Chief Justices of the County courts

 

In this post we encounter a joint resolution; whereby joint means the senate and the house of representatives come together in accord to resolve an issue, such as how to go about creating a county. In this case, by requiring the chief justices of the county courts to give information to the secretary of state. The joint resolution of both houses of congress (senate and house of representatives), resolved this issue by requiring a  description of the county boundaries and such other information and observations relative to the boundary of the county, as they may be conducive to the convenience of their citizens. Just what would be conducive to their convenience? Perhaps a gathering of the people at the local gathering place, convenient for all to get to, where the people talk about what would be important to their social network. Communication and a means for convenient talks would require certain things. Travel to and from a center of activity involving roads, bridges, and other ease of ingress. Commercial interests such as a local trading post to acquire the necessary implementation for farming or ranching, Buildings for churches and schoolhouses, perhaps a town center and of course the local courthouse. I am quite sure once the people gathered there would be plenty of ideas about convenience. To the reader, I would ask for comments on this subject and for those interested in commenting, consider yourself a part of this county where your input would be crucial to defining the county where you live and do your business of living. Herein we find ourselves becoming a community of free people choosing to govern ourselves for our convenience.

Now, your representatives in congress have done the following for you. This is how our founding fathers of this nation designed a government for and of the people. They, the representatives are your employees, to do your bidding.

JOINT RESOLUTION, Requiring the Chief Justices of the County Courts to give information to the Secretary of State, concerning the boundaries of their respective counties.
Resolved by the senate and house of representatives of the republic of Texas in congress assembled, That the chief justices of the several county courts of this republic be, and they are hereby required to furnish the secretary of state with a description of their county boundaries, and such other information and observations relative to the same, as they may conceive conducive to the convenience of their citizens, and said information is required to be furnished by the first day of May next.

IRA INGRAM,
Speaker of the house of representatives.
RICHARD ELLIS,
President pro ter. of the senate.
Approved, Dec. 17, 1836.
SAM. HOUSTON.

An Act to Define the Boundaries of the Republic of Texas

Before the end of the year 1836 congress was determined to identify the land and sea boundaries of the nation. The Texas navy had superiority of the gulf of Mexico which gave them rights to a distance of three leagues offshore from the mouth of the Sabine river to the effluence of the Rio Grande river and its mouth and thence up stream to its source and then due north to the 42nd latitude, as defined by treaty between U S and Spain. These boundaries were to be used in negotiations with the United States as soon as the public interests dictated the necessity. 

AN ACT, To define the Boundaries of the Republic of Texas.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the republic of Texas, in congress assembled, That from and after the passage of this act, the civil and political jurisdiction of this republic be. and is hereby declared to extend to the following boundaries, to wit: beginning at the mouth of the Sabine river, and running west along the Gulf of Mexico three leagues from land, to the mouth of the Rio Grande, thence up the principal stream of said river to its source, thence due north to the forty-second degree of north latitude, thence along the boundary line as defined in the treaty between the United States and Spain, to the beginning: and that the president be, and is hereby authorized and required to open a negotiation with the government of the United States of America, so soon as in his opinion the public interest requires it, to ascertain and define the boundary line as agreed upon in said treaty.

IRA INGRAM,

Speaker of the house of representatives.

RICHARD ELLIS,

President pro tem. of the senate.

Approved, Dec. 19, 1836.

SAM. HOUSTON.

--- as published in the Laws of the Republic of Texas.