The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-06

During the hearing before the Louisiana
Purchase Worlds Fair Committee on the
Lane bill to commemorate the centennial
anniver airy OF the acquisition Of the Lou
isiana territory By worlds fair in St.
Louis in 1903, Governor Francis, in emu
merating the States which had been carved
out of the great domain acquired by JEFF
ferson, omitted Texas. Governor Francis
said he would like very much to include
Texas in the list if he felt he had ground
for so doing. as Texas was enthusiastic
in support of the worlds fair movement.
After the hearing Senator Culberson of
Texas accosted Governor Francis in one
of the corridors of the Capitol and asked
him why he hesitated TO include Texas in
the list of Louisiana Purchase States.
You need have no fear OF having the
historical correctness of the statement
that Texas was part OF the Purchase
questioned" said the Senator. Il can prove
that it was beyond all question"
We would be delighted If you would do
So responded the Governor. Texas is
with us in spirit; We would be pleased 10
know she is blood kindred
In response to Governor Francis invi-
tation Senator Culberson has prepared the
following statement as to the claims of
Texas to be regarded as a part of the
Louisiana Purchase:
There can be nc doubt that Texas was
a part OF the Louisiana Purchase. The
territory now known as Texas was dis
covered ard settled by the French under
La Sale. who landed near the entrance
of the Matagorda Bay in 1855 At shat
time the nearest Spanish settlement was
in the proximity of Tampco On this sub
ject YCakum, in his History of Texas.
thus states the historical facts: The
SpaniardS had not yet penetrated east of
the Rio Grande, at least below the Paso
del Norte. and La Sale was still endeav-
oring and hoping to establish the :act
that he was in the vicinity of one of
the mouths of the Mississippi. Texas TO
him and his people and afterward his
nation, was part of Louisiana; he had dis
covered the mouth OF the great river; the
coast thence to the confines of Mexico;
had planted a colony on one OF the rivars;
had stocked it with domestic animals and
planted it with the seeds of hushandry.
BY all the rules then. of national law.
apart from the claim OF the Indians, the
country was French. and if they chose to
call ii so a part of Louisiana. The coun-
try was French by right of discovery. To
Spain it was utterly unknown.
This claim was maintained, among
others, by Messrs. Pinllney and Monroe in
letter to the Spanish Minister of For
eign Affairs in 1905. and by John Quincy
Adams, the Secretary of State of the
United States. in 1878. as appears from
volume u of the American State Papers |
The same opinion was entertained by JEFF !
f-rson. Madison. Livingston. Jackson, and |
Van Buren,.
After this discovery and settlement of |
Texas by the French in 1888 1t was included |
in the grant made made by Louis XIV to |
Crozat. Marquis du Chatel in 1112. Ii was !
ceded 10 Spain in 1861, and in |
1900 i. was retroceded to France as a part |
of Louisiana by the treaty of San Ildefonso. |
By the first article of the treaty between
France and the United States in 1903 the |
colony or province of Louisiana which
beyond all question included Texas. was
coded by France to the United States, the
western boundary line OF Texas being the
Rio Grande River-called sometimes in the
treaties OF the times Rio Bravo. By the
treaty of 1919 between the United States
and Spain the boundary between the two
west of the Mississippi River, so
far as Texas was concerned. was made
the Sabine River rather than the Rio
and consequently Texas was there
by ceded to Spain. In 1924 Mexico by reyo-
luton separated herself from Spain and
became an independent tNtpuO-lcf anu tHe
territory of Texas, with that of Coahuila
became one OF the Mexican States under
the title Of Coahuila and Texas. IL 1896
Texas achieved her independence and be-
came an independent Republic. and in 1874
negotiations were begun for the annexa-
ton of Texas to the United States.
This naturally and inevitably brought
into prominence and controversy the ques-
lion whether Texas was originally included