Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-02-26

which post the army Of Texas, pleasure first under
Gen. Rusk, and afterwards under Gen. Felix Houston, ira
vesed the whole of this country without moesation.
urge the that Texas had this
ties and appointed civil officers in il TO administer her laws
that she sent her public surveyors into ~ and surveyed it.
and appropriated these lands TO her own urge the
fact that Texas had established election precinct Cospus
Christi, which the citizens residing between the rivers
IT they chose TO do could vote What better claim than
this founded upon conquest and continuous possession
any country have for her territory II Is The title by which,
if not all the majority of the civilized Powers Of the world
hold their possessions.
III true, sir that within this territory the settlements
detached and sparse and from the nature Of their situation
in such those that law and justice may have been
but eeby administered and that the franchises Of freeman
may have been but scanty enjoyed The Senator from Ma
yland Mr PEARcE has rdculed the fact (bu his rdcule
will not alter the ac of precinct having been established at
Corpus Christi for the accommodation Of oil the settlers
siding between the. two rivers What he asks, establish
precinct for these poor fellows hundred and fifty
miles from the residences Of ofhem Sir that Senator
was born in Maryland in old and thcky settled country
where to be had not only all the comforts which
DESIRE but also all the political accommodations which the
most lnfn INDECENT could hope for In countries,
these things otherwise. AT time, the history Of
my State, which, point Of territory among the lar
ges in the Union, the territory which FORMS that State
then part Of Missouri, belonged to the county Of New Ma
drd, and the county seat of which at the village of New
Madrid, on the Mississippi river seventy sevenyve
miles below the mouth of the Oho and to this county seat
the settlers the Red river had often attend to
their suits and to grand jurors. In the discharge Of
ii
county seat eight hundred thousand miles and, If by
land, four five hundred miles, through country nearly
destitute OF Inhabitants and much of the way through the
woods and navgabe streams and impossible creeks As
late 1919 the county Of Arkansas bounded on the
south by Louisiana, and the north by the State of Mis-
souri, and measured by the meandsrs of The Mississippi river
which its eastern 'front.' distance Of about six hundred
miles The county seat for this county the Old Post
Of Arkansas vage venerable least for its age, having
been settled, according the tradition of the country, conem
poraneousy with St Louis, Kaskaska, Vncenns, and Phi
adepha, which was, believe, according to chroncrs,
in the 6S5 This county seathich has better
days. and has been Of late years becoming smaller by de-
grees and more beautifully lesswas selected all county
seats in all counties selected in reference popula-
ton and not territorial centres. on the edge of one
side Of the county and the settlers in getting to it,
had to travel two three hundred miles. These nconve
nences are but OF common in all countries
Senators from the States will testify When the Senator
from Maryland shall hereafter dwell upon this subject, hope
we shall have his sympathy instead of his dcue and that
he will content himself by thanking his that he born
in Maryland, and not in the wilderness hope he will
to wonder that the poor fellows the Rio Gandc had
travel to San Patrcio, Corpus Christi, transact
their business Upon the WHOLE them Iurge this fact also
important and not trivial in behalf Of the claim of Texas
probably true that the greater number Of the settlers
on the Rio Gande were Of Spanish origin and avoaby in
clned to the of Mexico But matter what their
gin feeling, they nconsiderabe numbers to be
the object OF special attention either of the begerents
They took part generally in the conflict between Texas
and Mexico, and through the double of policy and
humanity neither Of the parties disturbed them. They
left to the enjoyment OF their neutratyher ock and little
patches Of corn and cotton and. red pepper The only in
stance to the contrary the order Of Gen Rusk in 1885,
to those settlers to retire his the Guadalupe
the west side of the Rio Gande which order all of them
obeyed, and continued to obey until 1885, when they
again permitted to return, and did aud there they have
remained SINCE
These facts urge behalf Of the claim of Texas 10 the
territory between the Nueces and Rio Gande and adverse
TO the petensons of Mexico It that Mexico during
all this time, claimed not only the territory controversy, but
the whole of Texas to the Nueces the desert which
she mentioned but the Sabine and that she buster
ed, and bued and talked loudly of INVASION and blood and
thunder and all that Thus stood the claim the respective
parties when the treaty enumeration made in ls44 And
this brings to the action of the United States upon this
question of title and boundary. The United States the
OF Texas and to whom this settlement boun
Diary had been committed, could not consistently with her
fidelity and honor Texas, give up any part Of it. without
friendly discussion by which the United States should be salts
fled that the claim Of Texas untenable. The United
States would have regarded reacerous and cowardy TO
have done This discussion, that time and SINCE
the United States most anxious have and also
most anxious to settle speedily and upon the most liberal
TERMS Of which there is in archives the abundant
proof This discussion the Government Of Mexico most per-
emptoy reiused and in consequence of that REFUSAL the
United States unwilling to give up any part Of the boun-
dairy claimed by Texas This policy of the United States
acceptable to the majority Of the Senate in 1874 The
main opposition 10 the treaty Of that day rested upon the ques
ton Of boundary and that part Of the boundary mainly which
included the Santa Fe country New Mexico with its forty
villages which had been settled by Spain one hundred years
before La Sale had the Mississippi river and which
Texas had invaded much less conquered To show
that this country included in the claim Of Texas the Sena
from Missouri (Mr BESroS in April 1884, introduced
resolution calling upon President Tyler for the boundary
claimed by Texas. The response TO this call was map in
large red lines describing that boundary from the mouth to
the Of the Rio Grandc Accompanying this map was
memoir Of valuable information, which had not been called
for by the Senator from Missouri showing the quantity Of
land among other things which getting by teay
and the computation Of those lands included all lying within
the claim Of Texas This all that the opponents of the
treaty desired and it TO without any explanation
in regard to that fact, giving New Mexico rather
than the friends Of the treaty desired The treaty was
rejected But the policy Of the United States in regard
the Of settling this boundary question Chat say,
by friendly discussion) has not been changed The United
States have still considered themselves bound to protect the
boundary of Texas until satisfied il was untenabe The
United States had other pursue under such cir
than prevent Mexico from Selling Texas or
any part OF il by force She would have acted unworthy Of
herself and conempby in the eyes the world If she had
pursued any other policy than she has upon this question under
all the circumstances She has been derec in her duty
TO Texas, unkind unjust 10 Mexico The President
did precisely what the country expected him do-he tried
10 settle this boundary in friendly manner, and upon the
most liberal terms He could effect IT, Mexico was pre-
pairing invade il and hold il and the President anticipated
Mexico, and prevented her In doing this he did his duty,
and for which, for one thank him.
But adversares say that in a movement important
so likely change the peaceful relations between the
to have consulted Congress- which then in session. is
al = IL