Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1851-05-07
The BOundary Com m is sion.

Hey are pIttty much III 'he uniA
IN relation to what has been done by the
Mexican boundary commission towards
the survey and settlement Of the bounda-
ry betweenthe United States and Mexico,
as established by the treaty Of Guadalupe
Hidalgo. Occasionally we have had a
paragraph in reference to the whereabouts
OF the commits sion, and that such and
such point had been established, but no
general and comprehensive statement OF
their operations.
We find an article in the Cincinnati En-
quarer Of the 18th, which, if its statements
ARE 10 be relied upon, shows great incom
potency, not to speak OF graver disqnali-
LEGATIONS. on the part Of Mr.. Bartlett, the
head OF The American Commission. The
statements contained in the paragraphs
below, are male onthe authority Of r. H.
Caifee, Esq, " Lancaster, Ohio, who,'un-
I'll few weeks since, has been officially
connected with the Commission since its
organization al WashiG .ton. He left Mr..
Bartlett and lis special party at Fort
Franklin, op site Ell PAso; Whipple's
party Of q lalers were eight miles
north; the numbering some hum
dred. at 81 twesty miles SOUTH
The whole Dairy engasyl in the service
comprises about one huhlred and eighty,
besides the military escorl of eighty more,
in all, two hundred and SIXTY. Weller's
party comprised ,hirty-fout civilians ard
fifiy-four military. The extract follows:
"Mr. Cafe, although thorough Wing
has left the commission, as did several
others, all il truth, who could get away
thoroughly disgusted and outraged with
the imbecili'y and shameful management
OF its head, who seems to have abandoned
all idea Of honorable department toward
the governments or fair dealing with the
men in his control. The whole party, CT.
villains and military, are greatly diss.tis
tied. The Commission is there with all
its means seuandered, all its provisions
exhausted, Its credit gone,-its good
feeling and harmony, so essential 10 ser
vice OF tina; character, entirely broken up
and the property Of the government, pur-
chased for the service al heavy expense,
wasted. abandoned an perishing on the
plains. Supplies that have been sent for,
cannot reach them before October, and
until then no m ,vement in their enterprise
can go forward. They must stay, leading
the vagrant life of the frontier, an1 OF
course imposing the same delay upon the
Mexican commission, already incrnsel al
most beyond en- iurance by the Indifference
and tardiness of our Government in pros
ecuting the requisiions Of the treaty.
And this is n all, bad as the account
is. Were we to relate all of the facts
| which have been detailed TO us, the CON-
muniiy, we tear, would impute to us the
worst parlzan motives. We will only
give few, knowing that the more serious
of the petyoal implications will soon
come be'o's e country in an official
shape.
1t is not 4 at the American Commits
sioner has Lgeous!y squandered the
public fund wasted the public prop.
cry! Hem andered the public domain
ne has. thro 'away American soil! ours
by the clearSt marks of nature and our
treaty, and ours by The united testimony
Of the people inhabiting it! This is a
pretty grave matter, and let US look at it
closer:
After several interviews at Ell Paso the
two commissioners decided that the start
ing point OF Tie boundary between Mex
leo ana the United States should be 22
minutes nor'h of the 32d degree Of north
l!tltude. which is 81 miles north of Eel
Ia
branch OF the ella called Rio Membres,
near the lOSth degree of longitude. Ii,
instead Of starting at % minutes north OF
the 32d degree, it had started GA the 32d
degree, as nature points out, and the PEG.
pie there claim 10 he right, the line would
have reached branch OF the CHA called
the San Pedro, and touched the Gila at
the IL lth degree Of Longitude. Saving to
our government one OF the finest portions
OF the valley Of the Rio Grande, the only
section OF the country through which a
road can pass, and the town of Messiea,
settled within year by some three hum
dred families, who, incensed at the weak
ness Of the American commissioner, in
unjustly transferring them and their town
to Mexican ownership and dominion, were
preparing To leave for some other portion
Of the country, where their rights and ma
tionaliiy could not be sacrificed TO The cum
ming and diplomacy OF one exac,ing party,
and The imbecilI,y and indifference OF an
other"
The reader will probably recollect a
paragraph which the newspapers SO con-
gratulaled cur country upon, giving to A.
,nerican soil, by means Of this survey, a
large Spot country which We had
cla,mcdl earded as ours. What be.
comes y in view Of these .fuetss
Mr.. C lie, the Mexican commits sioner,
is a shreNd, intelligent and polite gentle
man, and sharing the prejudices of his
government against ours, naturally pro-
duc,d by being compelled to part with a
portion their soil, as exac,ins to the last
degree IN any point Of commanding impor-
tance. We saw this, when the initial
point in the Pacific was settled which
was determined several miles further south
OF San Diego, through the management of
VI. Weller. than the Mexican party had
expected and claimed. And more ,artic-
ularly Was ii observable, when settling the
very important point where the line strikes
the junction Of the ella and the Colorado,
giving us the only fording place in low
water Tor all the immense trade between
northern Mexico and California, and the