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Show ee he ne ae" ee ee ee * | aa ear ee eS Ek LEADING ro ne et cet a ee toe beer ceases ee sree 5s ee eal ed bat WA RY Pl Sa l lt onl nee Sd dn el her eo? rs Pat pe Pe oedel Maal 4 Pe-" een pie Ca oeee ee ODE SH Pe PERE +h aed LDF ae rr er oe ee oe See doe rere 2a ee Rar ~ tak ee 70 FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY panied the expedition and underwent all the hardships, sufferings, and privations of the invading Texans. General Lamar seems to have been very poorly informed as to the sentiments of the people of New Mexico. The reception accorded these so-called Texan pioneers was of an entirely different sort. The position taken by the republic of Texas and successfully maintained by her people, at least in being paid the sum of ten million dollars by the government of the United States for that portion of the present territory of New Mexico lying east of the Rio Grande and west of the 103d parallel, after the treaty of Guadalupe Hi- dalgo, in the bill creating the territory of New Mexico, is well summed up in a letter written by General Sam Houston to General Santa Ana in 1842, at the time when the members of the Texas- Santa Fé Expedition were in the power of the Mexican government. In that letter it is said: ‘“Now the tribunal to which you have appealed, will have an opportunity of contrasting the treatment which TAP ‘Uren you and the prisoners taken at San J acinto, received, with that of those who have fallen within your power, and particularly those perfidiously betrayed on a recent tradin g expedi Fé, You have endeavoured to give that expedition tion to Santa the complexion of an Invading movement upon the rights of Mexico To believe you serious in the idle display of words made on . this occasion, 4350 would Your be presenting fears may have which it was entitled. an absurdity to the common given it a character Examine sense of the age: different from that to the circumstances accompanying it It was not an act of Texas. Congress had refused to sanction any enterprise of the kind. A number of indivi duals were anxious open a lucrative trade (as they believed it would Santa F é Such @ commerce had been carried on for years bybe)the with citizens of the United States from Missouri; and the preparations , connected with the fact that the citizens took with them a considerable amount of merchandize, show that their enterprise was not one of conquest 0 mvasion. You may allege that it had connection with the goverl reba from the fact that the president identified himself with it, by ating arms to those connected with the project . This may have Meats you to characterize the expedition as you have, in youl urade agains t Texas. Whatever part the presid ent bore in this that the first -exan-Santa Fé pione to burn, ! slay and ers were but a company of marauders, sen! destroy in a "ond fore quire contradictio n; the atten ign and hostile country, is so absurd as a One hundred ! pt to conquer a province, numbering S80” and § {ty thousand inhabitants too Quixotica] its borders, was to find favour in the eyes of within shade the three Candied and @ twenty pioneers, ’’ ? ~ THE TEXAS-SANTA FE EXPEDITION 71 transaction was contrary to law, and in violation of his duty. A large portion of the people of Texas were apprized of the existence of such an enterprise. You doubtless would insist that it had means of offense against Mexico. So far as their preparations could give character to the undertaking, by carrying with them artillery and other munitions of war, it can be accounted for most readily. They had to pass through a wilderness six hundred miles from the frontier of Texas, before they could reach Santa Fé. It was reasonable to suppose that they would encounter many hostile tribes of Indians, and it was proper and necessary that they should be in a situation to repel any attacks made upon them, and, as their objects were pacific, they were justified in resisting aggression from any quarter. The instructions given to them by the president did not contemplate hostilities, but that the enterprise would terminate without bloodshed and violence. Scientific gentlemen from Europe and the United States accompanied them, not for warlike purposes, for the purpose of adding rich stores to the treasury of science. but It had likewise been communicated to the people of Texas, that all the inhabitants east of the Rio Grande were anxious to enjoy the benefits of our institutions. You cannot allege that you were not willing to admit the justice of our claims to the Rio Grande, or that you were not anxious to facilitate the object. Your commun- cation to me on that subject is conclusive. of it from your repeated declarations Texans were apprized to that effect. while in this country, and on your way to Washington City. At the time the *xpedition started, no hostilities were carried on between this coun- try and Mexico. Commissioners from General Arista were at Austin at the time the party started for Santa Fé. They were kindly received, and made the most sincere profession of amity and reconciliation with this government. They were treated with kindhess, and corresponding commissioners appointed to General Arista. lo them every facility was extended, and they were permitted to return without molestation. This was the attitude of the two countres at the time. Will you allege that this was not sanctioned by your government, or will you insist that it was a trick of diploFor myself, I would not have been deluded by any promacy? lessions which might have been tendered to Texas by Mexico, when 4 departure from the most solemn to the former, and benefit. to the pledges latter. would result in injury That the ministers of ‘neral Arista played their parts with fidelity to their instructions, + have no doubt, and that all the information that could be derived l relation to the trading company was faithfully transmitted to “© Sovernment of Mexico. Nor do I doubt but that the populahon of the northern parts of your country, so soon as the intelgence was received, were thrown into the utmost consternat ion, ‘nd a nation numbering eight millions of people, inhabiting ‘val- |