Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-05-25
OUR SOUTHERN BORDER.
Mexican and United Stntcs boundary
Line Established by Purchases.

The decision Of the war department
to order out the militia organizations
of Texas New Mexico and Arizona to
aid in guarding the southern border Of
the United States against further raids
by Mexican bandits makes the boundary
line between the two republics a topic
Of paramount interest. The boundary is
the subject Of a war geography bulletin,
issued by the National Geographic
society from it's Washington, D. g.,
headquarters. which says:
"All the territory of the four border
States of California, Arizona New Mex
leo and Texas originally belonged to
the Mexican republic, and if the United
States were called upon to guard the
lines which constituted the southern
border before the acquisition of Texas
and the land purchased after the war
Of lS+s. the boundary would extend for
a distance of $500 miles instead Of
,S33 miles now.
THE Rio Grande. which constitutes
n natural boundary between the two
countries for a distance of 1876 miles,
rises in the mountains of southern
Colorado and flows southeast into tho
Gulf of Mexico. 1t becomes a part of
the boundary at FL Paso some 700 miles
from its source. Owing to the extern
sve use of it's waters for irrigation pur-
poses and to rapid evaporation during
the summer months. the rivers volume
frequently is so diminished that for
many miles along its course the bed
becomes dry Its flow is by no means
commensurate with its length or with
the basin of 10000 square miles which
1t drains.
The Rio Grande is navigated by small
boats for 90 miles above its mouth but
1t is one of the most variable of rivers,
the volume of water it discharges some
years being ten times as great as dur
ing others.
ITO the Mexicans the upper river is
known as tho Rio Grande del Norte'
Great River of the North, but in the
Big Bend region. where the latest Dor
der outrages have occurred, it is known
as the Rio Bravo Rapid Rive).
"The whole boundary line as it now
exists between the United States and
Mexico has been esta blished through the
purchase Of territory by the former O.
public, for, although the war of ISIS was
| fought to fix the Rio Grande as the
Texas border, by the Guadalupe Iidal-
go treaty Mexico received slj,0o0,0 900 and
was relieved of 100000 of debts in pay.
ment for her cessions in Texas and fol
the territory embraced in the state thcr
known as New Mexico, from which
California, Nevada. Utah. most 81
Arizona and portions of Wyoming, colo
RADIO and New Mexico have been carved
Six years after this treaty the GGdsdei
purchase was contaminated whereby foI
100000 the United States, in addition
to other concessions, acquired more than
$4,000 additional square miles lying hc
tween the ella river on the north auC
the present boundary line between
Arizona and New Mexico and the NcX
lean state of Sonora. This sale was un
popular in Mexico and was partly re
sponsiblc for the Punishment Of Prcsi
dent Santa Anna.
"One-fifth of the total area Of TIN
United States ALASKA ana the insula
possessions exclusive) is embraced il
the four States of the Mexican border
while three-sevenths Of Mexico's area i
included in her six border States o
Lower California, Sonora, Chihuahua
ICoahuila, Nueyo Leon, and Tamaulipas
IF all the miltiamen of Arizona, New
Mexico and Texas which the war de
partment has called upon for patro
duty on the Mexican border wer
strung out sentries they would form
Il thin khaki line with each man. in
Guiding officers, II third of mile from
his nearest neighbor to the right AN,
left If eight hour tours of duty wer
required our southern militia wall a
ancient Sparta called her fighting lner
would be composed Of brcks' "a mil
| anart