The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 57, July 1953 - April, 1954 Page: 223
585 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Notes and Documents
settled it as Mexican citizens. We have wrested it from its former
government by force of arms and whatever territory we have or claim,
we can and will sustain by force of armies against the Mexicans the
only power that can object to or dispute our rights or pretensions.
The United States and other Powers have recognized our independ-
ence without any mock pretensions of sensibility to the rights of
Mexico as to the country between the Nueces and the Rio Grande.
The United States, for a long period, claimed the whole territory
from a settlement which continued for a very limited term. The
other Claimant, viz, Spain, occupying it for sixty or seventy years
without interruption. Now the country between the Nueces and the
Rio Grande is divided into counties-considerable quantities of the
land have been surveyed. Jurisdiction has been exercised over crimes
committed there. A large settlement at Corpus Christi has existed
for years and is now flourishing. Various expeditions have traversed
the Country. While the army under Somerville not only took posses-
sion of this side of the River but conquered Guerrero, a large town
on the other side, remaining on the river eleven days. Now which
claim is the most reasonable-that of the U. S. to the whole territory
or that of Texas to the country on the Rio Grande?
The United States takes from us our army, navy, armaments, public
edifices and all other property and means pertaining to the public
defense while they refuse to pay any of the debts contracted for this
public property. Almost the whole of the debts owing by this Govern-
ment were contracted for the establishment or support of our Inde-
pendence or in other words, for placing ourselves in that position
which would alone justify the United States in annexing this territory
and yet the U. S. is unwilling to sustain any of the expenditures
essential to the attainment of this desired predicament. They dictate
also to us the disposition of our lands and order the payment of
debts. If our debts were never paid we would stand as fair as the
old thirteen who have not yet redeemed their issues of money during
their war of Independence and much higher than your present
repudiating States whose debts did not originate like ours in the
necessities of a desperated struggle of fifty thousand with eight millions
of people.
The subject is disgusting and I will not pursue it further than to
say that the present position of the question is to myself most painful
and mortifying. I fully appreciate all the advantages of annexation
and would be most unwilling to relinquish all hope of its accomplish-
ment. But I would hesitate long before swallowing the nauseous
potion now offered to my acceptance. I know not the sentiment of
the country generally but if the opinions of the people of this town
are any indication, annexation will soon be regarded as an obsolete
idea.
You are in debt one or two letters which you will be good enough223
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 57, July 1953 - April, 1954, periodical, 1954; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101152/m1/271/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.