Of
Mexican forces Mexican settlement. over which the
Republic Of Texas did not exercise jurisdiction AZ the pc
rod Of annexation, or shortly before that event"
And another letter Of our Secretary, TO the same
officer, was as follows
WAR DEPARTMENT, July 8, 1916.
"SR This Department is informed that Mexico has slms
mfsry establi-huens on the side ofhs Rio Grsnd-
which sre .nd for some tine have been in the sexual
cupaucy Of her troops 10 carrying out the Instructions
heretofore received you will be careful 70 avoid any acts
Of aggression uness actual state Of war should exist
The Mexican forces st the posts IN their secession, and
which have been will not be as long As tbs
relations Of peace between the United states and Mexico
continue WA. l.. MARCY.
9 Brs Gen T. TAYLOR"
Well now, Sir. you will recollect that in bis
march he was met at Sal Colorado by officers who
demonstrated against his passage and. at San lisa.
bel he found that the Custom Houses had been set
on fire. How did this happen. If Texas had pos
session Of this country How did II happen that
he found none but Mexicans there burning their
houses and flying from bis troopsf The Texans
were our friends They would not have fled from
friendly forces and burned their houses, as II our
troops were barbarians coming 10 waste with fire
and sword. No, they were Mexicans We'll, our
army encamped wherel Ia the Mexican corn aud
cotton FIELDS bordering the river; they placed
their batteries the bank OF the river, command.
ing the City Of Matamoros 50 as to spot any house
in town 80 wrote officers from the very place.
Sir the Senator from Missouri well said that such
an act as this was act OF unparalleled outrage. a
seizure OF slice Of the Mexican Republic | will
mention another fact in connection with this sub
iect which 10 worth remembrance. ltis this-that
Texas framed new Constitution. when she came
into this Union and took especial care not TO spe-
c,fy her boundaries. looked over 1t to day, and
found that she has left that matter entirely open,
because the act Of annexation by which she came
into the Union, made provision for the establish
ment Of the boundary by the Government OF the
Union Sir the frat Of these annexation resolu'
tons provides
THE first resolution provides, That Conge. doth con
hst the territory properly included Within and snt
into new STATE TO be called the Of Texas with
publican form OF Government be adopted by tho peo-
pie Of said Republic, by deputies In convention assem-
bed with the eonsen OF the existing Government IN or.
that the be admitted as one OF the states Of
this Union.
That The FOREGOING consent Of Conessis given upon the
condition thai the said State be formed sun-ct % me ad
1stment BY this Government Of all questions Of boundary
that may arise with other Goyernmens
Now, why were these words introduced into the
resolution Did not the speech OF the Senator IRON
Arkansas, from which have read furnish a KEY to
this mystery, which seems 10 have oppressed the
minds Of some gentlemen That Texas was not
admitted with the limits which she had prescribed
for herself but with such might be rghtfully and
properly assigned to her, to be subject to settle
ment by negotiation with this Government 10 as
clear as any proposition can be.
Mr.. CALHoUS-Wil the Senator yield The floor
that / may make short explanation IN reference
to that treaty ! 1t isa treaty which negotiated
in reference to the admission OF Texas, and which
was rejected by the Senate.
In making that treaty, and entering into Il, by
no means assumed that the Rio del Norte was the
western boundary Of Texas. Ga the contrary, l
assumed that the boundary was an unsettled one
between Mexico and Texas No provisions were
made in reference to il, because Texas by the pro
visions OF that treaty 70 come into the Union as
territory and as such the right OF the Govern
ment Of the United States 10 settle the boundary
was unquestoDsble there was express pro
vision TO that effect. Ii was different In reference
h the resO. utions under which Texas was actually
admitted into the Union. They proposed 70 admit
her as State, not as territory; and coming in
that character, il would have been necessary 70
have had the consent Of Texas TO establish boun-
sary between her and Mexico. Those resolutions,
70 avoid the difficulties which might result, very
properly contained provision which provided that
the matter in dispute should be settled BY the Gov
eminent OF the nited States