135 Mexico and that with the exception of some of the roving bands of the plains, the Indians in that section of the country have ceased to be troublesome. Under these circumstances, even if there were a manifest ne- cessity for an additional increase of the military establishment, the Executive would hesitate to call into the service of the gov- ernment, a description of force, which while it is far less effi- cient than that which Congress has refused to authorize, is more expensive. But the President is not satisfied that the facts con- tained in the papers transmitted by your Execllency would war- rant him in taking this step. The only law under which the P1·esi- dent could exercise the power referred to, is the Act of Feby. 28. 1795, entitled "an act to provide for calling forth the militia "to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and re- pel "invasions and to repeal the act now in force for those pur- poses." It is doubted whether that act applies to the present case. It appears from these papers that the neighbourhood of El Paso and Brownsville, has for several months past been infested by lawless persons who traverse the country singly or in small par- ties, driving off cattle and occasionally committing murders. That the perpetrators of these acts, are principally Indians, Mex- icans and halfbreeds. But that lawless and reckless persons pro- fessing to be citizens of Texas also participate in them. That in consequence of the alarm occasioned by these disorders, some of the inhabitants have been compelled to abandon their homes. That the civil authorities were powerless to put a stop to these outrages-the offices of justice not being able to collect a suf- ficient civil force to execute process &c. There is reason to suspect that these statements are some- what exaggerated. Besides the natural tendency of persons while under the influence of fear to magnify the danger that occasions it, some of the signers of these papers have a strong motive to do so. It is well known to this Department that the inhabitants in the neighbourhood of military posts, have other reasons for wishing them to be kept up, besides the protection they afford. The Department therefore is frequently urged to establish posts where there is no real necessity for them; and whenever troops are ordered away from one, alarming accounts of Indian hostili- ties are invariably set afloat. In addition to this many young men are always found who are anxious to enroll themselves as volun- teers and there is no part of the frontier from Oregon and Cali- .fornia to Florida, when similar applications have been made, but
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