Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-07

reply thereto by Mr. BARTLETT, the late Commits
soner for settling the Mexican boundary, which we
find in the Providence Journal Of Monday last
Letter from, Mr.. BARTLETT upon the Proclamation
Of Cor LANE Of Neo Mexico for The siezme of The Val
| ley Of the Meslla.
| TO the Editor Of the Providence Journal:
The proclamation Of WILLIAM CARR LANE, Governor Of
the Territory of New Mexico announcing his intention
take possession Of district of country the Rio Grande
north of El Paso called the 'Mesilla Valley" abounds
in many and missatement which may lead the
Government and the peole to form erroneous views
the subject, that deem my duty account of my
connexion with the boundary Commission, to make the
following statement Of facts bearing the document in
question. In my remarks shall examine each clause Of
the proclamation separately and point out its errors
The first clause audes to the territory in dispute
o. From the year 1924 anterior thereto until the year
this portion Of territory acknowledged to be within
The limits of New Mexico but in the year 1851 the State Of
Chihuahua assumed jurisdiction the same, without pro-
ducing any authority for this from the Republic Mexico
and without having obtained the Of the United States
or the Territory OF New Mexco and in defiance of the
monsrances of large portion of the inhabitants Of the dis
puted territory, who then numbered 600 souls"
For this assertion Gov Lane doubtless relies upon
decree of the Mexican Government passed in July, 1924
which says that the province Of chihuahua shall in
clude all that is comprehended between right lines drawn
from east to west from the point called Paso del
Norte side, nth the Jurisdiction has al,cays pos
sess and the hacienda Of the Rio Florida the side
of Durango, with its respective appurtenances.'
On this old decree of Mexico four years before Chi
huahua had adopted her constitution and before she
had made known her limits the strongest claim Of
Gov Lane to the disputed territory. But this decree
says the line shall be drawn from FL Paso, nth the juis-
dcion has aodys possessed What was then the iuris
dicon of this town. and where is the evidence that it
tended eight miles, less north of the town. as
Gov Lane asserts? As there was no town within fifty
miles to the north of it in lS4 doubtless extended that
distance to the very limits of the State, agreeable to
her constitution 1t well known that country
have extension of ten miles mOre but the urisdc-
ton of the Mexican towns often extended fifty miles So,
at the South the territorial limits of chihuahua extend
to the "hacienda of the Rio Florida m apprtenance
Now having been this hacienda assert that its
"appurtenances possessions extend some twenty miles
to the SOUTH and that the furthes extremity of these
constitute the boundary of Chihuahua These limits
moreover correspond with its boundaries laid down on
the official map and as defined in its constitution.
AT the time this decree was passed all the northern
provinces of Mexico, including Sonora Chihuahua New
Mexico, Coahuia and Texas, were embraced under
Government without any defined acknowledged terrific
rial limits Their boundaries, when laid down maps,
were according to the ideas of the mapmakers hence
two agree.
In the year 1925 Chihuahua organized itself into
State, and adopted its constitution In 1888 appointed
corps of engineers, the two principal Of which
Senior Pedro Garcia Conde and Mr. Staples American,
to make survey Of the State. This accordingly
DONE and large and beautiful the result of this
survey, hangs the wall Of the Governors hail in
the capital In 1886 Cen CSnds presented a his Official
This published by order of the Government in 842
in folio volume In this report, not only its
tora limits defined with great precision but every town
which it exercised jurisdiction is named, well
its mines, rivers mountains, Sc This official map,
well the report, claim for its northern limits line
crossing the Rio Grande about 32o 30 and thence
tending north 800 5/ 43H north latitude embracing
the Copper Mines and territory nearly forty miles north
Of the line agreed upon by the Commissioners and which
forty miles of territory had always belonged and been
under the jurisdiction of Chihuahua New Mexico
claimed much less exercised, any jurisdiction over this
territory
S47 the Constitution of Chihuahua was revised and
its limits defined with great precision They en-
braced in the I'd article Of the st chapter follows
cart 3D. The territory of Chihuahua is that which it
possessed and which acknowledged be between the
parallels Of 25o 5 SO" and 32o 57 49, north latitude
between the medians of 30 I6n and II 52 longitude
from the city of Mexico according to the map said
1894"
The State of Chihuahua did exercise jurisdiction over
the Nesa valley in 1850, at the very time the Commits
soners of the two Governments were at Ell Paso
purpose Of fixing the boundary and so far from that
State assuming jurisdiction the same, Governor
Lane asserts and without having obtained the consent
Of the United States the Territory of New Mexico the
latter never pretended ocaim it, and Of
| sent necessary
Governor Lane says this assumption was in defiance
OF the remonsrances of large portion Of inhabitants of
the disputed territory, who then numbered 900 souls
When the boundary was determined on the "Mesilla
valley, which includes the whole populated portion of
the disputed territory numbered but 700 instead Of
900 SOULS among which there were not twenty Amer
And when II announced that this settlement
would continue in the State Of chihuahua according to
Disurnes map, to which State it had always belonged
there were firing Of cannon and public reoicngs the
occasion at the town Of Mesa.
In the autumn of 1851, when in Sonora, was inform
ed that some Americans had settled Mesa, and en-
deavored create among its quiet citizens feeling Of
hostility towards Mexico, Offering them great inducements
to demonstrate against the established boundary; but
with what have learned But when it is
known that Of the population which compose this valley
that disposed person induce them to ax
their mark TO what they could neither understand read
win speak hereafter Of the population Of Mesila valley
"3 During the discussion Of the boundary question:
der the treaty Of peace the Commissioner Of Mexico pro-
posed TO abandon part of this disputed territory by dividing
between the republics And during the year 1852 the
United States virtually asserted right Of sovereignty
al! the territory in dispute"
The first assertion in the above clause is entirely with
out foundation, far the Joint Commission is
neced with IL; proposal Of the kind having been
made by the Mexican Commissioner or by myself.
With regard to the latter assertion, that "the United
States virtually asserted right Of sovereignty all
the territory in dispute" will state the followng
committee of the Senate upon statements made by
party who objected to the ne and who withheld impor
tan facts in relation thereto and, moreover, without
hearing from in defence Of the reported unfa
voraby the line WHILE the other hand the Presi
dent Of the United States virtually acknowledged the
recness of it through the Secretary Of the Interior
appears by his official letters to me.
a. The claim Of chihuahua to THIS disputed territory
believed be based upon the unwarrantable assumption that
the Board Of Commissioners had agreed upon a boundary
line between Chihuahua and New Mexico, and that their
in the premises binding both upon the United
States and the Mexican Republic and therefore ns where
4 lu.. - n -.