The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-04-18

has been entered and the cutes palc, or Sc
cured according to law, for drawbacks, may be
exported to chihuahua in Mexico, or Santa
Fe in New Mexico" SC.
Here, sir, is positive law Of Congress, from
which there is no escaping, touching Santa te
in New Mexico-regulating commerce with
her as with other foreign nations and grant
ing tie principle of drawback Santa Fe, it
should be remembered, is on the east bank of
the Rio Grande But this, sir, is not the only
instance in which the United States have
treated the left bank of the Rio Grande as
Mexican territory Our military Chiefs IN
der instructions from the President ofthe Uni
ted States, have established territorial gov
eminent over the Santa Fe country, thereby
recognizing it as Mexican territory. No Sen
ator, presume, will contend that territorial
government can be established within the ju-
risdiction of one of the sovereign States of this
| Union. Now Mr.. President, how are these
facts met and answered>by Senators on the 9TH
er side Of the chamber? i he honorable Sen
ator from Illinois, Mr.. Douglass made an able
speech the other day to prove the right Of Tex
as to the left bank of the Rio Grande; but, in
nv Judgment, he failed to establish the fact.
! He contended that Texas never rebelled a.
gainst the constituted authorities Of Mexico;
! but that few military leaders, with Santa
Anna at their head, conspired and rebelled a.
gainst the republic of Mexico seized the reins
| of Government-abolishe the federal conSti-
tuition and State Governments, and estab-
! lished a military deSpotiSm in their stead !
l that Santa Anna reduced to submission all
that portion of the republic of Mexico which
lies to the south and west of the Rio Grande !;
that the people on this side of the Rio Grande
took up arms and confined the power of the
revolutionary Government TO the right bank Of
that river.
Now, sir, suppose all this to be true. How
does it prove the right of Texas to the State Of
TamauGpas, or any other Mexican State on
this side of the Rio Grande? If the revolu-
tion was confined to the right bank of the Rio
/ Grandc. the Mexican States on this river re-
tanned their separate existence and original
boundaries. But, MIR. President, Santa Anna,
/ il is said, while prisoner of war in Texas,
made treaty with that Government establish
ing the RIO Grande, from its mouth to Its source,
as the southwestern boundary of Texas.
Santa Anna made no treaty with Texas
while prisoner Of war, or at any other time.
( On the 18th Of MAY, 1886, while prisoner of
war in Texas, he entered into articles of a
greement with Texas, by which he hound him
self to use his influence with his Government
20 procure treaty acknowledging the indie
pendence of Texas and establishing the Rio
/ Grande as her southwestern boundary. His
Government, however, repudiated the agree
mcnt and refused to make any terms whatev-
er with Texas. In December, after this a.
greement, the Texan Congress passed an act
declaring the Rio Grande, from its mouth to
its source, TO be her western boundary, and
that, it is claimed, gave her a right to the coun-
try. This act of Congress, sir, gave Texas no
right whatever to one foot Of territory beyond
her ancient: limits. THAT she had not conque red
from Mexico and subjected to her jurisdiction
and laws.
This question was largely discussed in this
chamber when the treaty of annexation was
before US in 1914, Judge Woodbury., then a
Senator from New Hampshire, and now one of
the Judges Of the Supreme Court Of the Uni
ted STATES, in his speech in favor Of the rati-
ficat;on Of the treaty, said:
| Texas, by mere law, could acquire no IT,
tie but what she conquered from Mexico and
actually governed. Hence, though her law
includes more than the ancient Texas, she
could hold and convey only that, or at the ut
termost, only Whist she exercised clear jurisdic-
ton over"
The honorable Senator from Missouri, MIR
Benton Yin the course of his able speech a.
gainst the treaty, introduced the following res
olution:
"Resolred That the incorporation of the
left bank Of the Rio del Norte, Rio Grande }
into the American Union, by virtue of a trea-
ty with Texas, compromising, as the said in
corporation would do part of the Mexican
departments of New Mexico, Chihuahua, Goa
hula, and Tamaulipas, would be an act of d.
r roD Mox,oo e. Ill L.
quences Of which the United States would be
responsible"
The Hon. Silas Wright, then a member of
delivered at Watertown, New York, Just after
be had voted against the treaty, said:
al felt it my duty to vote against the ratif-
cation of the treaty for the annexation of Tex
as. | believed that the treaty, from the boun-
diaries that must be implied from it, embraced
a country 10 which Texas Lad no claim, over
which she had never asserted jurisdiction, and
which she had no right TO cede.''
The claim of Texas to the left bank Of the
Rio Grande derived no strength whatever
from her act Of Congress. If she had no title
before, she had none afterwards. IL wash
my hands," said Col. Benton,
'Of all the attempts to dismember the Mex
lean Republic, by seyering her dominions in
New Mexico, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaul-
ipas. The treaty, in all that relates to the
boundary of the Rio Grande, is an act of I'M
I paralleled outrage on Mexico. 1t is the seiz-
ure of two thousand miles of her territory
without a word of explanation with her, and
by virtue of treaty with Texas, to which she
is no party"
After full discussion, the treaty, as have
before said. was rejected by vote ofS5 nays,
to l6 yeas.
Mr.. President, have already trespassed too
( long upon the patience of the Senate, and !
will bring my remarks to a close. The career
Of conquest upon which We have entered, is
full Of danger and peril 10 the country. 1t
may bring under our dominion foreign states
and provinces, but it will bring with them an
ignorant, degraded population, wholly unpre-
pared FOR the enjoyment of our free and iber-
al institutions With the extension of our ter
ritorial limits. will come an increase of armies