Washington telegraph., 1850-02-13

officers sent there by my predecessor. and
were already in active progress OF execu'
ton before any communication from me
reached California. If the proposed con
stltution shall, when submitted to Com
gress, be found to be in compliance with
the acquisitions of the Constitution Of the
United States. l earnestly recommend
that it may receive the sanction OF Con-
gress.
The part of California not included in
the proposed State of that name is be-
lieved to be uninhabited, except in a set
tiement of our countrymen in the vicinity
of Salt Lake.
A claim has been advanced by the State
of Texas TO very large portion of the
most populous district of the Territory
commonly designated by the name of New
Mexico. Ii the people of New Mexico
had formed plan of State government
| for that Territory ceded 10y the treaty
of Guadalupe HdaIgo, and had been ad-
mitted by Congress as State. our Con-
stitution would have afforded the means
of obtaining an adjustment of the question
of boundary with Texas by judicial de-
cision. At present, however, no judicial
tribunal has the power Of deciding that
question, and 1t remains for Congress to
devise some mode for its adjustment.
Meanwhile I submit to Congress the
| question, whether it would be expedient
before such adjustment to establish ter
ritorial government, which, 10y including
i the district so claimed, would practically
decide the question adversely to the State
of Texas, or, by excluding it, would de-
eide it in her favor. In my opinion such
a course would not be expedient, espe-
cially as the people OF this Territory still
enjoy the benefit and pr )tection of their
municipal laws. originally derived from
Mexico, and have military torce station
ed there to protect them against the In
dians. 1t is undoubtedly true that the
property, lives, liberties and religion of
the people of New Mexico, are better
| protected than they evel were before The
treaty of cessIon.
Should Congress, when California shall
present herself for incorporation into the
Union, annex condition to her admission
as State affecting her domestic instllu-
| tlons contrary to the wishes of her people,
and even compel her temporarily to COM
ply with it, yet the State could change
her constitution at any time after admiS
siou, when 10 her it should seem eXpe-
dent. Any attempt TO deny TO the people
OF the State the right of Self-governmenI
in matter which peculiarly affects them
selves will infallib!y be regarded by them
as an invasion of their rights; and, upon
the principles laid down in our own
Declaration of Independence, they will
certainly be sustained by the grea. mas,
of the American people. To assert that
they are conquered people, and must as
a State submit TO the " ill of their con-
querors, in this regard, will meet with no
cordial response among American free
men. Great numbers of them are native
citizens of the United States, not inferior
10 the rest of our countrymen III in,elli-
gence and PATRIOTISM; and no language or
menace to restrain them in the exercise
of an undoubted right. substantially guar
antied TO them by the treaty of cession
ITSELF shall ever be uttered 10y me, or eu-
couraged and sustained by persons acting
under my Authority. 1t is TO be expected
| that in the residue of the territory ceded
10 us by Mexico, the people residing
| there will at the time of their Iucorpora-
| ton into the Union as a State, settle all
| questions of domestic policy to suit them
selves.
| No material Inconvenience VIII result
| from the want, for a short period, OF a
government established by Congress over
that part of the territory which lies east
ward OF the new Stale of California; aud
the reasons for my opinion that New
Mexico will at no very distant period ask
for admission into the Union, are founded
on unofficial information, which suppose
Is common to all who have cared % make
inquiries on tina subject
Seeing, then, that the question which
now excites such painful SENSATIONS III
the country will. in the end, certainly he
settled by the silent effect of causes in
de ependent of the action of Congress, |
again submit to your wisdom the pOllcy
recommended in my annual message OF
awaiting the salutary operation OF those
causes, believing that we shall! thus avoid
the creation OF geographical parties, and
secure The harmony OF feeling SO neces-
sary to the beneficial action of our politi-
| cal system. Connected as the Union is
with the remembrance of past happiness,
the sense of present blessings, aud the
hope of future peace and prosperity, every
dictate of wisdom, every feeling of duty,
and every emotion of patriotism tend to
inspire fidelity and devotion to it, and
admonish US cautiously to avoid any uii-
necessary controversy which can either
endanger it or impair its strength. The
chief element of which is to be found III
the regard and affection OF the people for
each other.
Z. TAYLOR.