The Writings of Sam Houston, Volume V

WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON~ 1848

possible to separate Texas from her responsibilities, before she became a part of the Union; and so far as war was concerned, her responsibilities were incurred by the United States; by her act of annexation. Her political relations to Mexico had been changed, and the war was, therefore, the consequence of that political change. Of necessity the United States were bound to give Texas protection, and that could not be done without an army, as she had no authority to raise an army for her defence. It is urged that if an attack was made by Mexican troops upon those of the United States, it was not by order of the Mexican Congress, nor had it made any formal declaration of war. There is no Mexican Congress. That was oply known to the constitution of 1824, and that was subverted in the year 1834. Iturbide, when he was in power, kicked the Congress out of doors, and then he had what he called a Congress, of his own selection, and to do his bidding. There has never been a Congress in Mexico that deserved the name. Their constitution requires that the people shall elect a President; but I ask you to tax your memories, and then tell me when a constitutional election has taken place in Mexico. There have been extraordinary Congresses, and they have invested with extraordinary powers an extraordinary Presi- dent; yet while he had an army to enforce his decrees, they submitted to him as the supreme authority. They regarded him as a ruler; but no Mexican knows anything of a constitution, unless it is theoretically. They negotiate and write as well as any people in the world, but they cannot act, and they know it, and they feel it. When Paredes, who was an usurper, was at the head of affairs, there was an interregnum in the Government. It was a sort of revolutionary misrule. He gave his authority to the act of war. There was no Congress to declare war. He was Congress and everything else. By his authority the Mexicans attacked the army of General Taylor. So, sir, I must believe that annexation did bring about the war. In fact, by the annexation, the United States adopted the war. There was no way of creating a war; for there was no occasion of hostilities, except for a few months, between Texas and Mexico, and that was broken off in anticipation of annexation, or in consequence of negotiation leading to that object. It is a waste of time to talk about a ques- tion of boundary. Who ever made a question about the boundary from the time of the declaraJion of independence by Texas, until it was started in the United States, and grew out of political agitation here? The Rio Grande was the admitted and acknowl- edged boundary of Texas-acknowledged by whom? By Mexico.