Desert Messenger

October 3, 2012

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October 3, 2012 Desert Messenger celebrates the Arizona Centennial with Voices from The Past in Quartzsite, AZ Excerpts from "In the Shadow of Saguaros" by Rosalee Oldham Wheeler The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 Whenever I make the 94-mile trip thru Yuma down to Algodones, Mex- ico, it often crosses my mind that if the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 had not been signed, my drive to Mexico would be shorter by 19 miles. Here's my rea- soning on that thought. The Gadsden Purchase is a 29,670- square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that was purchased for $10 million by the United States in a treaty signed by James Gadsden, the American ambassador to Mexico, then ratifi ed by the U.S. Senate and signed by President Franklin Pierce on April 25, 1854. The Purchase included lands south of the Gila River, that little stream I cross 19-miles before I reach Algodones. It was planned that the main purpose for the land would be to build a transcon- tinental railroad. As railroads expanded out West, Southern states recognized that a railroad linking them with the Pacifi c would expand trade opportunities. However, the mountainous area north of the Gila, the then-U.S.-Mexican bor- der, would take longer to build and cost more money. Another route had been proposed that would cross through northern Arizona, which would favor connections with Northern railroads and ultimately favor Northern sea- ports. Southerners realized that by avoiding the mountains and utilizing a route south of the Gila where the Mor- mon Battalion had already cut a trail six years earlier during the Mexican- American War, a railroad could be completed in much less time. But that route was in Mexico. President Pierce, infl uenced by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, saw an opportunity to acquire land for the railroad as well as enlarge the Territories of New Mexico and Arizona. However, the dispute over slavery in the Senate slowed treaty negotiations and ultimately the construction of a south- ern transcontinental railroad. Back in 1845, the idea for a transcon- tinental railroad had been proposed to Congress by New York businessman Asa Whitney with a route from Lake Superior to Puget Sound to improve trade with China. Congress took no action on Whitney's proposal but later that year at a convention of infl uential U.S. businessmen, James Gadsden of South Carolina convinced his counter- parts to recommend a transcontinen- tal railroad to Congress with a route that would begin in Texas and termi- nate in San Diego. Gadsden was the president of the South Carolina Canal & Railroad Company and had already laid 136-miles of track west from the port city of Charleston. Gadsden was concerned that railroad construc- FULL SERVICE SALON See us for all your hair needs! Perms, Cuts, Colors and All Nail Services: Manicures, Acrylic, Gels and Shellac. 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Page 9 Anna needed to get as much money for as little land as possible. Pierce and his cabinet began de- bating the treaty in January 1854. Al- though disappointed in the amount of territory secured and some of the terms, they submitted it to the Senate. Although signed by Pierce and Santa Anna, the treaty needed to be ratifi ed by a two-thirds vote of the Senate, where there was strong opposition. Antislavery senators opposed further acquisition of slave territory. When the treaty reached a vote in the Senate, it was three votes short of the necessary two-thirds needed for approval. After this defeat, Secretary Davis and Southern senators pressed Pierce to add more "Northern friend- ly" provisions to the treaty, including the reduction in the size of the Pur- chase in order to prevent adding more slave territory. While land was available for con- The President then learned that France was negotiating to buy the Mex- ican state of Sonora. Pierce recalled Lane and replaced him with Kentucki- an David Meriwether with instructions to stay out of the Mesilla Valley. With the encouragement of Jefferson Davis, Pierce appointed James Gadsden to negotiate with Mexico the acquisition of the additional territory. Gadsden had instructions to secure the Mesilla Valley for the purposes of building a railroad through it. The Mexican government was go- ing through political and fi nancial turmoil. President Santa Anna had been returned to power and was will- ing to deal because he needed money to rebuild the Mexican Army, initially rejecting a large sale of Mexican lands including the Baja Peninsula. Santa struction of a southern railroad to the West, the issue had become strong- ly associated with the North-South debate over slavery making federal funding out of the question. It had become nearly impossible to consider any proposal that would not some- how be viewed as relating to slavery and, therefore the issues that divided the county prevented the construc- SEE GADSDEN PAGE 13 Need someone to take care of your pet(s), in your home, while away? REASONABLE RATES! Wayne‛s Pet Service Call 928-927-4329 Local Resident! Serving Quartzsite area!

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