The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-22
President, in Special Message,
Urges Congress to Stop
Boundary Grab.
REMINDS COMMONWEALTH
STATEHOOD Is TO COME
Texas Line Will Probably Be
Fixed by Federal Govern
ment Itself.

! WASHINGTON. Dec. 2l.-Complyiug
Taft as conveyed in special message,
the senate today adopted a joint reso.
luton nullifying the action of the con
stitutional convention Of New Mexico
in fixing the one hundrcd and third
| meridian Of longitude as the eastern
boundary of the prospective state.
1t also gives the president power, in
con junction with Texas, to re-establish
the lines run by j. II. Clark in 1858 as
the true boundary between New Mex
,co and Texas.
The dispute is Of long duration and
grows out Of an error made by Clark in
marking the one hundred and third me
ridian IT was intended this meridian
should constitute the dividing line, but
he placed il west of whore II should
have been. National authorities rs well
as those of Texas accepted it as accu-
rate, but New Mexico contendod for the
more eastern tracing. In his message
the president pointed out that property
interests had accumulated under the
recognition of the Clark survey and
urged that the established order be not
disturbed.
Hepburn Upholds New Mexico.
Senator Hepburn opposed the resolu
ton, contending that the Clark survey
had been made for the purpose Of To-
eating the meridian, and not TO mark
a division between states. He asserted
that not less than 100000 acres valued
at $50 an acre were involved, and said
Texas had received liberal remunera-
tion for the area.
He coutepded the land should not be
restored without adequate compensa-
tion. For a time he threatened TO fill
buster against action, but desisted, say
ing he had learned to get out of the
way when he heard "the whistle Of
the steam roller
The resolution has yet to be acted on
by the house.
In his message the president calls
attention 10 a clause in the constitution
of the proposed new state Of New Mex
leo 'purporting TO FIX the boundary
line between New Mexico and Texas
which may reasonably be construed to
be different from the boundary lines
heretofore legally run, marked, cstab-
lishcd and ratified by the United States
and the state of Texas, and under which
claims might be set up and litigation
lnstigated of an unnecessary and inn
proper character
Still Territory.
He then recommends the Joint reso-
luton before congress which would au.
thoriZe the president and the state of
Texas to mark the boundary line be
tween the latter state and the territory
or proposed state, of New Mexico, or
10 re-esta blisb and remark the boundary
line heretofore established and re.
marked and to enact that any provls-
ION OF the proposed state of New Mex |
leo that IN any way tends to annul or
change the boundary line between
Texas and New Mexico shall be Of no |
force OF effect.
Reciting the fact that to all intents |
and purposes New Mexico is still ter.
ritory, the president said:
AS the boundary limo between Texas |
and New Mexico is established under
the act of June ), 1858, and confirmed /
by congress under the act Of March 3
sol, and ratified by the state of Texas
March 20, 1891, and as the territory
Of New Mexico has not up to the pres.
ent time fulfilled all the requirements
lnder the act of June 20. 1910, for ad-
MISSION TO the union, there is no reason
Why the Joint resolution should NOT he
ldopted, and | recommend the adoptiop
IF such resolution for the purpose of
indisputahle authority on the
president in conjunction with the state
II Texas 10 re-estab ablish and remark a
boundary already established and CON
lrmed by congress and the state of
Texas