The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-11-27
TIKI TEXAS BORDER QUE&TICN
AND TkxAS MORALS aS VIEWED
BY GEN ORD.

G~r. Ord has made sn fl Isl report
upon the condition of the Texas
border. Il is characterized by sirgr-
lar, practica', good sense, and qaestions
presented are discussed with ,t4les-
man like sbi' ty anl with the caado.
of settler. HIS u.tsTsucrs are based
upon az. experience that should de-
mand itom the government and the
prcss tie erayest consideration. The
report is lengthy, and We are con :
PEELED 10 reject the less important parts
of 1t. He says:
By reason OF revolutions, the Mex
ican population along the river is
of a mongrel character; deserters from
the contendIng forces; Mexican sold
Iery, sent t. the border and there dis
banded; remnants of bands of wild
raiding, or refugee Indians. who for
merly found safety in the deserts and
uneXplored mountains of Mexico or
Texas, and who have, gradually,
learned to trade and NIX with the
people Of its border towns; and snug
glers-sll go to swell the lawless Gle
melt. To such q population, ordi-
nary treaties, or mo3es of administer
] ing justice, will not apply, especially
when it is considered that under the
treaty Of extradition now in force, the
local district judges sIe commissioner
to extradite, and elected by p0pula-
ton more or less liable for OK raditable
offen;ts, committed on the opposite
| side. The conclusion is reasonable
that when the existing treaty was
made, tho character and number of the
border refugees was not understood.
| Moreover, under it's provisions neither
country is bound to extradite It's own
citiZ ,ns, and, generally, TO evsde the
penalties of the treaty, citiz nship, TO
suit their necessities, can be proven By
offenders.
The country in the vicinity of the
banks of the RIO Gran lie is peculiar,
and as little understood as Is the char
acter of the people. Along the lower
river, ascending 10 Camar 20, it Is q
rich valley, thickly tlmbered in the
bottoms, with sheep and cattle ranches
inland from the timber. Thence to
Laredo it is broken, with small patches
of good land. Above Laredo, TO the
mouth of the Pecos. it Is @ cactus belt,
with streams few and far between,
with little cultivation, except near San
Felipe-there only by irrigation. The
cactus belt and the plateau are we'll
adapted to sheep raisirg. Above the
mouth of the Pecos, to the valley of
San E izario and E. Pasn, " here again
there are irrigabls lands. The nver
cuts its way through wild and craggy
mountain ranges, and along the beds
of immense cannons. Between the
mountain ranges are plains, valleys
and gorges, rapidly undergoing exp'or-
alton, on the Texas side, and found
we'll adapted to grazing. The ranges
are much better supplied with water
than was supposed, and in proportion
as they are explored, valuable disc0V-
cries of precIouq metals IT suit.
From the mouth of the river to El
Paso the population OF the border
counties is, with few exceptions, Mex
leans, or of Mexican origin. AmeIi-
cans are pushing west and northwest,
and as soon as the hGw military road,
much nearer the ri;er, from Fort
Clark to Fort Davis, now und.r con-
struction by the troops OF this depart
ment, shall have been opened, qaite
number of cattle ranches will be es-
tablished near and north of the Rio
Grande and along the Pecos. These
are the people, with those living in
the cities near to and on 10th sides of
the river, for whose benefit a new
treaty should be arranged; for their
both countries.
PRoBIBIToRY DUTIES.