Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-13
MEXICAN ANNEXATION
Opinions of High Officials
On the Subject.
SECRETARY BLAINE'S VIEWS
The Hobby of Certain California
Statesmen Held Up to
Ridicule.

Sherman today, In asking the cenaIo Io
discharge the committee on foreign re-
lations from further consideration of, and
to lay on the table, the memorial of the
Fifteenth Legislative Assembly of Ari-
zona, praying the President and Congress
to enter into negotiations with the Repub-
lie of Mexico for the cession of sufficient
territory joining Arizona on the southern
boundary to secure a deep water port
upon the Gulf of California, Which would
afford an outlet for the products of the
Territory, laid before the Senate an in
teresting document.
Senator Sherman, as chairman of the
committee, referred the memorial to
Secretary Blaine, and the Secretary in
reply said in part:
81 beg leave to say that can discern
no hopeful prospect of any negotiations
being successfully conducted with Mex
leo at the present time. even toward the
limited object in view. The temper Of
the statesmen and people of Mexico has
only been recently manifested with re-
gard to the alteration of any part of
their, national territory by the promi.
nence given in certain circles on the Pa
cific Coast to movement for the acquis-
ition of all or part of Lower California by
purchase. For the information of your
committee transmit herewith copy OF
a memorandum prepared by the Mexi-
can Minister of conversation which he
had with me on the subject on the 9th of
June last, together with Senior Maris.
cal's memorandum of Nav 90 1889, OF
xnhi ioh
81 hold unhesitatingly that the Gov
ernment is precluded by obligations of
traditional faith from approaching the
Government of Mexico with a view to
acquiring any part of Mexican territory,
and l equally believe no administration
of Mexico could face the manifestations
of national sentiment that would csr-
tainly attend any indication OF a disposi.
ton to infringe the provision of the
Mexican constitution, which withholds
from the Government the power to cede
Mexican soil.
Moreover, even did the subject
promise favorable negotiation, the peti-
tion fails to set forth the position in
sufficient detail. The northern and east
ern shore of the Gulf of California does
not appear to offer deep-water port until
Libertad (Lobos) is reached, some 200
miles from the delta of the Colorado, and
the country between that coast and the
present southern limit of Arizona is
broken and appears to be ill-adapted to
be highway of intercourse. The Quay
mas and Sonora railway, running thence
to Nogales, constitutes the present chan
mel of outlet from Arizona to the Gulf Of
California"
Following is translation of the mem
orandum from Senior Mariscal, Mexican
Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Senior
Romero, Mexican Minister of the United
States: "This Department approved
the article which, in compliance with its
instruction, you wrote and afterwards
published in the North american Review,
entitled, The Annexation of Mexico
because it is convinced that total or par
tial acquisition ef Mexican territory,
whether by force or by means of in
trigues, does not enter into the
combinations of American states
men, to whatever political party
they may belong. AS to the gentlemen
who at present form the United States
Government and direct its foreign policy,
we are sufficiently acquainted with their
high character and political antecedents
not to entertain the least doubt about
their sense Of justice and fairness, not
only on this point but on any other sub.
iect. We have, therefore, complete con-
fdence that any absurd plans of filibus-
terism, which are fortunately looked
upon by the enlightened majority
of the American people as dis
reputable, will not be approved
by them, nor that they will lend
any support whatever to the machins-
tions of badly informed persons with a
view of changing the decided opposition
of our people to any alienation of Mexi-
can territory. We do not attach much
importance to revelations more or less
vague and afterwards contradicted, which
have lately appeared in American news
papers concerning organizations whose
aim is to procure, at all hazards, the an
nexation OF some part of Mexico, and es-
pecially Lower California.
"But, though we streat with contempt
the boasts of idle and evil disposed
people, who dream of wars of conquest,
or 1of revolutionary movements plotted
on our border, with the view of the an
nexation Of part of eur country, it is not
80 with other manifestations of a respec-
able source, though they have their
origin in opinions equally destitute
of foundation. 1 refer to the PROPOSE
ton originated in the Chamber of
Commerce of Los Angeles, California,
and presented to the House of Repre-
sentatives at Washington, authorizing
the executive to negotiate with Mexico
for the purchase of Lower California. l
refer also, to the opinion which, without
any reservation, the Governor of the
State of California expressed about the
great convenience of such acquisition,
and above all the purchase of Sonora
and Sinaloa, about which no mention
before had been made.
"No matter how much the Mexican
Government might be inclined to over
look this double expression of erroneous
judgment as to our patriotic sentiments,
and our entire community with the
opinion of our country in this regard, ii
cannot do 80, considering the expression
of views by the present officials
of the State of California, which is coter.
minous with our territory and interested
in some of those annexations. We can
not look with indifference upon any
thing coming from respectable authori.
ties, and ii any one should tell us thai
no serious and we'll, concerted plan or
the subject is entertained by them, but
that it is rather the influence of combi
nations and the exigencies of interior
politics which constrained them to ex'
press such ideas, we should be forced
c1 hsn hal sAf -