The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 24, July 1920 - April, 1921 Page: 26

The Southwestern Hiistorical Quarterly

El Paso was reached by Neighbors about the middle of Feb-
ruar, and he began his work of organization there. On February
23, Major Van Horne reported to the authorities at Santa Fe that
the Texas commissioner was busy holding elections and circulating
messages from the governor of Texas.s Van Horne felt that ac-
cording to Munroe's instructions of December 28, which were. the
lat he had received, one of the two conditions had come upon
rwhl11n the civil jurisdiction of his command could be surrendered
to Texas, and therefore, he offered no opposition. On the same
date, Neighbors himself wrote to Munroc, stating that since he
had found no opposition to the extension of the Texan jurisdic-
tion in the El Paso region, he had issued writs of election, and
expected to, accomplish the organization there in a short time. He
added that as soon as was possible he would proceed to Santa F.,
and upon his arrival there he would submit to Munroe his in-
structions from the governor of Texas, and ask for his "friendly
co-operation in organizing all the territory belonging to this state,
into counties, and to extend over the inhabitants, the civil laws of
the state.""
One month later, he reported to Governor Bell that El Paso
county was fully organized, and that the officers who had been
elected had entered upon the discharge of their duties.100 Accord-
ing to other reports which reached Austin, the people of El Paso
were highly gratified at being organized under the laws of Texas,
and 765 votes were cast in the election for county officers.10'
Neighbors now reported that it was impossible to go to Presidio
county without an armed escort, because of the enmity between
the Indians and the few white inhabitants of the region, and
also that the organization of Worth county would depend upon
that of Santa F, since both were under the same influence. In
the accomplishment of the latter, he felt that he faced two handi-
caps: first, a lack of necessary funds, and, second, the absence of
proper pledges to the people in regard to their lands. I-Ie com-
"8Van Horne to McLaws, February 23, 1850, in Abel (editor), Official
Correspondence of James S. Calhoun, 163.
9"Neighbors to Munroe, February 23, 1850, in House Ex. Doc. 66, 31st
Cong., 1st sess. (Ser. no. 577), p. 2.
0Neighbors to Bell, March 23, 1850, in Senate Journal, 3rd Legisla-
ture, 2nd sess., appendix, 1-6.
1"1Austin State Gazette, April 27, and May 4, 1850. William Cockburn
arrived from El Paso, April 26, and brought this information.