The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-05-05

tipuasssd M 1ussaasdubyS Fsport or COMMITTEES
| OF tho Unttsd States senate. which Governor Lane
seems g tina ine she setion Of the Govern
pr bic pHeclsmatidn:
"Ihe4yo Coverhmenls1hal each appoint com.
ms.sl1aex and :urveyots Who. before the expira-
rat6cakjons Of this shali meet at the port Of
San Diego. and proceed g run and mark the said
boundary in its whole e1Rrse to the middle of the
Ria Rraso del Norte.. they shall keep journals
suit agreed MOON ~ them shall Be deemed a part Of
this treaty. and shall haUe the sane force a. # Il
inserted therein.
be regiousy respected By each qf The too rePubcs
and no change shaA Be made therein except b
The express and free consent Of both nations. lawfully
given by the General Government OF each, In con
formity with its own constitution"
Governor Lane continues:
"5. Each OF the high contracting parties to the
treaty Of 0yiad4upe, e. ecessitdte. tacitly re-
served the right to accept or reject the decisions oil
the Board of boundary Commissioners; and II the
board assigned the city Of Chihuahua and the
country north to the United States or the city
of Santa Fe and the country south Of 1t to the Mex
lean republic, the action OF The board would GER
tainly not have been regarded as 6nal"
know of no right by any individual 4to accept
reject the decisions OF the Board of the Boundary
COMMISSIONER But Governor Lane il quite
right in supposing that Hf tho board had assigned
the city Of Chihuahua and the country north of it
to the United States, or the city of Santa F6 and
the country south of it to the Mexican republic,
the action of the board would certainly not have
been regarded as 6nal;" for such an assgam
would have been at variance with the treaty and
the treaty map: 875aw 1szss elase
sc Ever since the territory in question vas thus
forcibly and illegally ANNEXED to the State of Chi
haahua, that State has ssignaty failed to protect
the of the territory of their rights Of
person, Of property, and of conscience, and more
h0A not, rnAd4 n Re0uOuabIe. dnfANca A0ATnat
border Indian depredati0ns, and thereby prevented
recIamations against the United States for the pro
perty taken by the Indians" n slgts g
8 Noforcs has ever been used by the State of Chi
huahua to retain possession of her territory to
which ausion 10 made but it Is true that che has
failed 70 protect the Inhabitants of the territory
in question, !" I" against bordersIndian depreda
tions," in the same manner that Texas and New
Mexico have failed to protect t; people from sim.
liar depredations.4 Soywith regard 10 the protec-
ton Of the !" inhabitants Of the territory Tin dis
puie) in their rights OF person and property the
Mexican authorities have doubtless been lax in the
administration of justice in the Mesilla valley.
But our authorities should say as little as possible
about the protection of the Inhabitants along the
Rio Grande in their rights of property; for pit
eous tale could be told of outra oes committed by
Americans on the Mexican population on our side
OF the Rio Grande, which compelled them to aban.
den their homes in 1850; to seek an asylum
within Mexican territory, and found colony in
the Mesiila valley: 20
"7. Tbs present revolutionary condition Of the
Mexican republic precludes the hope of adequate
protection being afforded by that republic to the
inhabitants in this disputed territory for the time
being and large portion of the inhabitants now
claim the protection of the United States, and 90.
licit the remuneration of their territory to New
Mexico, from which it was illegally wrested by the
State of chihuahua" 80
The Mexican people will doubtless feel a deep
sense OF gratitude to Governor Lane for his prof.
fered protection, at time when they think proper
to make change in their government and better
their condition. With regard to the statement
that "a large portion of the inhabitants now claim
the protection of the United States and solicit the
remuneration of their territory to New Mexico, :"
can assert, on authority obtained by me in New
Mexico and Chihuahua, that the whole population
of the Mesla Valley consists chiefly of people from
New Mexico and Texas, of Spanish descent who,
failing to receive protection from authorities
after the late war with Mexico, colonized that
place. ss7 uf aaa
Up to the present time nothing official has been
made public by the Government in explanation of
the boundary established by me As commissioner,
on the part of the United States, except what was
contained in Mr.. Secretary Stuart's letter to the
President in October last On my return from the
survey in February last, presented, to the De-
partment of the Interior, such facts as could
hastily bring together in calculation of the ques-
ton, accompanied by five maps, which document
was called for by the Senate and ordered to be
printed. The letter contains the facts embraced
above in extenso, with many others, and enters
largely into the question of what was understood
by Mr.. Secretary Buchanan and Mr.. Trist as the
boundary defined in the fifth article of the treaty
of Guadalupe Hidaigo. When this document ap-
conceded by all that Governor Lanes pretensions
cannot be sustained.
JOHN R. BARTLETT,
Late United States Commissioner under the fifth
article of the treaty OF G uadalupe Hidalgo.
PaovIDENcE, R. l., May 2, 1850.