The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 39, July 1935 - April, 1936 Page: 258
346 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
hundred . . . many Intelligent Gentlemen are of my opin-
ion, on this subject."
Such argument, in face of the treaty stipulation, justified the
Mexican General Teran in his comment on the imperialistic
Americans:
They begin by assuming rights . . . impossible to sustain
in a serious discussion, making ridiculous pretensions based on
historical incidents which no one admits. . . The efforts
that others make to submit proofs and reasons are by these men
employed in reiterations . . . to attract the attention of their
fellow countrymen, not to the justice of their claim but to the
profit to be gained from admitting it. . . . In the meantime,
the territory against which these machinations are directed, and
which has usually remained unsettled, begins to be visited by
adventurers and empresarios. Some of these take up their resi-
dence in the country, pretending that their location has no bear-
ing upon the question of their government's claim or the bound-
ary disputes . . and the matter having arrived at this stage,
. . . diplomatic maneuvers begin."8
Teran thus exactly describes the situation that developed south
of the Red River and between the Sabine and Neches Rivers.
One of the Texas-land speculators tells us that "In the year
1819 about the time Mr. Adams was negotiating with Don Onis
. . . several persons passed over to Texas, and purchased
lands lying between the Naches river and the Sabine, in antici-
pation that the Naches would be the line between the two coun-
tries. This was not the result of the negotiation."7
The Mexican revolution intervened, and the boundary survey
lay unaccomplished for many years; for the American govern-
ment, eager to acquire Texas, delayed confirming the line of 1819
with Mexico as long as possible. The Neches claim was revived
in August, 1829, when Colonel Anthony Butler of Mississippi, a
speculator in Texas lands near Nacogdoches, as Jackson probably
knew,8 appeared at Washington to urge President Jackson to
'John Sibley to George C. Sibley, Natchitoches, October 29, 1821, in
Louisiana Historical Quarterly, X, 507.
'Teran to Mexican Minister of War, November 14, 1829, translated by
Alleine Howren in this Quarterly, XVI, 400.
James Fortune, as cited above in note 3; original letter in Swartwout
MSS., in the University of Texas Archives.
8Butler had written Jackson, his one-time guardian, on January 4,
1827: "I have been into Texas, and have a long letter to write you on258
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 39, July 1935 - April, 1936, periodical, 1936; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101095/m1/284/?rotate=270: accessed May 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.