New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-04
symptom, of Civil War in New Mexico.

Military Governor VI No" -iN>'~'' 10y
with several public men and merchants
from that Territory, reached Washington on
Saturday night, we have intelligence OF an
alarming riot in Santa f., which proceeded
10 sucb an extent that the interference OF
the troops was required to prevent the loss
of life and separate the combatant'' Inc
narties were citizens Of New Mexico on the
one side and Texans on the other, and the
occasion Of the broil was a discussion COM
menced in public meeting, on the boun-
dary question, and the right Of Texas to the
POSSESSION Of the Territory. But for the IN
teryention of the Government forces it is i'm
possible to say where the combat would
have ended.
We have no desire to over-rate the I'M
portance of this event; in itself a street
brawl is but too common an occurrence
among the hot-blOoded and ready-handed
frontiersmen of the Southwest. 1t is the
origin Of this collision which makes it wor-
thy of special and serious attention; 1t IS
because it is a symptom of other and graver
troubles which it shows to be imminent;
because it eyinces the spirit of all thinking
and independent minded men in the Terri
tory: and because it results mainly, If not
wholly. from the insidious course of the last
Administration, and the mistaken, because
fatally exaggerated impartiality of the pre-
sent, in respect Of the pretended claim OF
Texas upon New Mexico.
There has never been doubt that the
people of New-MexicO are unconquerably
hostile to this claim. Those of them who
belonged to the Territory before its cessOn,
and who remain as citizens of the United
States, will never willingly become citizens
Of Texas those who have immigrated from
other States feel no desire to cone underline
jurisdiction which is threatened to be forced
upon them; all repel the Sovereignty and
resist the officers of that State: they ropel
Slavery and the infamous provision Of the
Texan Constitution by which its trainers
sought to saddle that evil upon the people
forever; and, as this affair at Santa re
demonstrates, they will resist the imposition
of the hated rule with all their might.
We have already, and more than once,
shown the error of the Administration in
tolerating any enforcement Of Texan author
itv in New-Mexico. Until Congress shall
have decided the dispute, the plain duty of
the Executive is to maintain the status Qao,
not interfering with the internal arrange
ments of the New Mexican people any
further than may be necessary TO preserve
order, and sternly guarding them against
any interference on the part Of Texas.
1t must not merely be neutral in the
matter, but must prevent the stronger
party from encroaching upon the weaker,
or getting any foOthold or right Of
possession on an inch Of its soil. And this
we say is the duty of the Executive, not on
" because Slavery cannot be extended over
territory whose laws declare it free, with
out the legally expressed assent of It's peo-
pie, but also because the Executive Is the
only power which can guard the rights Of
both parties in the case until the cOnrOyer-
sy is definitely settled by competent tribu-
nal. And if there could be any question as
to this duty when the Texan Commissioner
procured the resignation Of the New-Mexi-
can magistrate at Fronteras near Ell Paso
and then took his place peacefully and with
out armed resistance on the part Of the
sparse population Of that extensive district,
there is certainly no room for doubt when
weapons are drawn in the streets of the
Capital city Of the territory. Indeed, on
this occasion the troops did interfere and
prevent actual fighting, because 1t was
merely between individuals; but suppose il.
had been a regular corps Of Texan rangers,
with Texan sheriff escorting Texan Judge
to hold Court at Santa Fe, and the citi-
zens had attempted to expel them from the
place over which they sought to exercise a
usurped authority, what would the troops
have done in that case? Helped the Tex
ans. or left the decision to the issue Of the
fight? Or would they have remanded the
intruders across the frontier, telling them
they must wait until their claim had been
decided at Washington The lasts plainly
the only sensible course they could pursue,
/ and vet we find ne warrant fer it in the Or
ders issued by Col. Munroe when the Texan
Commissioner teok possession Of the FL PasO
district.
But it is not necessary to say more on