The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-10-02
Greer County.


will be named in day or two.
Greer County.
The federal government has revoked
its order, removing, on the first of Oc-
tober, all persons and property from
Greer county, not holding under
delegated by the interior de-
partment. Had this order not been
thus revoked, settlers holding by any
other right, with their herds and moY-
able property, would have been forci-
bly, removed by United States mar
shals at the time named. 1t is graft
flying to see that the government has
adopted this reasonable course, for
arbitrary removal would have been
attended with gross injustice. AS to
the rights of all settlers in Greer
county we are not prepared to speak,
but to remove all would be laying
violent hands on the persons and pro-
perty of many, who in our estimation
have acquired the only genuine title
to real estate in Greer county. There
can be no doubt that this county be-
longs to the state of Texas and not to
the Indian reservation. Some years ago
THE STATESMAN published mass of
testimony regarding the division line
between Texas and the Indian terri
tory. Among this evidence was the
strongest proof that the line, which has
been persistently claimed as correct by
the Texas government, was the one
which treaty stipulations between the
United States and Mexico called for.
From the evidence referred to it ap-
pears. that the north fork of Red river
was the real Red river. The south
fork of Red river was not known IN
der the old dispensation as Red riv-
er. Rio Roxo-red river--was the name
of the north fork, while the south fork
was called Observation-Disclosures
dog-town river. The evidence shows
that the names by which the two
streams are now known was the re
suit of geographical confessions, in
stituted by insuficiently empowered
agents of the United States govern
ment. See what the treaty of 1919,
made between the United States and
Spain, says:
The boundary line between the two
countries west of the Mississippi shall
begin on the Gulf of Mexico, at the
mouth of the river Sabine, in the sea,
continuing north along the western
bank OF that river, TO the thirty
second degree of latitude; thence by a
line due north to the latitude where it
strikes the Rio RoXo of Natchitoches.
or Red river, then following the course
of the Rio Roxo westward to the de-
gree OF longitude one hundred west
from London and twenty-three from
Washington; then crossing the said
Red river and running thence by a
line due north to the river Arkansas:
thence following the course of the
southern bank of the Arkansas to its
source in latitude forty-two north,
and themes Oy that parallel of latitude
to the South sea. The whole being, as
laid down in Melish's map of the
Unite d States, published at Phila-
delphia, improved to January l, 1878
Melish's map fixes the Rio Roxo as.
the Red river dividing the territories,
and it represents it as running west
ward to the hundred and first meridian
without branches. Texas went into
the Union with her boundary lines
fixed by the treaty of 1919. A joint
commission was arranged in 1860 be-
tween the United States and Texas to
survey the line. The Texas commits
sion was present on the ground at the
time appointed by Secretary Thomp-
son and communicated with the
United States commissioner, who in
sisted, that survey having been
made of the limits of the Indian ter
ritory he would take that as his guide.
The Texas commissioner properly re-
fused to enter into a settlement in
which Texas had taken no part, and
he proceeded to run the line of the
hundredth meridian to its junction
with Red river (Rio Roxo) where
still stands that has never
been properly disputed. 1t would
be tedious to follow testimony
as to the line under dispute, but
it IS convincing. Texas has always
held to and exercised judicial power
over Greer county, and has set aside its
lands for specific purposes. The
United States government has been
asked again to settle the dispute by
Joint commission, but nothing is done,
for some cause, by the federal govern
ment. The course of the government,
shows new confidence in the
federal claim. 1t has never placed
Indians in Greer county and has never
nterfered with Texas authority there.
The late order was a mistake, and its
revocation goes to show it was not re-
yarded as proper.