The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 41, July 1937 - April, 1938 Page: 150
383 p. : maps ; 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
About this, one can but surmise. It is sufficiently clear, however,
that the copy of the Erving affidavit which Jackson had Lewis
show to a few select members of Congress and of Tyler's cabinet in
1843-184411 made no reference to the "Rio Grande treaty." For
the two or three of these gentlemen who lent any public support
to Jackson's claim did not give it full and unequivocal support,
and finally were forced to admit that Jackson had misrepresented
Erving's affidavit. Ingersoll equivocally supported Jackson's mis-
representation in a paper which he wrote in April, 1844, with the
hope of inducing the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to pre-
sent it to Congress as their report; when this committee-of which
Adams was also a member-refused to adopt Ingersoll's "report,"
he published it in the Washington Globe. In this "Report" Inger-
soll announced that
the revelation which the committee will make, from unquestionable
intelligence, discloses the incredible fact that Texas was yielded
by the treaty to Spain, when she was perfectly willing that our
title to Louisiana should have been confirmed, at least over all the
country beyond the Sabine to the Colorado, if not to the Bravo.
Mr. George W. Erving's confidential communication to President
Jackson, of the 17th December, 1829, repeated the 5th of February,
1832, proves this indubitably.
But, strangely enough, Ingersoll, while making a few citations
from Erving's paper-which by themselves seemed to have a sig-
nificance quite beyond that which actually they had in their con-
text-refrained from laying Erving's paper before the public.
Adams in vain challenged Ingersoll to give him a sight of the
paper. As Adams observed, it was obvious enough that Erving's
paper did not make the "revelation" that Jackson had pretended
to find there. "This incredible fact the committee [Ingersoll]
refused to reveal, not because it was incredible, but because it was
not true," Adams remarked sarcastically.12 When Erving's diplo-
ilLewis showed the Erving affidavit to Tazewell, A. V. Brown, C. J.
Ingersoll, and Upshur, as the records show; it was probably shown also to
other gentlemen at Washington. See McElroy, Winning of the Far West,
7; 61, note. Ingersoll incorporated Erving's "revelations" in his Texas
"Report," published in the Washington Globe, May 1, 1844.
12Adams trenchantly exposed Jackson's misrepresentation (i. e., the
"Rio Grande treaty") in public speeches at Weymouth Landing and Boston
in October, 1844; published in Niles' Register, LXVII, 106-107, 158-159.
Of. J. Q. Adams, Memoirs, XII, 54, 83, 145; A. V. Brown, Speeches and
Writings (Nashville, 1854), 503-518.150
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 41, July 1937 - April, 1938, periodical, 1938; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101103/m1/166/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.