Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-21
THE BORDER WAR-CL0UD.
A GLIMPSE OF BOTH SIDES OF
THE LINE.
Letter from the Observation-Disclosures
Special Correspondent on the
Field of the Controversy.
PAgo DEL Nonrr, Mex. Auqust1 1ss,

PAso DEL NoRTE, Mex, August, 1856.
Our present trouble with Mexico-or
rather Mexico's trouble with us-has been
brewing for years, and presents various
complications not apparent 10 careless OBJ
servers. 1t is not merely the case of a
couple Of disreputable journalists who have
been berating one another but that the bor-
der has always been overrun with rowdies
and renegades OF both nationalities, who
are perpetually getting into difficulties with
the law and then pleading ' citizenship"
to shield themselves from the punishment
they deserve.
This little town-which has seen all that
is bad in American character, from the
numberless outlaws who skip" their
country by merely crossing the river, but
which, unfortunately, has had little oppor-
tunity to learn anything good of its Ameri-
can neighbors-is greatly excited at the
present ju1cture and 1Dr popHE is " all for
war; Senior Escabor, the Mexican Consul
at the u. S. III Paso on the opposite side Of
the Rio Grande, says that unless one conn
try or tie other Immediately backs down,
sanguinary conflict cannot be avcrted, and
asserts positively that Mexico will never
comply with demands for Cuttings release
but will accept the alternative of war first.
AS he is a man who never speaks upon
matters o. state without good authority
and is known to have hitherto faithfully
reflected the sentiments of his Government,
his word carries much weight. The bitter
feeling which the masses in this section of
Mexico always entertain toward Ameri-
cans is now greatly intensifed-not so
much over the Cutting affair, which is of
small consequence. buE on account of the
tone of the Texas press in its violent de-
nunciation of the MeXicans and their Gov
eminent, and because, for the first time,
the code of the State of chihuahua has
been challenged.
ACCORDING TO SAID CODE,
Which was copied from that of France, the
arrest of Cutting was strictly within the
letter Of the law, and his treatment milder
than might have been expected and when
the low-lived fellow, who has been in
trouble many times before, poses for a
martyr-being shrewd enough to see the adj
vantages to be gained by neutrality-suspicious.
ing to be released on straw BAIL and de-
clarins, with assumed patriotic dignity, -"
am in the hands of my country, and she
will take care of me, the demand from
the United States that he shall instantly be
set at liberty and allowed TO go scot free,
in spite of his ofense, is aSgravating, to say
the least of it.
1t is amusing to note how defiant these
Mexican FL Pasoans are, having little
knowledge Of the United States or its i'm
mense resources, and how devoutly they
believe that it will be an easy task to whip
their nearest neighbor. They have some
hour brot.nbt Tbap,calyae 10 IaIiey-a fI,at l,a
firing of the first gun will be Il signal for
the Southern States Of our Union to rush
to their assistance, and thus avenge them
selves on the North for the disastrous out
come of the late civil war, and they are
certain that England will instantly take
their part and blockade the Atlantic and
Gulf ports of the United States The fol-
lowing extract from an editorial in the Oh
se5vad1r FTonterizd (Frontier Observer, of
Paso del Nortc, indicates the intensely pa
triotic and belligerent tone of the Mexican
press, hich everywhere calls upon its Gov
ernmeut TO listen TO no negotiations what
ever. Says the editor:
do you Americans believe that because
you belong to a populous nation you will
cause our weaker nation to Yacillate
Never think so. Do you think that by
noise and hugrahs you can scare our au-
thorites2 Never believe it. Never let it
enter your minds. You can never impose
upon the son of o warlikc and valiant ma
tom
The time has come when statesmaniike
sense and national forbearance are neces-
sary on both sides of the Rio Grande to
preserve amicable relations between the
TWO republics. An element in the United
States has long been eager for a rupture
With Mexico, looking forward to the ab-
sorption of that country in q spirit of patri-
otto greed, while u still greater number of
our citizens yearn for conquest and annex
atiOn under the idea that
UNLIMITED loot
Would be gained by it in the shape of ex-
haustleSs mines and other riches in this
fancied Fl Dorado. On the other hand, a
dread OF annexation to the United States
has long been the nightmare of Mexican
existence, and every plan brought forward
for mutual benefit has been construed by
the jealous younger sister into a leaning in
that direction. The lately proposed COM
mercial treaty brought out that feeling in
full on the southern side of the dividing
river, and though its provisions would
have brought them before unheard-of COM
forts and luXuries, the proportion of Next
cans who opposed it was about ninety-nine
out of q hundred. The idea that said
treaty meant a-swallowing 10 of this re-
public by the United States was industri-
ously fomented by certain interested CAPT.
talsts and tradesmen, who have long had
things all their own way in Mexico. You
would scarcely credit me were | to tell you
the outrageous prices charged here for the
most common articles by the tradesmen
above mentioned, who gained a footing
here before the advent of the railroads
The Mexicans, having no manufactures of
ofr -
years permitted themselves TO be thus
swindled-the poor doing without the or
binary necessaries OF life, and the rich
being careless of their inherited wealth.
Naturally. these mercantile Shylocks did
not want their bonanzas interfered with,
and opposed the treaty with might and
main, fostering the bad blood of the guilt
bic people by all manner of misrepresenta-
tons. Within the last three years, how
ever, their golden harvests have been
pretty much decreased, since many large
mercantile firms-principally in the Texas
cities, Galveston, Houston, San Antonio,
Austin, Waco and Fort Worth, besides a
few in New York, St. Louis, San Francisco
and Chicago-haye oyerrun the country
with their commercial travellers. As may
be imagined, the latter gentlemen are now
having rather ticklish" time of it, be-
tween the Scylla and Charybdis of desiring
TO eXpel the ShylOckS aforesaid and pre-
serving peaceful international relations.
Another cause for the popular hatred OF
Americans which prevails along the south
ern side OF the Rio Grande is jealousy OF
the business profits which the latter are
reaping ON Mexican soil, American miners,
for example, paying no taxes to the Mexi-
can authorities, though making no end OF
money from the mines.
There is in the United States vast army
of unemployed and irresponsible men who
would rejoice at the prospect of war with
q foreign power, simply for the excitement
of the thing; besides multitude of dis
comfted Anarchists. would-be bomb
throwers, knights" of idleness and other
VICIOUS AND RESTLESS cRANKs
Who are pining to expend their surplus
venom in any deeds Of violence. All these
would delight to rush down TO the vindica-
ton Of American honor" and the release
of their kindred spirit, Cutting, who fully
deserves all the punishment he will get.
Besides, there is said TO be feeling preva-
lent in the South that an international con-
hict would be effective in celebrating the
arrangements that have grown out of our
late internal strife, and in reuniting all sec
tons OF the Union: therefore Texas and
Louisiana, If not all the former Confeder-
acy, would look with favor upon a war
with Mexico. The more responsible people
Of the Norfh-fha clear hoo 1aJ o,,a Low