The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-01

Delivered In che senate Of tAe United States July 10 l
Nc BENTON offered the following amend
ment 20 the bill
strike out of proposition FIRST" Of section r. after the
,rd beginning these words at the poiAt the Rio
asl Norts commonly called ~ PSso and running up that
river twenty miles measured by strsisht line thereon
and thence eastuAriy q point where the lOSh degree OF
vest uStuds Rel river being thss uthvest angle,
IN the line designated between the United States and Mex
Ani the angle IN the line Of the territory set apart
~ che aiAns BY tue Unted States and insert AFTER the
wori beginning these words az the point "a the
inside q the deepest channel in The Rio GrAnie del Nore,
vhe7t the crossed ~ the 2i degree ~ longitude
wssI from the meridian Of Greenwich thence north, atng
Att situas the Sth degree Of north latitude thence
sa~kriy the point 81 wheA The oeh degree Of vest
.oagituaS crosses tAt Red rver.
The amendment being stated by the Chair,
Mir BENTON said The motion is 10 strike
out aud inseri--to strike ont the committees pro-
posed line flr the western boundary Of Texas
ana 70 insert s different one in place Of IL The
committees line begins twenty miles, on straight
line above e. PNSo, sud runs northe&SJWsrdly
70 the point 81 which tAe Red river is crossed by
tic one hpndre3Ih degree q west longitude The
line propose begins in the middle Of the channel
- - D .7-----leN = -. where IL IS crossed
-, - ...
longitude ahout three hundred miles on 3 straight
line, below & PSsO sud runs north with that Ion.
Ciguae 70 the thirty fourth parallel Of north lsti
tads, where il strikes the committees line, and
thence with thSi line, 70 is terninstio- ST the
intersection q the Red river ~ the one hun
dre6h degree Of weS1 longitude These sre tA'
Two lines ana the difference between them Is
difference az seventy thousand square miles Gu
Of from New Ms1ico snd gwen 10 TeIsS
Nv objections 20 ths committees proposed In,
were stalled in former speech, Snd nothing which
Was then said VII he repeated pcV. The pom
a. those 5tlecTioEs vas, that thsi me vss = dss
thousand square nileS 81 as terTito-y- and giving
Il 70 Texas NV reasons for The hHe propose
were also sisted II the ssme speech, sid vii not
be reposied nov Their point Vas thai line
along the one hundred and second degree Of west
longitude would X the proper boundary between
New MexicC Eni TsTks-the one that would con-
form q the hcIuSl possessions O. both countries
70 Their civl Ani geographical divisions with
eaG repeating Ergumelts formerly used, ny de-
sgn i u rise higher ana establish the same points
~ new An3 closer sviieDcs, drawn ss the rheto-
ri1isus express H. II g5saSIbby esESS-from the
49, < = yAA-Shsr Z, 70 say from the bill
and report q The committee Itserr 49, hrslt ere
turhsnuc NAP q tie STATE Ct TeI2s
hacin VIII The committees bill. sn1 show from
i rhsg cessi5a o. pSrt q New Mehico to,JerAs,
and 10; the ksoertAinment Of the true line be-
tween them vas the object Of the committee; and
that N fscl they make eession Of one-hAf Of
New MsIico 70 Te1ss- and then Seoept cession
Of TIE CHER hAlf from Der, and then propose to
pay her large sun Of money besides Here is
TIE ceding cl6ose IN the committees bill
Seaord u. United Stk,ss oeSs to the Of Texas
az rxht sEu aud ute vtieh they any territory
wing s0zt = the Inc kfressid Ard the said State If
Isxas af 70 tss United states any night claim and title,
Which hEs &c Sry territory lying north Of the said line
These sre the words of the committees bill-s
osssion-a mutual cession Of territory from each
70 the other sni in terms which imply title in
each The United States cede 10 Texas all the
territory that lies south Of the committees line
Texas cedes 70 the United States all the territory
that lies north Of Il. Ii is the act of two owners
setting Independently Of each other, and making
sn exchange Of land and in terms which imply an
equality Of title in the respective cessions Upon
the words Of this clause, then, this transfer to
Texas is cession from the United States, and
conveys to Texas the right, title and claim, Of the
United States to al the territory ceded Another
part Of the bill is equally explicit in treating this
transfer as a cession The sixth clause is in these
words
Sixth II the said State Ct Texas shall yef,e or decline
accede the preceding articles they shall become null
and rod and the United States shall he reunited buck 10
all their territorial rights in the state and condition
these articles Of compact had been rendered 10
the acceptance Of the state OF Texas
This is confirmation, both Of the cessiou and of
the title of the United States 1t makes a provi-
sion for resuming the title Of the United States
if the exchange is hot agreed TO by Texas Ii
RENTS the title-sends il back-to the United
States if Texas does not accept! and to give more
emphatic meaning to this remission, as return
to its former owner, the expletive "backn is su-
peradded-a redundancy of phrase which could
only be justified by the extreme desire of saving
the title of the United States if the committee
cannot succeed in giving it away
The report Of the committee, in explanation
and support of their bill, fully accords with these
two clauses Of the bill itself 1t treats the line
they propose as making cession of United States
territory to Texas, and carefully reclaims the
title, if the cession is not accepted Thus:
aft this boundary be assented to by Texas she will be
queted TO that extent 10 her title And may suppose
that in consideration Of this by the United States
she might, without any other equivalent, relnqush any
claim any part Of Nelo Merco But under the influence
Of sentiment of Justice and great beraty, The bill pro-
poses to Texas FIR her REIMBURSEMENT Of any such claim
large ptcuniary equivalent
And again:
1T cannot be anticipated that Texas will decline to ac
cede 10 these liberal prOposObs hut II she should IL is 20
be distinctly understood that the tile of the United States
10 territory acquired from Merco east Of the Rio
Graude will uHimpaired ami in the same condition
If the proposals Of adjustment offered never been
madeD
Here are two distinct combinations of the
meaning expressed in the committees bill and
shows that the import of the words employed by
them was duly and cautiously considered "Con-
cession" is the term they apply to it, which is the
equivalent of cession which is itself equivalent to
the word grant. UnimpairedD is to be the state
Of the United States title if the concession is not
accepted by Texas; and as an acquisition from
Texas, the remaining part Of New Mexico is pro-
posed to be held. The words all imply cession
and acquisition; and in that, the bill and report
are right. IL is cessiOn Of seventy thousand
square miles Of New Mexico to Texas for nothing
with proposal TO purchase the remaining part Of
New Mexico from her at greater price The
whole crowned by a bungling salvo to save our
title "unimpaired,' if Texas cannot be induced
to accept these fine terms-terms which give her
both our land and our money. Thus the report
accords with the bill, and sustains my PROPOSE
ton
now proceed to other evidence
Here is map the title, contents, date and
verihcation of which are vital to this inquiry 1t
is entitled, A MAP OF rue STATE OF Texas BY
CoRDovA and it declares itself to be compiled
from the records Of the General Land Office Of the
State and is dated in the spring of ls4s. aud
processes to give every county, every town land
district, river, and stream, in the State and Is
verified by the signatures of the Senators and
Representatives of the State in Congress by the
Commissioner Of the General Land Office, and the
attestation of the Governor, and of the Secretary
Of State. IL must be assumed to be an authentic
map Of the State such as II was at the time of
its compiation-spring Of 1s4s-and will not be
questioned by Texas, and is the sole evidence for
which the United States will have occasion in
maintaining the possession Of all New Mexico
until the question Of title shall be competently
disposed Of 1t shows the possession of Texas as
il stood at the time that the United States acquired
New Mexico. IL Is the map of possession
map Of the State as possessed-at that identical
moment, vital to this question; it extends from
the Sabine to 1920 Of west longitude. And here
is a reduced map in the corner Of the large one,
embracing the country from the Mississippi river
to the Pacific ocean, and showing the whole ex-