The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 24, July 1920 - April, 1921 Page: 144
332 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
plied outrages committed by Mexicans in Arizona as well as in
Texas and New Mexico.19
There were still other sources of aggravation. The evasion of
promises by the Mexican authorities, and the putting off of reme-
dial action until "Maifana," was a continual source of exasperation
to the United States officials.20 An application for citizenship, by
one Augustus Somner, an American, was suspended for sixteen
months.2' Mexican cunning and disregard of justice may be seen
in the example of a jury, which acquitted a man for the reason
that only two witnesses swore that they saw him commit the mur-
der, while the defense brought in ten men who swore that they did
not see him. There are many cases on record in which our
officials were assaulted or insulted. The United States consul at
Acapulco was once fired upon while on a vessel in the harbor, and
although he was "not hit, he was exposed to great humiliation and
peril."25 A comparison of times and events is difficult, but it may
be safely concluded that the state of affairs on the border in 1877
was fully as critical as it was in 1913.
FRENDLY ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES
On June 1, 1877, the United States Secretary of War issued an
official order to the border troops under General Ord to cross the
border if necessary to punish bandits and to recover property, in
view of the growing boldness of the outlaws. This order was
greeted by the entire Mexican press with great protest and de-
nunciation, as an insult to Mexican sovereignty.23 There seems,
however, to be little evidence that action taken by the United
States government was anything more than that of friendly meas-
ures toward protection and relief. In President Lerdo's time,
American troops had crossed the border more than once, in hot
pursuit of raiders, always causing a similar protest." The report
of Secretary Evarts in 1878 states that United States troops had
19Evarts to Zamacoma, May 8, 1878, Ibid., 675.
"Foster to Evarts, November 29, 1878, H. Em. Does., For. Rel., 46 Cong.,
2 Sess., I, 734.
2Foster to Evarts, September 20, 1878, H. Em. Does., For. Rel., 45 Cong.,
3 Sess., I, 613.
22Evarts to Foster, July 3, 1877, H. Ex. Does., For. Rel., 45 Cong., 2
Sess., I, 419.
"John W. Foster, Diplomatic Memoirs, I, 90.
"Ibid., I, 88-90.144
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 24, July 1920 - April, 1921, periodical, 1921; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101078/m1/150/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.