The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-04
The New War with Mexico.


r1oN OF GOV. LANE OF NEW MEXICO, FOR THE Sci
zURE OF THE VALLEY OF THE MEsILLA.
To ruE EDITOR OF PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
The proclamation Of William Carr Lane, Governor Of
the Territory of New Mexico announcing his intention
take Of district o. country on the Rio Gr.nde
many errors and msstatements which may lead the
and people to form erroneous views on the
subie ct that it my duty, on account OF my con-
nection with the Boundary Commission to make the fol-
loving statement Of facts bearing on the document in
question: my REMARKS sha ou NC o'
The first clause audes to the territory IN uisPute-
From the s2 and anterior thereto, 1n the year
limits Mexioo but IN the ISL the STATE Of
esieo obtained the assent Of the United !,
Of large portion Of The I'M % inc
For this assertion Governor Lane dou otess relies upon
decree Of the Mexican government passed in July IVA,
which says that 1.-The province of chihuahua shall in
cude all that is comprehended between right lines drawn
from east to west from the point or town called Paso del
Norte side with the Jurisdiction j, has always
possessed and the hacienda Of the Rio Florida the
side Of Durango, with its respective appurtenancesn
On this old decree of Mexico, four years before Chhua
she had made known her limits rests the strongest claim
Lane the disputed territory But this de-
says the line shall be drawn from Ell paso, with the
jurisdiction it has always Possessed What was them
the jurisdiction of this town. and where Is the evidence
that it extended eight miles, more or less north OF the
town. Governor Lane asserts? As there no town
within fifty miles to the north Of 1t in 1884, 1t doubtless
extended that distance to the very limits Of the State
agreeable to her constitution " is well known that
country towns have extension of tep miles more,
but the jurisdiction Of the Mexican toSns often extended
fifty miles So at the so~h the territorial limits Of Chi
huahua extend to the "hacienda of the Rio Florida with
it's appurtenancesn New, having been at this hacienda
can assert that its or possessions ex
tend twenty miles to the SOUTH and that farthes
extremity of these constitute the boundary OF Chihuahua
These limits moreover correspond its boundaries laid
down on the official map and as defined in its constitu
ton.
At the tire this decree passed, all the northern
provinces Of Mexico including Sonora, Chihuahua New
Mexico Coahua and Texas, we're embraced under one
government without any defined, Acknowledged terri
tQral limits Their boundaries, when laid down on maps
according to the ideas OF the map makers hence no
In the year 1925, Chihuahua organized itself into
State and adopted its constitution In 1888 it appointed
a corps OF engineers, the two principal Of which were
Senior Pedro Garcia Condo and Mr. Staples American,
to make survey Of the State This was accordingly
done and large and beautiful map, the result Of this
survey hangs the wall Of the Governors hall in
the capitol In 1885, General Condo presented his official
report, which embraced statistical account Of the
State This was published by order OF the government,
in 1872 in folio volume In this report not only ares
territorial limits defined with great precision but every
town which it exercised IS named as
well its mines, rivers mountains &c. This official
map well the report claims for its northern limits
line crossing the Rio Grande at about 81 deg. 80 min
and thence extending north to 81 deg 81 min AZ sec.
north latitude embracing the copper mines, and terri
tory nearly forty miles north Of the line agreed upon by
the Commits soners and which forty miles of territory
had always belonged to- and been under the jurisdiction
of, chihuahua New Mexico claimed much less
In 1S47, the constitution of Chihuahua revised,
and it's limits defined with great precision. They
embraced in the I'd article Of the LIST chapter as fol-
Art ID The territory of Chihuahua is that which it has
parallels Of Is deg s. min 30 Sec and s2 deg 81 min Sec
north latitude and between the Of deg % min
city Of Mexico according to shc map Of the said State made
The State OF Chihuahua did exercise jurisdiction
the Nesia valley in 1850 at the very time the commits
nissoners Of the two governments were at u paso for
he of fxin q
State assuming Jurisdiction the same Governor
Lane assers and without having obtained the consent
Of the United States the Territory OF New Mexco'
the latter pretended to claim IT, and Of course no
consent necessary.
Gov Lane says this assumption in defiance Of the
remonstrances Of large portion Of the inhabitants
Of the disputed territory, who then numbered 1000
sOuls.'
When the boundary was determined on, the Mesila
valley which includes the whole populated portion Of
the disputed territory numbered but 700 instead of 900
souls, among which there not twenty Americans
And when ii announced that this settlement would
continue in the state of chihuahua according to tur
nell map to which it had always belonged, there
firing Of and public reocngs on the occasion
at the town Of Mesil1a.
In the autumn Of 1851 when in Sonora, informed
that Americans had settled at Mesa and endeavor
ed to create among its quiet citizens feeling Of hostility
towards Mexico Offering them great Inducements to re
OnstIate against The established boundary; but with
what have never learned But when it is known
tina of The population which composes this valley
than in fifty read and write, it will be seen
that an evil disposed person might Induce them to ax
their mark to what they could neither understand O.
read will speak hereafter OF the population OF the Me
s. During the discussion the boundary question under
the 5eay the Ms sy
the republics and during the 1852 the United
States virtually asserted right Of sovereignty all the
territory in dispute
The first assertion in the above clause is entirely with
out foundation, as far the Joint Commission is con
nected with it, 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
committee Of the Senate, upon statements made by
party who objected to the line AID who withheld por-
tant facts ia relation thereto, and moreover without
hearing from me in defence of the same reported una-
voTably to the line while, on the other hand the Presi
dent Of the United states virtually acknowledged the
Ct through tie Secretary OF the Interior APP
pears by his official letters to me.
The claim Of chihuahua 70 this disrqted territory be
eved to be based the unwsrrantae assumption that
the Board Of Commissioner had agreed upon boundary
asreement in the premises was binding both upon the
United States and the Mexican republic and therefore final
whereas valid had not been made and has
yet Teen made by sad Board and the action Of
The claim Of chihuahua is based upon jurisdiction
exercised by her the territory far north deg
81 min 40 sec, which embraced Santa Rita del Cobre,
(the copper nines) But OF this territory she COM
PEELED to relinquish 20 the United States all north of
80 deg p min which her limits according TO the
map of Disturne determined by the chief astroao
mers, Lieut. Whipple on the part Of the United states,
and Senior Saa1ar, on the part of Mexico and, in
fomity with their report enthusiastically the commission
ers Of the two governments.
lhe unwafrantape assumption of ohibuabua, as TO-
Lane pleased TO call 1t, consists therefore in
retaining possession Of district she had always pos
sesged which she had alsays exercised jurisdic-
ton which accorded to her by the treaty map and all
authorized and authentic maps by the Official report
made by her engineers in 1886 by various printed works
on the country previous to the war and lastly by her
constitution These the grounds which Chihuahua
bases her right of occupancy.
The assertion that valid agreement had not been
made and hes not yet been made by said board Is
tradcted by the Official records Of the joint commits
sion
and nue by the United States" says Governor Lane.
This repudiaon aud notification by the United States,
consists in unia Bile report of committee OF the
Senate which had heard only side of the question.
The following extract from the fifth article Of the treaty
OF Guadalupe Hidalgo, will how whether treaty stpu
laton be 'repudiated ana nulfed' by report OF
committee Of the United States Senate, which Governor
Lane to imagine the final action OF the govern
ment and upon which he bases OF the grounds for
his proclamation
The governments shall each appoint commissioner
and who before the expiration of from
90 hsat sb.JI