Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-19
More Troubles. ON the Rio Grande

More on the Rio Granoe
The telegraph brings us an account OF
the most serious complication which ha:
yet occurred on the Rio Grande, as a result
Of the near presence of American troops
to the scene of conflict between the Repub-
lieans and the Imperialists. Bagdad, 9
village below Matamoras on the Mexican
side of the river, has been captured bys
force Of five hundred men, and its Impe-
rialist garrison, n hundred and fifty
strong, taken prisoners. This was-done by
q force who crossed the river from the
Texas side-consisting, as the Mexican ac-
count says, of the Federal garrison at
GAINESVILLE, or, as another account says, Of
a party Of fllibusters. There is undoubt-
eddy some truth in both these stories. We
trust that no American officers SO far for
got their duty as to lead their troops
in this mad scheme, and thus plunge their
government into difficulties which may re-
sultin war. Ifthere are any such now on
the Rio Grande they are unsafe men and
should at once be removed from command.
But there can be no question that there is
8 most decided and enthusiastic hatred of
the Imperialists among our troops, and we
would not be at all surprised if a large
majority of the "fllibustersn who took
Bagdad wore the "army blue" of the
American private soldier. It is notorious
that when Cortinas captured Matamoras,
and held II for a few hours, last fall, the
successful charge against its Notifications
was made by American private soldiers,
who went in On their own responsibility,
and, purely for the fun Of the thing, whip
ped Mejia out of his boots. We have no
doubt that the present outbreak is some
thingsOf the same character.
But even if the matter is explained in
this way there is much cause to blame the
general officers now commanding our
forces on the Rio Grande. The state of
discipline must be s~hockingly lax in an
army when its private soldiers areallowed
to cross at will into a foreign country,
when a captain of artillery can take his
guns across the river and use them against
an Imperial garrison, and when such acts
rs these are passed over without punish
ment, and even without inquiry. The
conclusion is irresistible that these most
reprehensible violations of neutrality are
winked at by our army commanders. This
is a wrong and an outrage. Whether or
not we ought to take a Mexican war on
q hands, we must not have one
forced upon US by the insubordinate
and hot-hesded acts of military subalterns.
If we are to goto wal with France, well and
good; but until Congress has declared
war and the President has ordered il, all
such demonstrations, evidently intended
to bring on war, are to the last degree un-
military and prejudicial to discipline. The
matter should be looked into and the
offenders punished.
And this suggests the reflection that if
we are not to have a war with France we
cannot too quickly remove our entire army
from the Mexican border. The presence
Of two armies so near each other, especially
when the officers and soldiers Of both are
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