New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-01
Especial Correspondence of the Republican, ]
OUR SAN ANTONIO LETTER.

Especial Correspondence of the Republican,
OUR SAN ANTONIO LETTER.
The Kickapoos and the Mexican Govern.
ment-The Situation Along the Rio
Grande Froutier-The Beikuap Scan.
dal-Lawlessuess and Crime in Texas
General Ord and the Iolored Troops.
SAN ANTONIO, March 16, 1876.
This morning Captain William Edgar,
special agent for the removal of Kickspoos
and other Indians in Mexico, left for Santa
Rosa, where the remaining Indians live.
The object of the visit is not the removal OF
the Indians to the reservations, for that
plan has been abandoned as hopeless, but
to urge the fu!fillment of the promise gwen
by the authorities at the City OF Mexico
that the Indians should be removed TO the
interior, where it will be impossible 1or
them to continue their raids into Texas.
There is no doubt but that the Mexican
government will remove this fruitful source
of ANNOYANCE if the State OF Coahuiia'
where the Indians live remains neutral or
faithful to the government in the approach
ing struggle. The revolutionsss did make
an attempt to disturb the present condition
of affairs but their leader, patriot Of the
Cortina school, was promptly shot, with
about forty Of his followers.
At this time of writing it is very difficult
to make any probable copjectures as to the
ultimate result of. the uprising, although
the odds are most decidedly in favor Of the
party of progress, as we'll as OF law and
order, the regularly constituted government
Of Tejsda. As yet Diaz, the would'be
President, has not regarded the success OF
his followers as sufficiently assuring to jus.
tify him in risking his life by taking any
active part in the so-called revolution, for
it it should turn ont to be flash in the
pam" and he were captured, he would saf.
fer the fate of all defeated revolutionists in
every country except our own. The line OF
the Rio Grande is almost entirely in the
hands of the government troops. Colonel
Parrat, the officer who captured Cor
tina, furnishes the snap and vim to
the movements Of the regular troops on
the Rio Grande. Cortina's thieves-for on
the lower Rio Grande, at least, the revolu-
tionists are almost exclusively composed Of
that kind of material-gained q temporary
show of success by compelling the evacua-
ton of Reynoso and Camsrgo; but Colonel
Parrat came down like wolf on the fold
and made them hunt their holes. They
disappeared for time, fighting being only
resorted to by them when there is no avoid
ing it, and it was believed they had gone
into the interior, where there might be q
better chance to levy prestimOs forced
loans), which is really the sole object of the
revolt; but to-day they made demonstra-
ton, and captured a small town where
there were no troops, and compelled the
customhouse officials to come over to this
side.
The specials of this date to the REPUB.
L1cAN reveal a humiliating state of affairs
as far as the position of the United States
forces are concerned. Major Clendennin is
in command at Fort Mcintosh, on the bank
Of the river right opposite the captured
pOoEOooAOn
zales, one of Diaz' men. The force at the
disposal of the United States officer is thirty
infantry, with which he Is supposed to pur-
sue numerous bands of mounted cattle
thieves, and at the same time carry out the
instructions from Washington to prevent
the formation Of any organizations on this
side of the river for the purpose Of invad-
ing Mexico. Of course it will not be long
before Colonel Parrat will run the revOlu-
tionlsts out of the town, and, of course, If
there are no United States troops on hand
to prevent violation of the neutrality laws
they will seek safety on this side of the
river. 1t is impossible for General Ord to
send cavalry to this point, as all his avail
able forces have more than they can attend
to IN guarding the river lower down, and
even if he did, by the time they reached tho
threatened locality their services would be
still more urgently demanded somewhere
else. Major Clendennin very properly
asked to be relieved from any and all
responsibility in the premises.
Under the circumstances think General
Ord would be justified in reply ing to orders
from Washington to preserve the proper
relations toward Mexico, in the language
of the famous Stonewall Jackson to the
Richmond authorities; who were pestering
him with orders, but failed to furnish him
with the requisite number of troops. Jack
sons reply was, "More men and less orders,
or v,oro ord on6 M man ,;
If the General commanding is supplied
with an adequate cavalry force he will not
require much directing as to what use to
put them to.
Lawleseness and crime are prevailing to
an extent hitherto unknown in the annals
of this State The San Antonio Herald
and the Galveston Ne,cs, two of the most
influential papers in the State, have
sounded the tocsin of alarm, but Governor
Coke pays no attention to their uttersnces,
nor to the cry of help that is going up all
over the State. The explanation for this
can be found in the fact that Governor
Coke is too busy calculating his chances of
election to the United States Senate to pay
any attention to the fact that in many
parts of the State there is no law but that
of the pistol and the bowie knife. While
Texas State troops are endeavoring to pro-
tect the people from invasion by the Mexi-
cans at Eagle Pass, the citizens are obliged
to appeal to the United States officers for