Evening journal., 1915-09-11
New News Of Yesterday
What We Actually Paid
Mexico
By Holland.
I remember as distinctly as if It

Il remember as distinctly as If It
were yesterday the excitement occa-
stoned by the purchase from Mexico
of great area of territory in 1853"
said the late Charles c. Clarke. who
was for many years vice president
and financial executive of the Van
derbilt system of railroads, to me
after he had returned from a trans
continental trip a part of which was
across the territory TO which he re-
ferred.
This area was labeled in the geog-
raphies as 'Gadsden's Purchase ?
There is no one who was a schoolboy
or schoolgirl after 1853 who does not
recall that the geography maps lab
eled a great area just north of the
Mexican boundary as 'Gadsden's
Purchase. It is now a part of the
territory Of Arizona. At that time
Mr.. Clarke was chatting with me
Arizona had not been admitted as
state.
1T was one of the trumphs Of the
administration Of the State Depart
ment at Washington by William l..
Marcy, which is represented by the
sale to US by Mexico of the so-callod
Gadsden's Purchase. I heard years
ago that Mr.. Marcy, when Secretary
of State, was told that the United
States commissioners who negotiat-
ed the treaty of peace with Mexico
which is called the Guadaloupe-Hi-
dalgo treaty we're really jockeyed by
the Mexican commissioners The
Mexicans entertained the representa-
N rrrff Iar
ish hospitality, and il may have been
due to excess of hospitality that our
own commissioners were not partic-
ular about defining the entire boun-
dary line. At all events, Mexico
claimed that under the treaty she
/ received fifteen millions for Califor-
MIA and New Mexico. she still retain
/ ed a great tract in the valley of the
| Gila river. Our commissioners
thought that tract was within the
boundary lines defined by the treaty,
but Mexico said not
I When Gov. Marcy became Secretary
of State he decided to bring about
! through diplomatic methods an end
of the dispute He believed that il
was vital to the United States that
we should possess this great tract
He knew. however, that Mexico would
not part with it without driving a
hard bargain and he was prepared tC
make it. The result was that within
a few months after he became Secre-
tary of State the treaty was ratified
by which the United States agreed
TO pay Mexico s10,000,O0O for this
tract Of land.
You know it is commonly said
that we paid Mexico fifteen millions
in return for which she ceded to us
California and New Mexico. but the
fact is We really paid S25,00O.O00 tC
Mexico-S15,000,000 for California
and New Mexico, a territory which
has since been carved up into sew
eral States and territories, and $40,
! 100000 tor what is called the Gads
den's Purchase, and there has always
been a strong suspicion that but fol
the excessive hospitality which tn,
Representative OF Mexico showed to
ward the representatives of the United
States when that first treaty was
signed We should not have got the
so-called Gadsdens Purchase at tha
time and it would have cost us onl,
a proportionate part Of the fifteel
millions which we paid to Mexico
However that great tract in which
was greatly interested as l passei
through it on the railroad train
few weeks ago is worth to the Unitel
States all It cost us"
Copyright. 1915. by z. J. Edwards
All rights reserved.)