The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-03-28
rI,p GREER COUNTY CASE.

THE GREER CouNii OA' -,
Tho most careful editorial writer WIN
- ho led into error by other writer'
in whom he has such confidence 'n"' "a
wi,, take n statement OF TACT pre'c" w.
hv them without, in the hurry VI -.
,,.onorotion of editorial matter, eNaihii'ne
40 correctness of the alleged 1ac's'
,,,,. n, EDITOR who bas been mlsied anu 20
afraid to acknowledge ana corrcc. mo
mistakes is unworthy of the trust ~
posed in him. ,,aoouor
II gives us great pleasure to discover
unon n thorough investigation OF 'he oriel'
e. Tho cose of the United States vs.. leNaS'
in regard to the ownership OF Greer cou,-
~ that in former article on 'llal SUI
loot in which we said the SOLICITORS ioi
Toxos had made out weak case IhaI
wo were very much mistaken. we were
r,islod nv letter on this subject written
from Washington city by wen KNOWN -
Washington correspondent ana pup''Sluu
IN tho St. Louis Globe-Democrat' we
6pd unon investigation, that even the 'es-
t;monv quoted by this correspondent was
incorrect and that his whole representa-
ton of the case was erroneous :,
We do not believe that more thorough
and COMPLETE case has ever been ihaue
out before the supreme court Oh INC
Tinted States than the sollcllors loi
Toxoa bove made out in behalf oil the
State of Texas. Every position Is SO 'hor'
oughly fortified by facts and the law "p-
nlicoble TO the case that every position Is
impregnable and that any one OF the posi-
tons taken is sufficient to estaplish tue
fact without controversy that by law ana
equity and in all justice Greer county is
Ms much part and parcel OF Texas as
Travis county is a part and parcel OF TINS
commonwealth.
The treaty between Spain and the
United States embodied as one OF lts pro-
visions the Melsh map and it Is clearly
established that the Melsh map is as
much clause of that treaty as any other
clause in it. This position is fully sus-
tanned by numerous authorities quoted IN
the brief of counsel for Texas. The Me-
lish map being the map published Ill fhll-
adelphia and improved to the first OF Jan
uary, 1918. That map fixes definitely the
boundary, no matter whether or not 1t
makes a mistake in fixing the 100 degrees
of longitude from Greenwich, and that
man gives but one Red river which it is
acknowledged Is now called the north fork
of Red river. 1t is also admitted that TINS
imaginary line crosses the Rio RoXo, or
the north fork of Red river "east of the
most easterly boundary of Greer county"
1t therefore follows as n natural sequence
that the title to Greer county became
vested in Texas upon the admission OF
that state into the Union and that the
United States never had and never ac'
Quired title to that county. Texas ac-
quired Greer county, or the domain which
now forms Greer county, from Mexico by
conquest, and when Texas was admitted
into the Union Greer county was admitted
as n part of Texas just as much as any
other county in the state.
The fact is well established by intelli'
gent witnesses that the south fork of Red
river was never known by that name until
1852. Before that time the south fork
had been known TO the Indians and 4
few white traders as Kecheaquchono, OF
Prairie Dog Town river. The north forB
or Red river proper is living stream
of pure water, while the water in Prairie
Dog Town river, or the south fork of Red
river, has no continuous current, but
breaks out over wide sandy bed here and
there, the water being brackish, impreg
mated with alkali like the lower part OF
the Humbolt river, where it begins tc
waste itself in the alkali plains of the
great American desert. These facts were
proven by numerous witnesses.
Texas asserted the exclusive right &c
the land upon which Greer county wa:
finally constructed in 1916 after her ad
mission into the Union as state. Ere
vious to that, on the 2Sth of November
1889, the republic of Texas created the
county Of Fannin and by the terms Of
its boundary it included Greer county. Or
March the 18th, 1S4S, the legislature o.
Texas created the county of Cooke, which
embraced Greer county by the terms o.
it's boundary. On December the oath
1857, the legislature of Texas created
Clay county, out of part of Cooke, which
embraced Greer county, and on Februar!
8, 1860 the county of Greer was createt