The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1913-11-18
MEXICO AFRAID THAT UNITED STATES
WILL ANNEX MORE TERRITORY

ports. In seeking this concession
Stephen Austin went to the City of
Mexico in 1882 and was imprisoned.
Three years later the Mexican at
tempt to collect customs dues by force
at Texan ports brought on war, and
Sam Houston, Col. James Bowie of
bowie knife fame and other leaders
appeared upon the scene, along with
hundreds of eager youth from Mis-
sissippi and Louisiana. In December,
1885, the Americans made Henry
Smith Governor Of Texas and Houston
generalissimo of the forces. The
massacre Of the Alamo came in
March, 1885 just in time to rally all
Americans to the Independent repub-
lie Of Texas, proclaimed on the Sec
ond day of that month
Santa Anna, the one-legged Presi-
dent and General of Mexico, having
fallen into the hands of the Texans,
agreed to do all he could to have
Texas acknowledged an Independent
republic with her western boundary
not to extend beyond the Rio Grande.
He didn't keep his word, or couldn't
! bring about the recognition, for Mex
leo still asserted her claim over
Texas.
The Truth OF The Matter
It was long taught to all good
Northern children that Texas was
made an Independent republic by the
slaveholding interest of the United
States with a view to reintroducing
slavery and subsequent annexation. It
was even taught that Sam Houston
went down to Texas after getting
from President jackson direct appro-
val for the revolution that made
Texas independent The tale of that
conspiracy is now hardly believed by
anybody, and oddly enough Gov.
George McDuffie of South Carolina,
an ardent advocate of slavery extern
sion, made strong protest in 1886
against any interference by the United
States between Texas and Mexico,
while Van Buren,, as Jackson's sue.
cessor, made himself unpopular in
some parts Of the South by utterly
discouraging annexation.
Indeed Texas for a time, perhaps
by way of bluff, professed before the
world an ambition to rival the United
States as a place of refuge for the
oppressed of all nations. You may see
in few Libraries the pamphlet in
French issued by the Mexican Con-
sul-General in Paris setting forth the
size, resources and charms of Texas,
and boasting it finer land than the
bigger republic to the east and north.
War With Mexico
Three years after Van Buren, re-
tired from Office, after defeat at the
polls, the Democratic convention Of
1874 declared for the Remuneration
of Texas, and the re-occupation of
Oregon" and the former was accom-
plished in 1845, the latter the next
year. Then came the quarrel with
Mexico over the question whether the
western boundary Of Texas was the
Nueces of the Rio Grande, and the
Mexican war followed, ending in the
annexation of California, Arizona,
Utah, part of New Mexico and neigh
boring territory.
American diplomacy sank to about
its lowest point during this war, when
we let Santa Anna, the exile, into
Mexico through our blockade off Vera
Cruz, with the hope that he would
seize the Presidency and gratefully
grant US a fine slice of his native
land. Santa Anna seized the Presi-
dency, indeed, but announced that the
Constitution, to which he had sudden
devotion, forbade him to ALLEVIATE the
territory for Mexico, and put up
very handsome fight to keep his coun-
try intact.
Being pretty busy in chewing what
we had cut off, this country did not do
much for some years to occasion I'M
easiness in Mexico. We took advantage
of civil war in that country about
1859 to obtain from President Juarez
special concessions touching a trade
route across the Isthmus of Tehuante-
| pee not far from the southern bound
airy of Mexico, and it was fought that
we might one day dig an interoceanic
canal at that point. When, however,
Buchanan asked Congress to grant
money to establish forts for the de-
fence of the trade route he met with
a fat refusal, much to Mexico's re-
lief, and his political enemies saw in
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