The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 20, July 1916 - April, 1917 Page: 196
426 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
question of boundary line should be settled, and the military
escort furnished by the United States before the regulation of
trade by the treaty of 1831.
The two most valuable chapters in the book are those relating
to the negotiation of treaties of commerce and boundaries. For
over four years the negotiations for a. commercial treaty were
fruitless, and in this period Mexico twice allowed the time for
exchanging ratifications to pass without action. The chief initial
obstacles, after the agreement to separate the question of com-
merce from that of boundaries, were the attempt of the United
States to modify the most favored nation clause by a new prin-
ciple of "perfect reciprocity" of tonnage dues, which was opposed
by Mexico, and the demand of Mexico for an exception in favor
of the new Spanish American states on the ground that they were
engaged in a common contest against Spain in which the United
States was not participating. In reply to the latter, Clay and
Poinsett urged that the United States by maintaining neutrality
had prevented the precipitation of a detrimental union of Euro-
pean powers against Americans, and thus had been enabled to
render assistance more valuable than military co-operation. Poin-
sett successfully made the omission of the exception a sine qua
non and yielded on the proposed "perfect reciprocity." He also
withdrew an anti-British exception which he had proposed to the
principle of "free ships make free goods."
The treaty was signed on July 10, 1826, and, on its arrival at
Washington, still not ratified by Mexico, was promptly ratified
(February 26) by the Senate, after the insertion of Poinsett's
proposed exception and also the omission of an article excluding
from Mexico all European Spaniards who had been naturalized in
the United States since 1820, which was declared to be repug-
nant to the United States Constitution. Mexico still delayed to
act, first objecting to the clause on the rendition of fugitive slaves,
and later demanding an article settling the boundary dispute.
Finally, after the hasty conclusion of a boundary treaty on Jan-
uary 12, 1828, followed by the quick settlement of disputed points,
Poinsett obtained a new treaty (on February 14) which secured
both the principle of "perfect reciprocity" and the exception to
the principle of "free ships make free goods," and also provided
for the return of fugitive slaves. This treaty, ratified by the196
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 20, July 1916 - April, 1917, periodical, 1917; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101070/m1/202/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.