The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-05-05
From Tie Providence { r. H. JosvmGs, May g.

From the fy0U30edce H. ~ Sous ssoss 110y =
Letter from BIr. Bartlett,
Upon liz Proclamation Of Governor Lane. Of Nesc
/ Mesieo, for the Seizure Of TIE VsHey q ms
Mesillu.
The proclamation of William Carr Lane. Gov
ernor OF the Territory Of New Mexico, announcing
his intention to take possession of district OF
country on the Rio Grande, north of FL Paso,
called the "Mesilla Valley" abounds 10 90 many
errors and misstatements which may lead the
Government and the people to form erroneous
views on the subject, that deem 1t my duty, on
| account of my connexion with the boundary Com
mission, to make the following statement of facts
bearing on the document in question. In my re-
marks, shall examine each clause of the proca.
nation separately, and point out it's errors.
The first clause alludes to the territory in dis
pute:
s2. From the year 1924, and anterior thereto,
until the year Il 81, this portion of territory was
acknowledged to be within the limits of New Mex
leo; but In the year 1851 the State of Chihuahua
assumed jurisdiction over the same, without pro-
duclng any authority for this act from the Republic
Of MEXICO, and without having obtained the assent
OF the United States or the Territory of New Mex
leo; and in defiance of the remonstrances of large
portion of the inhabitants of the disputed territory
who then numbered two thousand souls''
For this assertion Governor Lane doubtless re-
lies upon decree of the Mexican government
passed in July, 1924, which says that ssthe pro.
vince OF chihuahua shall include ali that 10 com.
pretended between right lines drawn from east to
west, from the point town called Paso del Norte
ou onc eiue tDlLD tnS jNte0tce0n tt 1ItDutS
sessed and the hacienda of the Rio Florida. on the
side OF Durango, with it's respective nppurte-
nances."
On this old decree of Mexico, four years before
Chihuahua had adopted her constitution, and ten
years before sbe had made known her limits rests
the strongest claim of Governor Lane to the dis
puted territory But this decree says the line shall
De drawn from 81 Paso, soith the J1sdicton Il has
ton OF this town; AMI where is the evidence that
1t extended eight miles, or less north Of the.
town, as Governor Lane asserts? As there was
no town within nifty miles to the north of it in s4l,
It doubtless extended that distance, to the very
limits OF the State, agreeably to her constitution.
1t 10 we'll known that our country towns have an
extension Of ten miles or more but the jurisdiction
OF the Mexican towns often extended ldfty miles
So at the south the territorial limits of Chhuahua
extend to the "hacenda of the Rio Florida ,ett Il,
dppartenances." Now, having been at this haci.a
enda, can assert that it's apPurtenances' or pos
sessions extend some twenty miles to the south,
and that the farthest extremity Of these constitute
the boundary of Chihuahua. These limits: more.
over, correspond with ita boundaries as laid down
tuition, Et
At the time this decree passed all the north
ern provinces of Mexico, including Sonora Chi
huahua, New Mexico, Coahuila, and Texas were
embraced under one government, without any
DENIED acknowledged territorial limits. Their
boundaries, when laid down on maps were &C.
cording to the ideas of the map makers; hence no
two agree. -
10 the year 1925 chihuahua organized itself
into State, and adopted its constitution. In 1888
it appointed corps of engineers, the two princi
pal of which were Senior Pedro Garcia Condo and
Mr.. Staples, an American, to make a survey of
the State. This was accordingly done, and a
large and beautiful map, the result of this survey,
now hangs on the wall of the Governors hall in
the capital In 1886 General Condo presented
his official report, which embraced a statistical
account OF the State. This was published by order
OF the government in 1912, in a folio volume In
tnis report, not only are it's territorial limits de-
nned with great precision, but every town over
which it exercised jurisdiction is named, as we'll
as Its mines, rivers, mountains &c. This official
map, as well as the report, claim for its northern
iimits line crossing the Rio Grande at about 22o
3V and thence extending north to 800 81 43n north
latitude, embracing the copper mines and o terri.
tory nearly ~ miles north of the line agreed upon
by the commissioners, and which 40 miles of terri
tory had always belonged to and been under the
jurisdiction OF Chihuahua. New Mexico never
claimed, much less ezercised. any Jurisdiction over
this territory.
In ls47 the constitution of chihuahua was re.
vised and its limits defined with great precision
They are embraced in the I'd article of the lst
chapter, as follows:
cart 2. The territory of Chihuahua is that
which 1t has possessed and which is now acknow-
lodged to be between the parallels of $50 63t 80"
and 32o 57' 43" north latitude, and between the
meridians Of 10 3O Is" and 70 ~ 52n longitude
west from the city of Mexico, according to the map
Of the said State, made BY Messrs. Staples and
Garcia Condo, in the year 1884"
The State of Chihuahua did exercise jurisdiction
over the Mesila valley in 1850, at the very time
the commissioners of the two governments were at
FL Paso, for the purpose of fixing the boundary;
and so far from that State "assunine Jurisdiction
over the same" as Governor Lane asserts, "and
without having obtained the consent of the United
States or the Territory of New Mexico; the latter
never pretended to claim it, and. of course, no
consent was necessary.
Governor Lane Gays this assumption was .sin
defiance of the circumstances of large portion of
the inhabitants Of the disputed territory, who then
numbered two thousand SOULS"
When the boundary was determined on the
"Mesilla valley" whiOh includes the whole popu.
lated portion of the disputed territory, numbered
but 100 instead of 1000 souls, among which there
were not 20 Americans And when it was an
nounced that this settlement would continue in the
State OF chihuahua, according to Dsturnels map,
to which State it had always belonged, there were
firing OF cannon and public rejoicings on the occa
zion at the town of Mesilla.
In the autumn of 1851, when in Sonora l was in.
formed that some Americana had settled at MesiIla
and endeavored to create among its quiet citizens
feeling OF hostility towards Mexico, offering them
great Inducements to demonstrate against the es
tablished boundary; but with what success have
never learned. But when it lie known that of the
population which composes this valley, not more
than one in fifty can read and WRITE it will be seen
afix their mark TO what they could neither under.
stand or read. will speak hereafter of the popu-
lation Of the Mesilla valley;
"S. During the discussion of the boundary CUES
ton, under the treaty of peace, the Commissioner
OF Mexico proposed to abandon part of this dis.
Puted territory, by dividing it between the two
Republics. And during the year 1852 the United
States virtually asserted right of sovereignty
over all the territory in dispute"
ne hrst assertion in the above clause is entirely
without foundation, as far as the joint commission
ID connected with it; proposal of the kind ever
having been made by the Mexican Commissioner,
or by myself
With regard to the latter assertion, that ..the
United States virtually asser ted right of sover
eighty over all the territory in dispute" will
state the following: committee of the Senate,
upon statements made by party who objected to
the line and who withheld important facts in re-
lation thereto, and, moreover, without hearing
from me in defence of the same reported unfavor.
ably to the line; while, the other hand. the
President of the United States virtually acknow.
lodged the correctness of it through the Secretary
ofthe Interior, as appears by his official letters
to me: 5--e
80. The claim of Chihuahua to this disputed ter.
riory is believed to be based upon the unwarrant
able assumption that the Board of Commissioners
had agreed upon boundary line between Chihua
hua and New Mexico and that their agreement in
the premises was binding. both upon the United
States and the Mexican republic, and therefore