New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-01-14

pense v Which had been incurred Admt FOR the sake
Of t4- argument u.at the United States, As iras-
tee could 10. taAe TO herself the territory which
ma lave been obtained IN the settlement Of the
boundary Of Texas she has he right ney ertheiess
10 in.. emnty ior al that i has cost her. Let Tex
as n she viii take the territory. take il subject 70
reimbursement Of tn price paid Tor ii--oi course
always presuming dat her treasar. s oyerho" ing.
ani that she is ready 70 plank down any sum That
msv be needful THIS would be proper apphca-
non # the rule WHICH IS coutcnded for By ihe nj
gocat,s Of the claim J., the question : IL b. &c
c.ded according 10 the practice Of provincial
Court let Us 81 least have tie benefit OF the equity
which would Be administered ia such Court
But there is iallacy in all this argument. The
United States IS not to account to Texas for all the
Territory It may purchase in her vicinity, even
il be within boundary claimed by her The Qdes-
ton j.. What was Texas really entitled to and
If 10 the negotiations with Mexico it had been set
ted that the true boundary the Nueces River.
ana then our Government had purchased ali the
territory king between tia. river and tie Rio
Grrnde ior a specific pnce tie neht Of the mted
states would not have admitted o. debate.
III sad. however that The United states n uc.
cotating the Treaty insisted upoa the Ri Glande
AS the boundary To that it may be answered thai
the Mexican Commissioners Is strenuonsly resisted
it. Tor was IL at any time yielded b. them. ln Mr.
Trsrs report OF his FIRST interview with them he
states iu Tie most emphatic m0aHey. that upon tat
point thew were entirely decided snd that Il our
Goternneut ins sted upon rs claim the wa musl
20 o1 No. did the prospect OF continued rcverses
at 40 Affect their resolution. w ell let It be 80.
said the, but YOU will at east have 10 content
Yourselves with possessing no other title than that
By conquest IN all It's uakedness and subject 70 all
the odium and insecurity that inseparably attach
to it. II seems that at that time Mr.. Tnst was
willing 10 take from them proposition making the
Nueces the boundary provided terms could be AZ
ranged for New Mexico and California.
The Treaty was finally concluded without con
cession the ,reh by the Mexican Commissioners
but the territory in question together with New
Mexico snd California was ,ol} to the United
States
Tho suggestion that provision should have been
made in the treaty. defining the real boundary oi
Texas, ia order to enttc the United States 10 any
thing seems 10 MS g. be derived from the rules o.
special pleading There is no difficulty in deter
mining the facts and the night Of the United States
is not 10 be disposed Of by what the lawyers would
call an estoppel Ii is notorious that the effort
Of cur Government, 70 get the Bio Grsnde acknow
ledced by Mexico as the boundary, entirely failed
1t was not conceded even when the entire extinc
ton Of her national existence seemed to be the al
tentative. 1t was then in power 10 have retain
FL the disputed territory by mere force Of arms, If
W. had chosen o. have done So Ii was wisely de
termned by our Government not 10 do so. II was
not retained under the original claim, nor by right
OF conquest, but was acquired by purchase.
Now. as we have before said if Texas VII have
the territory thus acquired let it be upon payment
Of the price but not Appropriate 1t TO herself leaving
the United States to pay for it after having been
involved in a costly war by al Intellectual attempt
70 coerce Mexico 10 acknowledge the claim
As to the argument derived from the annexation
OF Dsturnelrs Map to the Treaty there is nothing
to warrant the construction that the map was ad
mitted as of any authority. II wa. nothing more
than convenient designation Of the territory IN.
tended to be conveyed. and not referred 10 Tor
the boundary o, Texas, but only Of the southern
aud western boundaries Of New Mexico.
The only remaining topic which requires notice
IS the provision in che resolutions Ion the anneXa
ton o. Texas TO the United States, that four aelc
States may be formed here eater, md that such Of
then, a, shall be- formed Of territory wing South q
&C. 80 shall be admitted with or without slavery
at the election Of the people thereof and that IN
those which shall be- formed Of territory North o.
30 30 Slavery shall be prohibited. This prov sion
II IS argued. imports thar the United states recoe
rizcs the right of Texas TO = part OF New Mexico
Otherwise there would not be- territory ior a new
state north OF The specified limit
The answer is obyious-the United States were
treating with Texas upon the statement made by
those representing the latter as 10 the Territory
belonging to her. No guaranty was asked on e.
uer side but Texas was admitted INTO the | mon
wrh whatever TERRITORY she possessed, be il more
OF less and the provision referred TO was IN reie
renee to contingency which does not exist nz
that 1t should turn out that Texas owned territory
enough north Of 30 30, on, OF which 10 form new
States " may be worth while in this connection
to advert TO the fact that the idea Of there being
territory north OF that limit out OF which states
could be formed in which slavery should be IN
cluiet was an important part Of the scheme OF The
AnneXationists, as i slayed tle Northern or Ant
slavery feeling by the Illusion Of compromise
The ruse was completely successful IN a double
aspect This vast expansion Of territorial bounda
~ furnished TN apparent basis Tor compromise be
tween TIE North and South whereupon the nited
states By the act of receiving Texas while she
was asserting such preposterous claim according
10 MI Howard and his coadiu.ors Is ROW 10 be held
as having actually guaranteed that the clam was
wei founded
This whsle transaction Is 50 involved with CIR
cuustances derogatory 10 the character u our Gov
erunent .or intelligence, there IN fact, the ia
tuiy its part u gave cedence TO the Pretensio'
referred 20 in the resolutiousoE 10 Is integrity
If the thing actually understood. but was dis
suised by preteuceS calculated TO deceive the
p, pulaT mind--ihst We feel a sense Of humiliation
whenever We have occasion TO refer 70 II.
There is not H0cc. however, any necessity ior 50
doing. Il canBst be pretended that the United
States are under sny guaranty in the territorial
limits claimed by Texas either the time the reso
buttons q Annexation were passed, al the subse-
ska