The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-11
Inviolability OF National Territory.

Invioln bflity OF National Territory.
The history Of the last ten years proves
that our government has treated Mexico
with remarkable patience and forbearance.
We have demonstrated with her increasingly
on her failure to perform duties whose obi
CATION she does not and cannot dispute.
While acknowledging that she is bound to
protect us against incursions from her side
of the Rio Grandc, she has replied to our
remonstrances by pleading inability. Two
years ago Mr.. Lafragua her Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, stated TO Mr.. Foster, our
Minister, three reasons in extenuation of the
non-performance Of her duty. We repeat
them in the language of Mr.. Foster in making
his report to Secretary FISH "First, troops
could not be sent to that quarter without
fear OF desertion,; second, the internal trou
bles of the country rendered it impossible !;
and third, in the state Of the national Treas
ury sufficiently large force could not be
maintained on the Rio Grande." To meet
this confessed inability Mr.. Foster pro-
should give permission to the regular
troops Of the United States ito follow the
raiders across the border when in, close .pur-
suit, or. what would be still more efficacious,
permission to temporarily occupy certain
points on the Mexican side, where the raid
ers are accustomed to cross the river"
Mr.. Lafragua did not object to this as an
unreasonable proposition, but replied that
the Executive had no authority to grant
such permission without consent of the
Mexican Congress, which it would be inn
prudent to ask. We have made this recital
to show how considerate and scrupulous
our government has been in respecting the
territorial sovereignty of Mexico. She has
no reason to complain if our patience at last
becomes exhausted. Our government told
her in 1876 what would be the inevitable
consequence of persistent neglect to do
her duty. Protection to the citizens Of
Texas" it said, ''must be afforded; if not
given by the Mexican government it would
come from the United States" She has no
reason to complain that we at last convert
that warning into fact.
The inviolability of national territory is
| COIufsAAAy uA pSAoesAAe AuAo Va PoDAAS A"V
but it is not a rule without exceptions. As
Lord Ashburton wrote in 1912 to Mr.. Web
ster:-''But however strong this duty may
be it is admitted by all writers, by all
jurists, by the occasional practice of all ma
tions, not excepting your own, that a
strong, overpowering necessity may arise
when this great principle may and must be
suspended" John Quincy Adams, in de-
Tending General Jackson's incursion into
Spanish territory, wrote, in language more
vigorous and emphatic:-"There will be nc
need of citations from printed treatises on in.
ternational law to prove the correctness of this
principle. 1t is engraven in adamant on the
common sense of mankind. No writer upon
the laws Of nations ever pretended to con.
tradict it. None, Of any reputation or au.
thority, ever omitted to state it," But if there
was ever justifiable occasion for applying
it it is in the case of a nation which, after
many years of urgent remonstrance, harbors
a horde of thieves and bandits who plumber
and murder our citizens. How much Longer
do the cavaliers think we ought to stand still
and suffer these evils without any prospect
of redress by the government whose duty il
is to end them?