Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-07-04
MOND, VA
Tnesdav Morning, July 4, Is4s.
ANNEXATION OF TEXAS.


dependent. The essential principe upa 70
20 The very dawn OF our existence we Pioie :,
AT was the inaienable right Oh 'he Peop'o
.terv country TO adopt such forms OF government
as would. in their judgment, best promote INC
neral good. The sovereignty was oil rlsn' ~ '"e
neop,e The government of Texas was oaseu
upon the same principle; and, If that be cof'ee'
then she was necessarily dc 1urs lnaePeDue"'-
But Texas never was subject 10 MEXICO, %
Stat. In The exercise OF her rights, she dia as
con, N The federal constitution OF 1924. lha1
comnact secured her Republican government;
and when overhrown in 1884, and military
d.sno,ism was erected on lis ruins, TO hold ner
subject 10 allegiance to such power, thus usuip'
ed i, nothing less than the avowal OF the doctrine
OF passive obedience in its most oolee"ona0'e
form. That Mexico had not, al tnis nme' ne''
Golf acknowledeed Texan independence, IS true
,ho, che stiIl refuses so 10 acknowledge mel, Is
.o,sllv ,o-but does that refusal nono render lex
as less independent2 For nine years she MAD
asserted and maintained do tccto independence.
She might have continued thus, until, growing 10
power, she became far more powerful man MeAi'
co herself. Yet, il the formal assent OF Mexico
was necessary to make her really independent
she would still have been department OF 'nal
despotism, Against such doctrines we warred;
and. acting upon the view that Texas was oon
ae 6aeto and de lure the disposer OF her own ior-
tur,- offered union, with The confident convic-
lion tha. s~,h union would advance the prospe-
rily o! eacn OF Ia, contracting parties, and car
rY no semblance OF Wrong to Mexico or any 9TH
er nation.
The treaty concentrating these views was nc
gonsed and presented to the Senate OF the UNI
ted SHES on the 22d of April, 1874. That body
rejected The same, chiefly upon The ground that
the will Of the American people had not been as
cerained. The question was fully presented in
the Presidential canvass Of 1874, and annexation
accomplished, in obedience to that will, by join,
resolution, upon the lst day Of March, l645.
THE ACTION OF MEXICO.
Prior 10 the negotiation of the treaty, the 60
vernment of Mexico, by her Minister resident at
Washington, J. N. Almonle, entered her protest
against the annexation OF Texas, declaring she
would regard il as an aggression upon her rights
TOO nantes! 10 require argument Whilst the
same views were presented in The correspondence
of her Secretary Tornel with MIR. Thompson our
Minister near the government of Mexico. In
pursuance OF this protest, upon the passage OF
the resolution for annexation, Almonte demand.
ed his passports, with the declaration that Mexi.
co regarded il, and would treat ii as war-and all
diplomatic relations between the two govern
mems were suspended.
r. tha 1;of;n of Pr,-
tain, an armistice had been agreed upon between
Mexico and Texas, with the view of adjusting
was SfofsSs 81 x III s~sssasss
the agreement upon the part of Texas to treat
of annexation with the United States, and upon
a resumption of hostiities the Mexican CON-
mapder on the Texan frontier issued an order, Of
which the following is the concluding article:
"3d Every individual who shall be found at
the distance Of one league from the lett bank of
the Rio Bravo, will be regarded as favorer and
accomplish Of the usurpers of that part Of the
national territory, and as traitor to his country,
and, after summary military trial, shall be
punished as such.
"(Signed,) ADRIAN WOLL,
General of Brigade
And no change in her relations with Texas
was effected prior to the passage Of the resolu.
ton on the first day of March, ls45. Those
resolutions annex all the territory properly in
cluded in, and rightly belonging 10 Texas, and
left the subject of boundary open to be settled
By negotiation; and thus stood the question At
the time of Mr.. Folks accession TO the Presi
dency.
WHAT WAS RiGHTFULLY INCLUDED WITHIN
TEXAS'
Without any reference to the boundaries ofthat
Texas coded by this Government 10 Spain in
1919, we shall assume that she, Texas, designa.
ted in the resolution Of our Congress, was
Texas rerolutionized, and included rightfully |
only that territory which, in The revolution il |
1895, had been, by the power Of the sword |
wrested from Santa Anna, and brought under |
the jurisdiction of the Government of Texas.
In the Convention which was called in 1885 to
deliberate upon the decree 10 disarm the people,
and which determined not to submit, we have
the authority of General Rusk, at that time in
Texas commanding her armies, for saying tina
delegates wese present from the country West
of the Nueces.
In 1886, the first Legislature which Assem-.
bled passed law defining tho boom iaries OF
Texas, extending to the Rio Grande. which
law was in full force at the time of annexation
4 law had been likewise passed extending the
county of San Jacinto to the Rio Grande; and
i, is stated upon the authority of Mr.. johnson,
Wing Senator of Maryland. that
the deeds and title papers for the lands there
were recorded or deposited at Corpus Christi
There was clearly distinct claim BY Texas
dairy was as distinctly admitted by Mexico
upon every occasion on which it became ne
csssary 10 refer to boundary in her acts. The
captulation Of De Cos, the treaty with Santa
Anna, the armstice, and the order of VOL re
,uming hostili,ies, each directly refer to the
Rio Grande as that boundary; and no act of the
Mexican Government can be produced dissent.
ing in any way from this admission of her Off
GERS: and all this had become history prior 10
the passage of the annexation resolutions.
That there were along the banks of the Rio
Grande, and East Of that river, some Mexican
settlements may be true. That in every reyo-
luton there have been among the mass some
Tories, is equally 30. This cannot materially
affect the question.
THE COURSE OF THE EXECUTIVE AFTER THE
ANNEXATION OF TEXAS
Those resolutions left the question Of boun.
iary open for negotiation. Diplomatic relations
had been, BY the fact OF their passage, entirely
broken off between The two governments, with the
solemn declaration that Mexico would treat that
lct as war. To carry out the will of Congress
on the day OF October, ls45, Mr.. Buchanan'
our Secretary of State, by letter addressed to Mr.
Black, our Consul, directed him 10 submit 10 the
Mexican Secretary a proposion 10 receive