Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-01-21
From The Massachusetts, Quarterly Reriew.
The Mexican War.
BY THEODORE X
(Continued.)

Sbaha W. = NASNt' 800
the Texan frontier to attack the enemy by
every means which war permits" and on the
18th of April, 10 the same person, adds, 81
suppose you either fighting already, or pre-
pairing for the operations of a campaign."-
alt is indispensable that hostllities be COM
menced, yourself taking the initiative" But
where was the enemy to be attacked was
he to take the initiative by making an inva-
sion or r~epelling one!
To answer this question, we are 10 show
what was the western boundary Of Texas
Was it the Rio Grande, the Nueces, or some
line between them, or elsewhere! Mr.. Polk
claims 10 the Rio Grande. These are the ar
guments which he adduces.
l.. Texas as ceded by France in 1903, has
been always claimed as extending west TO
the Rio Grande,' and accordingly the Uni
ted States asserted and maintained their ter
ritorial rights to this extent till 1919, when
it was ceded to Spain. 1t is on The strength
of this claim that annexation Is a Te-anneXa-
ton.
,. The republic of Texas always claimed
this river-from the mouth TO the source
as her western boundary, and it was recog-
nized as such by Santa Anna himself, in
1886.
3. For more than nine years Texas ECKER
cised many acts of sovereignty and i%urlsdlc-
ton over the territory and inhabitants west OF
the Nueces."
4. Congress understood that the RioGrande,
from source to mouth, was the boundary of
Texas in 1915, when the act of annexation
was passed. "This was the Texas which
was admitted as one of the States of our I'm
ion."
All this is specious-at least to one who
knows nothing of the facts; vety plausible to
one who is mere a subject of Authority than
a subject of Reason. But certainly Mexico
had never admitted the Rio Grande, from
source to mouth as her boundary on this side.
We think there is no controversy about the
limits of Texas, except as ii borders on the
Mexican territory. Yet uncertainty of limits
is recognized by America in the very act OF
annexation. The "joint resolutions say:
IL. Congress doth consent that the territory
property included lciihin and righyuHy be-
longing 10 Tie Republic IF Teas, may be erec-
ted into a new State" And "2. Said State
to be formed subject TO the adjustment Of the
government Of all questions Of donndory Thai
may arise with other governments" Here the
limits are admitted to be doubtful, and are
TO be adjusted by the government.
Suppose this were all, that the boundary
was simply doubtful-what was the just and
proper course TO pursue! TO send an army 10
the extreme and doubtful limit of the terrific
nv which we claimed : If so, then Mexico
who thought at least her Claim equally
good-had the same right. What 1t that
course had been pursued with England IN
settling the question of the Northeastern
boundary" or the boundary of the Oregon
territory what if England had acted by the
1900 .,lo ,ol the tu-n natinnS- without "A sim
ole attempt to settle the matter by negotla-
ton, had sent an "army of occupation" to
take military possession, each power up TO
the extent of its own claimsl Why it would
have been-like what we have seen in Tex
as.
But why did not the American government
resort to NEGOTIATION? Because the Mexican
government would not receive a special COM
missioner appointed for that work Not at
all; she rejected Mr.. Slidell because he was
mot such a special commissioner.
"The sword" says somebody. lends all
popular evils, but cures none" 1t certainly
begins a great many. The reason why the
American government sent the sword before
the negotiator will appear in due time.
1t is by no means clear that the Americans
had a good and clear title TO the Rio Grande,
from end to end. A claim is one thing, a
clear title is a little different. Did the Amer
lean government claim the Rio Grande as the
boundary of Louisiana, as coded by France
in 1903! SO we claimed Western Florida
as a part of the same Louisiana. Mr.. Jetfer-
son, in 1905, said its limits were "the Per
ditto on the east, and the Bravo (the Rlc
Grande) on the west" 1t turned out to he d
mistake. The claim was purely diplomatic,
the claim of much in order to get all thai
IL Oh re ,Io rnorals of NOD
lers in politics as of pedlers in other wares,
America had a claim to the whole of Oregon,
from San Francisco to the Russian settle
ments. Mr.. Polk himself claimed up TO 81,
40, and with the settled conviction that the
British pretensionS Of title could not be main
fained 20 am portion Of The Oregon territory
He asserted sour title to the whole Oregon
territory,' and thought it was maintained
by irrefragable facts and arguments" The
LEGISLATURE of one of the New England States
we are told, went further, and declared GU
RIGHT up to 81. 40. But somehow, In tht
thaw of a negotiation, the claim gradually
melted away, and reached no further than the
49th parallel of latitude.
Ii would be easy to show, whatsoever was
the true western boundary OF Texas, that |
was not the Rio Grande. However, we dc
not intend at present entering upon that dis
cnssion. The reader wilffhd much valua
bile information in the speech of Mr.. Senate
Renton. and in the two able and learcd speech
es of MIR. Severance, of Maine, delivered thu
one in the House of Representatives at Wash
inqton, Feb. 4th, l647, and the other in th'
Legislature of Maine, July 9th, lS47. W.
shall for the present confne ourselves to thu
CORRESPONDENCE between Mr.. A. }. Donelsol
and MIR. Buchanan, only promising that Mr.
Donelson was sent by the American govern