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WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1848
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it was so recognized by Holland; it was so recognized by Bel- gium. It was not questioned by any one, or by any power, but that this was our boundary. No man can contest this truth. All Christendom recognized this to be the boundary of Texas, by their consequent acts. [Great applause.] But this is not all; the evidence thickens upon me; but time will not allow that I should bring it all forward before you. When Mexico invaded Texas, she crossed the Rio Grande, and wasted and plundered the rancheros which were on the Texian side of it. When she came to spoil our country, to ravage our land, to burn our villages and our farms, and spread destruction and desolation over the coun- try of Texas, she crossed the Rio Grande, and then and there she began her work of spoil and devastation. And again, after these furtive exploits, when she fled, driven away with infamy by our soldier-citizens, she skulked back again to hide in her fastnesses on the other side of that river. This was declared and manifested before all the world to be the boundary of Texas, and this long before the act of annexation with the United States. Nor is this all; Mexico, after two successive outrages upon Texas, still refused to learn wisdom by experience. The President of Texas ordered and prepared an army which crossed over the Rio Grande, reduced Guerrero, and recrossed it again at its leisure, saying effectually . to Mexico, "We can cross over into your country as well as you can into ours. You stay where you are, and we will let you alone." They never crossed again. The unfortunate Mier expedition arose out of this state of things. It cost us much trouble to teach Mex- ico that our boundary must be respected by her, or else that her boundary would not be regarded by us. But this is not all. Mexico never occupied this country after our independence was declared and asserted. We possessed and occupied the country, and would not permit the establishment of any Mexican settlement in the country we occupied. In all the negotiations which were entered into in relation to the armistice, there was no question raised of the Nueces being the boundary of Texas; but our commissioners went on the other side of the Rio Grande to meet the Mexican commissioners, and there it was they negotiated for an armistice. Again: when Santa Anna put an end to the war, he denounced all those who should be found in league on this side of the Rio Grande. This shows that he himself regarded the line as our boundary. But this is not all. When, in 1846, 3 a treaty was made by the new Executive, (Jones,) with the then government of Mexico, which treaty was called the Cubes 3 treaty, Mexico, by her own act, then recognized the Rio Grande as the boundary of the State of Texas.
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