Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-01-19

Hanly raised Dy miserable anatlclsm this order
show that necessary for the gentleman from Geor
ga make motion against the reception of the petition
Mr.. BERRIEN. have made motion against its re
ception. have taken it for granted, though the Chair d
not formally PROFOUND the question, that the question of
ception before the Senate and move to Law tina
question upon the table, according TO the uniform practice
Mr.. SEWARD. ! ask for the yeas and nays on tn,
subject
am only anxious that the usual should be taken
The Chair announced that motion had been made that The
petition be received and referred The Chair aware
that the Chair had any power to present any question ohe
than the one which was moved
Mr.. KING. As matter of course, "Shal the paper b.
received !" is the question. w..
The VICE PRESIDENT. The question now is to lay
the motion of reception on the table.
The yeas and nays having been ordered then aken
and resulted thus:
YEAS-Messrs. Atchison, Badger Bell, Benton Berren
Boand, Bright Butler, Calhoun, Cass Clemens Davis, Of
Mississippi, Dawson, Dayton Dickinson, Dodge of Iowa
Douglas, Downs Foote Houston Hunter jones' King, Ma
Miller, Morton Pearce, Rusk, Sebastian Soule Sur-
geon Turney-S2.
Davis of Massachusetts Dodge OF Wisconsin, Felch Greene
Hamln, Norris Phelps, Seward, Shields, Smith, Spruanee
Upham, Wales, Walker-l9.
So the motion receive the petition laid the table
TEXAS REDUCTION LIMITS BILL.
Mr.. BENTON made his promised motion for leave to
bring in bill for the reduction of the limits of the State
Texas, and preaced his motion with exposition of the
principles Of his BILL and Of his for bringing it in
He said
The bill makes proposal to Texas for the duction Of hel
limits She is too large either for her convenience,
for the proper equality and well being of the other States
She sixteen degrees of latitude and fourteen of Iong
ude She extends from 20 to 40 degrees Of north latitude,
and from SO to ITO Of longitude that is to say, from
degrees south of New Orleans four degrees north
Of St. Louis and from the longitude of western Missouri
the summit of the Rocky Mountains. Her southeast
is in the mouth OF the Rio Grande region of perpetual flow
her northwest corner is the South Pass in the
Rn,lyy ,nta,ns &c
frontier of thousand mes-a river frontier on the Rio
Grande pat dspute Of two thousand mles-an undispued
frontier of thousand miles the Arkansas about five
hundred more on the Red river nearly another five hundred
on the Sabine frontier and inland frontier of three hun
dred miles between the Red river and the Arkansas
She has circumference Of above FIVE thousand miles, and
superficial content Of three hundred and fifty thousand
miles, Such State is too large either for her welfare
that of the other States She large enough make
States Of the first class and ought for her own welfare as
we'll that of the other Staes to be reduced reasonable
sze The proper time for the reduction the time of her
admission into the Union, and proposed it at that time
proposed the reduction and the settlement Of all questions
with her, before she admitted That proposition
sveruled she admitted State, with all her questions
Of extent boundary, public lands deb and Indians unset
ed and to be settled afterwards except upon her
terms. What proper then is indispensable what
might have been easily done then becomes difficult All
the evils then retod coming pass and becoming
from delay that the work Of reduction of limits and settle
men of these questions longer be deferred without
great public misfortune. ~"
The bill proposes to reduce her. once with her consent
into State of about 100000 square miles and eventually
into two States of about u.s. 900 square miles EACH The
ducon is proposed the principle of leaving all the present
population and all the organized counties untouched and ced
ing the unseated and wild lands the United States. The
western boundary ne retired to the parallel Of O2 degrees Of
west longitude and the northern boundary line retired the
Red river would have this effect and would leave the State
in compact FORM with very commodOus and proper boun
dares and very suitable for future division into two States
She would retain all her gulf coast half of the Rio
Grande, about thousand miles the Red river, and the
Sabine frontier is. parallel of latitude through open
prares, east of the Rio Puerco instead Of the claimed Rio
Grande, would become her western boundary. The Red
river the boundary of part of the State the north,
would become the whole northern boundary The Arkansas
would be abandoned in its whole extent and the southwest
of the State brought down from the head of the Aan
the head of the Red rver-rom the frozen region
of AZ to the genial cline of 81.
This reduction would leave the State compact and homo
with natural boundaries and perfectly adapted to the
division which is provided for She would still be too large
for State and this is the proper tmo for dividing
and the bill contains the provision for that purpose north
and south line taken for the dividing line, which will give
about equal extent and equal advantages to each State The
parallel OF SO degrees Of west longitude divides the Red river
front equally between them, giving four degrees to EACH The
same parallel followed south its intersection with the Rio
Colorado, and thence following that river to its mouth in the
gulf divides both the gulf and the territory about equally
again. This is the proposed division ne-he second State
to become separate and independent and entitled to imme
date admission into the Union matter of right attain
All exterior these limits proposed to be ceded the
United States The cession is estimated to amount TO two
hundred thousand square miles, and stretches from the Rio
Grande TO the Arkansas and to the head of the Arkansas
and supposed to contain most of the public lands which
Texas possesses. 1t is large extent of county, and is de-
srabe to the United States and almost indispensable to her.
from its great extent its geographical position and its actual
condition shelter for savages It ewhoe
try which lies at the head of in front of the New
Mexican mountains and from the Rio Grande the Arkan
1t stretches from % to 40 degrees of north latitude, and
the whole country front of New Mexico and Cali
fona 1t is the State of Texas, and nterposes that
State between the settled parts of the United States and the
whole front of New Mexico and California. The United
States great duties to these acqusions-dues
which it cannot fulfil without possessing the absolute right Of
way to them the primary disposition of the soil, and the
management of the Indians. The duty of protection
be extended to them without right make roads and plant
settlers We want road from the frontier of Missouri to
Santa Re and California cannot make Them without an
absolute right Of and the power make settlements up
on hsm New Mexico is suffering from Indian depreciation
suffering more under the American Government than
under any period of the Mexican Government in its
most helpless and distracted condition People killed.
caphves carried off, and stock driven away in sight of the
town OF Santa Fem sight of the American flag flying over
the town. The roads from Missouri and Arkansas to the
capital OF New Mexico about dangerous in time
OF actual war; In fact far New Mexico and the roads
to her are concerned there peace The treaty with
Mexico has brought peace there The still RACES and
worse than overall round New Mexico, all through her. and
upon all the roads leading to her. New Mexico needs set
tles-a home popuaton-to defend her. Settlers are the
natural and cheap defence Of countries but settlers
defend country must have stake in tan interest in the
SOIL They have land-must have donations and pre-
empons and the primary disposition of the soil is neces
sary to that regiment of thousand men, raised and Of
ceed in the country with grants Of land in addition to pays
would give the protection to New Mexico, and her roads,
which due them and give it in the to be both
But 10