Liet. Michler and party worked on the boundary survey between the United States and Mexico under the Gadsden Treaty (signed in Mexico December 30, 1853).
"In the spring and summer of 1853,
Raids of Indians from the northern side of the international
boundary were daily growing more destructive and Mexico was
persistently clamoring for the fulfillment of treaty obligations and
indemnity for the depredations which the savages were committing, while the government of the United States was urging that
its inability to cope adequately with the Indian difficulty was
largely due to Mexico's failure to furnish effective frontier defence, and maintaining that it was not bound by the treaty of
1848 to pay indemnity for the spoliations of these Indians. The
old question of claims, which had been a source of difficulty since
the administration of Andrew Jackson and constituted one of the
causes of the recent war, was coming once more into prominence.
Difficulties confronted in surveying the boundary laid down by
the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had culminated in a grave dispute regarding the southern limits of New Mexico--a dispute
rendered critical on account of the attitude of the settlers and the
authorities on the frontier and the possibility that the loss of the
contested area by the United States would mean the loss of a
feasible route for a southern Pacific railway.
That party which had fought the war of 1846-1848, but
had not been fully satisfied with the territorial gains it had
brought, was once more in power with a two-thirds majority in
the House and thirty-seven out of sixty senators. Mexican troops were advancing along the
northern frontier, the United States was re-enforcing its army
in the southwest, and the newspapers of both countries were discussing the possibility of another war. The situation was extremely critical.
At first Gadsden offered seventeen millions, five millions to be
retained for the satisfaction of American claims against Mexico,
and twelve millions to be paid for the "other things agreed upon."
The Mexican commissioners insisted upon a larger amount, and
after considerable discussion, "it was finally decided that the U.
States should Pay $15,000,000 for all other concessions and
$5,000,000 to be devoted for the satisfaction of private claims." 19
Of the former sum, one-fifth was to be paid on the exchange of
ratifications and the remaining four-fifths in monthly installments
of three millions each--an arrangement which must have made the
wily dictator chuckle! Nothing now remained but the signing of
the completed document. This took place on December 30, and
Gadsden set out immediately for Washington.
The terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848 and of the Gadsen Treaty of 1853 stated,
Mexican citizens living in the area are given the
choice of returning to Mexico under no penalty
or tax, or of remaining and becoming American
citizens automatically one year, following the
ratification of the treaty. Property rights are to
be respected during the interim period and all
rights of citizenship are conferred upon those
who elect to stay. (Ortego 3)
Most Mexicans decided to stay; yet they had not contemplated that they would be forced to "deal with problems of acculturation and language" (Martinez 217).
Claims continued for years, and I have not yet located the results of Michler's investigations nor significant reference to the part he played in this survey.