Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-01-05

this county extended TO the Rio del Norte. This,
like all other declaratory acts of the same kind was
only an assertion, not affecting the question ofrght
The State Of Texas might, with equal proprety,
have declared that thor boundary extended to the
Sierra Madre or to the Pacific. The true question
of right to any territory beyond the Mexican limits
Of the department. of Texas depends the facts
By whom was the territory in question actually in
hahted and occupied? and had the inhabitants uni
ted with Texas in the insurrection against MeX-
CO?
The whole country between the settlement of
San Patricio and Corpus Christi, till within fe "
miles of the Del Nortc, is perfect desert, one hun
dred and sixty miles wide by the route pursued by
Gen. Taylor, as stated by himself and near one
hundred and twenty miles in straight line.
The only settle part of it is along the left bank
of the Del Norte, and but few miles i'm breadth.
This belt was settled, inhabited, and occupied ex
cusiveiy by Mexicans 1t included the town of
Loredo; and Mexico had custom house at Brasos,
north of the mouth of the river. Till occupied by
the American arms it had ever been, and was at the
time when invaded by Gen. Taylor, part Of the
department of Tamaulpas and subject to the iuris-
dlcton Of the Project Of the northern district of that
department.
In the course of the war between Mexico and
Texas, incursions had been occasionally made by
each party into the territories Of the other. A
Mexican officer had once or twice obtained tempo
rary occupation Of San Antonio, within the limits
ofTexas; the Texans had, on one occasion, taken
Loredo itself, and more than had carried their
arms, not only TO the left bank Of the Del Norte
but even beyond that river. In both cases the az
greSsive parties had been repulsed and expelled
lie last Texan expedition of that kind took place
IN December, 1912, and terminated in their defeat
at N5ier.
That the country adjacent to the left hank of the
river was exclusively in the possession of the Mex
leans, was well known to our Government
When Gen. Taylor marched to the Del Norte,
he issued an order, NO. 50, translated into Span
ish ordering all under his command to observe,
with the most scrupuuus respect, the rights of all
the inhabitants who might be found in peaceful
prosecution of their respective occupations as well
on the left as on the right side of the Rio Grande
No interference, he adds, will be allowed with the
civil rights or religious privileges ofhe inhabitants
In June, lS45, Gen. Taylor had been directed
TO select and occupy, on or the Rio Grande del
Norte, such site as would be best adapted to re-
pei invasion and TO protect our western border
But on the Sth of July following the Secretary of
War (Mr. Marcy,) addressed the following letter
To him:
This Department is informed that Mexico has
some military establishments on the east side of the
Rio Grande, which are, and for some time have
been, IN the actual occupancy OF her troops. In
carrying out the instructions heretofore received
You VIII be careful to avoid any acts of aggression
Mexican forces at the posts in their possession, and
which have been so, will not be disturbed as long
as the relations or peace between the United States
and Mexico continue"
On the 30th July, 1915, the Secretary again adj
dresses Gen. Taylor as follows:
You are expected to occupy, protect, and de-
iend the territory of Texas to the extent that it
has been occupied by the people of Texas The
RIO Grande Is claimed TO be the boundary between
pgn ntrIoc Il al. l..
to extend your protection only erceptin@any posts
on the eastern side thereof, which are in the actual
occupancy OF Mexican forces. or cSierican settle
'nenfS over which the Republic of Texas did not
exercise jurisdiction at the period of annexation or
shortly before that event 1t is expected in select
ING the establishment for your troops you will ap-
proach the boundary line, the Rio Grande
as prudence will dictate. With this view. the
President desires that your position, for a part of
your forces at least, should be west of the river
Nueces."
The Mexican settlements, thus excepted are not
those over which Texas did not claim Jurisdiction
but those on the east bank of the Rio Grande over
which Texas did not exercise jurisdiction at the
period mentioned. The President had no authori-
ty to give up the territory claimed by Texas: bat
1t is clear that at that time, when war was not con-
| tempated, the Administration was of opinion that
till the question was definitely settled the occupan-
cy by the NeXicans OF the territory adjacent TO the
lett bank of the Del Nore ought not TO be disturbed
Neither the subsequent refusal by Mexico to re-
ceive residing envoy nor the successes Of the A
merlcan arms hlve affected the question of roht-
The claim of Texas, whether to New Mexico or
to the lower portion of the Rio Norte, was denti
cally the same; as invalid and groundess in one
case as LII the other Why distinction has been
made by the Executive has not been stated. The
fact is, that he has established temporary govern.
ment Tor New Mexico, as country conquered, and
without any regard to the claim of Texas while
on the other hand he has permitted that State tn
extend its jurisdiction over the country lyiDo on the
left bank ofthe Del Norte, which, like New Mexi-
co, had been conquered by the arms of the United
States. Not shadow of proof has been adduced
TO sustain the professions of Texas to that district:
and justice imperiously requires that it should, by
the treaty oiPeace, be restored to Mexico.
IL so happens that the boundary which may he
traced in conformity with this principle, is natu
raj one and that, as measure ofexpediency. none
more eligible could have been devised A desert
OF one hundred and twenty miles separates the most
southwesterly Texan settlements of Corpus Christi
and San Paricio from those of the Mexicans on the
left bank of the Del Norte, than which no bouD
daIy could be devised better calculated to prevent
collisions hereafter between the two nations II
Will be sufficient for that purpose to draw norni-
nal line through the desert, leaving all the waters
that empty into the Rio Norte to Mexico, and all
those that empty into the Rio Nueces to Texas.
together with such other provisions respecting for
tlfcations and military posts as may be necessary
for the preservation of peace
The line of the Rio Norte is one from which
Mexico would be perpetuaIIy threatened. and from
which their adjacent town on theeastern bank NAV
be bombarded. Such an intolerable nuisance would
perpetuate most hostile feelings With such mar
row river as the Rio del Nore, and with a Joint
right of navigation, repeated collisions would be
unavoidable.