The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-06-03
MEXICAN BORDER is
AN 1S33-MILE LINE

The decision OF the war depart |
ment TO order out the militia organi- |
cations Of Texas, New Mexico and !
Arizona to aid in guarding the south !
can lorder of the United States
against further raids by Mexican bar
dts makes the boundary line between
the two republics n topic of paramount
interest This boundary is the subject
of a recent war geography bulletin IS
sued by the National Geographic so
ciety from its Washington headquar-
tiers, which says:
All the territory of the four border
states Of California, Arizona, New
Mexico 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 lS4S the boundary would
extend for distance of 2.50G miles IN
stead of l .S33 miles as now.
! 1.-THE Rio Grande, which constitutes
a natural boundary between the two
countries for a distance of l,l26 miles,
rises in the mountains of Southern
Colorado and flows southeast into the
Gulf of McXico. 1t becomes a part OF
the boundary at FL Paso, some 700
miles from it's source Owing to the
extensive use of its waters for irri-
CATION purposes and to rapid evapora-
tion during the summer months, the
river s volume frequently is so dimin-
ishcd 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 24O. 600
square miles which it drains.
Tie Rio Grande is navigated by
small boats for 500 miles above its
mouth. but it is one of the most vari-
able of rivers. the volume Of water
which If discharges some years being
10 times as great as during others.
! ITO the Mexicans the upper river Is
known Is the Rio Grandc del Nortc'
(Great River of the North. but in the
Big Bend region. where the latest Dor
= der outragcs have occurred. it is known
2 as the Rio Bravo Rapid Riverl.
"The whole boundary line as il now
- exists between the United States and
= Mexico has been established through
the purchase of territory by the former
republic. for although the war Of lS4>
was fought to fix the Rio Grande as
- the Texas border, by the Guadalupe
2 Hidalgo treaty Mexico received SIS,
100000 and was relieved OF S3,GHU0ul
, of debts. i'm payment for her cessions in
Texas and for the territory emhra ed
/ i'm the state then known as New Mex
$ leo. from which California, Nevada
Utah. most Of Arizona and portions OF
I Wyoming. Colorado and New Mexico
have been carved. Six years after thi.
treaty the Gadsden Purchase was CON
8 summated whereby for Sl0.o00U00 the
, United States, in addition to other con
p ccssions. acquired more than $4,000 adj
ditianol square miles living between til.
/ ella river ON the north and the pres
ent boundary line between Arizona an5
New Mexico and the Mexican state OF
Sonora. This sale was unpopular II
E Mexico and was partly responsible fo
the Punishment of President SAINT;
Anna.
lone fifth of the total area of tn,
+ United States Alaska and the iusula
: possessions exclusivel is embraced il
the four states ON the Mexican border
X while three seventies of Mexico : are;
? is included i'm her six border states O
h Lower California. Sonora, chihuahua
- Cuahuila. NuCvo Leon and Tamaulipas
. IF all the militiamen of Arizona
New Mexico and Texas which the wa
= department has called upon for patro
% duty on the Mexican border wer
strung ont as sentricS they would form
: a thin khaki line with each man. in
! GLIDING officers. a third Of a mile from
his nearest neighbor to the right an,
left II cight-hour tours of duty wer
required. our southern militia wall. q
ancient Sparta called her fighting men
would be composed of bricks mil
apart