The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-06-14

upon which il was determined to fix the point OF depar
lure from the Rio Grande twenty miles above The pass
turns out to be wholly unfounded and exactly the
verse OF the understanding OF the committee refer tt
the report OF Captain French y is written in the form
o. diary and contains h much information h N regard %
known and about which much exaggeration has beer
imposed upon the public AT the point on The east sde
Of the RIO Grande opposite r Paso instead Of There
being large population there only three houses OF
the American, east side The town OF III paso wholly
situated n Mexico There are three villages on thu
island, but to what jurisdiction they will appertan
remain uncertain until the boundary line shall be esiab
lshed between the possessions Of Mexico and the United
States. as fixed BY the treaty Of Hidalgo..
From I'll Paso up to the Desert OF Death, think It not
unlikely that there are not dozen families on The Amer
can side, perhaps not half that number The manuscript
TO which refer, and which may be regarded as entirely
reliable, affords information that point, as the OBJ
iects of the expedition did not require exploration OF
4 that locality.
Mr.. RUSK must really interrupt the honorable
know nothing about but have return OF the votes oi
this county Of FL Paso, and they are nearly 700 IN
number
speak OF the intervening territory between the middle Of
the pass and the Desert of Death have no reliable in.
formation Of any population Of consequence and they
of the white race. but putbos. do not controveri
the information OF the honorable senator as TO the pop
uaiion Of FL Paso, twenty orihiriy, more miles be-
low as well as above the ptss.
Mr. RUSK The town OF Dona Ana iS above FL Paso
| del Norte.
MIR. hfANGUM understood the senator 10 say be-
low. have not examined the map 10 ascertain Wnere
that town is situated There is however, apprehend,
reliable information OF there being more than twenty
families between FL Paso and the desert. On the other
hand upon the opposite side Of The Rlo Grande, tne
Mexican sde taere several thousand inhabitants
PLAIN where the town is situated The plain is not re
markable for fertility, but the inhabitants derive bare
subsistence from the products of the soil Gran 10 sup
ply the Of emgrants or for other purposes has 10
be brought from Chihuahua will make another gen
era remark the nIormaton derived from this report
The whole Of the country from San Antonio 10 the Paso
del Noe, with occasional exceptions, is perhaps. TO
American Atlantic eye, oil the most arid sterile,
desirable. and worthless ihas any american eye ever
the United States On hand, huge, naked, volcanic
mountains sprngng up 10 the clouds; on the other, vast
arid plains, rocky unproductve not shaded by tree,
dwaried oherwse and such scarcity Of water; and
what there is is OF the worst conceivable quality 50 that
the traveller is subjected the greatest extremes OF
suffering for the want of
The expedition OF whose observations have availed
myself, being TO lay out and open military road
IRON San Antonio Paso del Norte returned from the
pass different and more northern route. The ap-
pearance OF the country was still more inhosptabe.
Speaking of distance OF hundred and seventy miles
down the Pecos to the "Horse Head, the report says
Bu, few places can be found more solitary or present
dreary appearance than all this region OF the Pc
cos. The only signs of life moving things, are now
and then single deer few anteopes Hooks oil ducks
circlng the lagoons, solitary crane wingng his
way the OF the streams the grass coarse and
sah, and wood for culinary purposes win dncuiy oo-
tanned"
New York. Pennsylvania and Virginia, II would be
considered utterly worthless. and remain uninhablted,
unless by sepents and hnuch OF il would not produce
enough TO keep alive one black snake. AS
TO this country becoming slave country, have
long become satisfied that is beyond the remolest
probability indeed, regard II an impossloiy never
can no. never, unless indeed. mines shall be discov-
ered and slave labor carried into the bowels OF the earh
Except in mines-and have no information OF any
discoveries labor would be not only not Produc-
tive but the proprietor runous In respect 10 the pro-
posei amendment 10 fix 81 degrees north latitude as the
point OF departure, cannot vote iori adhere to to my
first impression, that just north OF I'll Paso IS the proper
point OF departure.
AS TO the other amendment that the territory ceded by
Texas shall remain in the same plight as to slavery ul
10 36 deg 30 min, il is under the resolutions oi
nexaon, think no declaration that effect is at all
necessary differ entirely with the senator IRON Ken
lucky on this point | shall not argue IT now But,
whether am right wrong, consider the whole matter
OF no practical Importance Slavery never can-neyer
will go there Slavery will abide long where II Is
Improbable. Where il shall be found profitable, pro-
baby will TO the end, as i has from the beginning, ex-
list aboonism, free soism and all the rest 10 the con-
lrary Notwithstanding But in New Mexico, II pro,
pretor with fifty hundred hands were there he and
they or be supported by other means
than their labor ii neither removal could be accom-
plished exaneous support could be obtained, u the
slaves would not run away from the master, ne wouls
run away from his slaves. Slave labor can be OF no
value there IL go there. Therefore, think
the proposed amendment wholly unnecessary, and ad-
here to The bill, IN this respect as reporied.
Mr. TURNEY. Is il in order 10 move TO strike out the
The The VICE PRESIDENT Tha, motion is not in order
MIR TURNEY Then give notice that, when the
proper iimearnves, will move to strike out the whole
section.
| Mr.. RUSK. desire word OF explanation. think
the senator from North Carolina is only little
fused in his geographical notions but also that he has re-
ceved very wrong information regard 10 the character
OF the soil about III paso. The honorable senator has
been msed Unt very recently there has been no com
municaIion with FL Paso. There is point upon the
Rio Grande called Paso del Norte there Is also county
OF I'll Paso which commences some miles below that
point and W sixty miles above IT. NOW, with
regard to the character of the SOIL IS matter oil no
consequence TO this dIscusslon only as indicating the
character of the country generally. | have not been
there but have been such country very frequently
looking for Indians than Tor water or good land
and IN tell the that the notes oil tine country
lied on. have gone country searching Tor In
dans. or when knew that Indians were searching fof
me. aud have thought II a poor country; and have
after wards gone the same country when there were
no Indians alter me- and thought il very fine country
IA laugh Perhaps if the senator from North Carolina
mad gone out there he would have made an examinauon
in the face OF his red brethren OF the forest but Do
not think that this day explorer going from San An
tonic to III Paso could say there water.
Mr.. MANGUM. Will the senator allow me to correci
him gather my information from an exploration made
last fall under the orders OF the government by engineers
appointed TO lay out military route.
Mr. RUSK Who was the engineer in command
Mr.. MANGUM Capt French one oil them, and
the names OF the other officers have forgotten He had
and timber throughout the whole fose, and for the last
sketch ninety hundred miles, to bring them to the
Kio Grande at FL Paso, there were no inhabitants
Mr. RUSK. Well, Mr.. President. the stenlty OF the
land above or about or below III Paso, to moth
ing in the adjustment OF this question. Ii il did, will