Washington telegraph., 1848-01-12

TN ~ sFdll HtfAtilt
have IN sain sought for any document
emanalmg from The Republic or slale Of
ietas, Lar the purpose oil sustaining lis
elaim eilhefte NV Mexico or the eoun.
tfY bordering ~ the tower p1flinn Of the
lawef del Nafla. The only nllieial pa.
prs within my reach in which the elaim
N tHaas Is sustained. are the Presidents
messages al My II aud December ).
lsiai ani lhasa leler only 10 The country
bordering On The lower pafl ai the del
Natie. he paflian ul the mesage oi
NAY II, lsld, relating 10 lhal subject, Is
a taIluNs:
meantime Fe.as. by lie fnal aelion
of our Congress, had become an integral
pafl oi ouf tnian. lie Congress Of Tex.
as, BY is act oi nee., II. lsaa, had de-
elarel lie Rin del Norla 10 be tie hhunda
y uf lha Republic. IL jurisdiction had
eklenlal anl esefeefaisal befnnl the
Nnaeez. The eaHnlfY belwfen thai liver
and the del Safie had been represented in
the Congress and in the Convention oi 1'et.
as had thus taken part in the act Of an.
nexaiian ilselii and IS nov included with.
in one ai our Congressional Districts
Our nwn Congress had, moreover, with
ateat anluimlty, by the al approved Dec.
n, lsi5, recognised the country hryond
Tue Nueees as part ui our territory, by
nelaiing II within our awn revenue sYs.
TEN. aud revenue officer, 10 reside with.
in thai district. has haen appointed by and
with the li,iee and consent Of the Sen.
ala. Il heeame. therefore. ul urgent ~.
eassily ta provide iof Tie defence al lhat
pnfiiun al aHf country. Accordingly, ON
| iih nl Janafy last, instructions we're Is
sued IN lie General in command al these
lfaaPs "a ueeHpy The left bank ui The del
AaIle.
".fhe nafemsnl al the ltt lfnaps Ia the
Del Saiie was mada Is The eomnan1ina
General, under positive instructions Ia ab
stain if1m all aggressive aets toward Mex.
ien Of Mexican eilizenst and Ia regard the
relations helween thu Republic aud The
j iInitel si4lez Is peaealal ahcss she should
declare waf Or eammIl aef4 ii hostility in
dieaIite Of slain af aaf. Il Wa speri.
+ ally directed In nfaleel private property anil
lesfeeI individual rights.
+ In his annual message ol December s.
ID. the President suites that Texas, n
ceded 10 the United States by France ia
1903, has been always claimed as extend.
ing west to the Rio Gfanle; that this fact
is eslablishcdby declarations OF cur Gov
emmenl during Ma. Jrll6fson's and Mr..
Monroe's administrations; and that the
Texas which was ceded To Spain by tho
Florida treaty oi l-l0 embraced al the
country now claimed by the State Of Texas
between lLe Nlcecs aud the Rio Grands.
lie lhen repeats The acts ol Texas with
references to her boundaries, stating that
"During The period Of more than nine
years, which inleHened between the adop.
linn Other Constitution aud her annexation
a. one oltde States OF our Union, Texas
asserted aud exercised many acts Of soyo.
rtignily aud juIi. liciion aver the territory
anl inhabitants west Of the Nucccs-such
as organizing and defining limits OF coun.
ties extending 10 the Rio Grande, eslab
lishing courts Of Justice, aud extending
her judicial system over the territory; es.
tablshing also custom house, post offices,
a land Office, &c."
The President des sgnates by the name
of Icray the ccssion Of Louisiana By
France TO The United States; andh he again
calls the territory cedod to Spain BY the
Florida treaty Of 1919 hC Tcrus lie in.
lima,es that the claim OF the United States
10 tho Territory between the Sabine and tho
Rio NoHe was derived from the boundaries
Of Texas. aud that, by claiming as lar west
as this river the United States did recog.
Mise that il was boundary Of he ]cras.
really do not understand what Is meant
by this assertion.
! Tn, United States claimed the Rio
Norc as being the legitimate boundary o
Louisiana, and not oi Texas. Neither the,
MOI France had ever been in possession d
,he country beyond the Sabine. Spain had
always held possession, aud divided the ter.
| rilOy into provinces us She pleased. One
/ VI tliNnf was AhiNh itAhHt hHA iAa ubNlluh'
ries had been designated and altered at her
viii. With these the United States had
no concern. II their claim could be sus.
Iained il must be by proving that Louisiana
exlonIrdo OF right thus Gar. This had no
connection with the boundaries which
Spain night have assigned to her province
OF Texas. These might have extended be.
yond the Rio del NOrc, or have been east
Of the Rio Nueces. There is not the slight.
est conne1ion between the legitimate boun.
dares Of Louisiana and those of lbs span.
ish province Of Texas. The presumed
identity is mere supposliou.
II il mol necessary 10 discuss the sound
ness Of the prelensions to the Rio Norte,
asserted by Mr. Jefferson and Mr.. Monroe,
since they were yielded in exchange ior
Florida, aud some other objects, by the
] treaty Of lsl9-a treaty extremely popular
at the time, and the execution of which
] tpae prpeaad ,rifh ur,ut s,a,l al pnruavnr