Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1825-04-21
Whole No. 1868.

subjects Of the negotiations at Client to
which 1t refers, were the navigation Of
the Mississippi and certain fishing liber-
/ ties; that the errors which | had sup
/ posed were committed applied to both
Mr.. Russell and MIR. Adams, though
more particularly to the appendix Of the
la%tter-that they were unintentional--
| that they effected myself principally
that | deemed them ofno public impor-
lance as connected with the then or fu-
ture security Of any Of the rights of the
nation, but only interesting 10 its past
h~istory-that | doubted the necessity Of
those transactions-and the narrative
which I promised was to be presented al
a season Of more calm, and when there
could be no misinterpretation OF motives.
| Although Mr.. Adams believes otherwise
| yet think there ale some u~nintentional
errors, in the controversial papers be-
tween him and Mr.. X usseli. But I have
reserved TO myself an exclusive right Of
judging when | shall execute The pro-
mise which ] have made, aud I shall be
neither quicltened nor retarded in ito
performance by the friendly anxietiesof
any of my opponents.
tfmjury accrue 10 any one by the
delay in publishing the narrative, the
public will not suffer by il. 1t is aired
day known by the publication Of the
British and American projects, the pro-
t%ocols, and correspondence between the
respective plenipotentiaries, that the
British government made at Client o
demand Of the navigation Of the Missis-
sippi, by an article in their prcjet near-
ly ia the same words as those which
were employed in the treaty Of 1888,
that a majority of the American com-
m~issioners was in favour of acceding to
that demand, upon the condition that
the British government would conceda
to us the same fishing liberties, within
their jurisdiction, as were secured to us
by the same treaty of 1883; and that
both demands were finally abandoned.
The fact OF these mutual propositions
was communicated by me to the Amer
lean public ina speech which | deliver
ed in the House of Representatives on
the 29th day of January, 1916. Mr.
Hopkinson had arraigned the terms Of
the treaty Of peace, and charged upon
the War and the Administration, the
loss Of the hshing liberties within the
British jurisdiction, which we enjoyed
prior to the war. In indicating, in my
reply to him, the course Of the govern
ment and the condition OF the peace, 1
stated - 3
"WheE ne British commissioners
demanded in their projet, a renewal to
Great Britain of the right TO the nayi<
cation of the Mississippi, secured BY
the treaty 1888. a bare majority Of ths
American commissioners offered to
renew IT, upon the condition that the
liberties in question were renewed ia us.
lie was not one of that majority. He
would not trouble the committee with
bis reasons for being opposed to the
offer A majority ofhis colleagues, &c.
tuated he 5efteved by the best m~ofivsss
made however the offer, andi it was res
fusedby the British com lnissio iers."
(See DAILY Nat Intel Of the 2iH March, 1al6
And what I thought OF my colleagues
Of the majority, appears from the same
extract. The spring after the termi-
nation Of the negotiations At Client
wentt to London, and there entered up-
N newaS Ia highly important negotia-
ton w~ittptNosof them (Messrs. Adams
and Gaffatin, which resulted, on the
third july, 1915, in the commercial
Convention, which has been since made
the basis Of most OF our commercial
arrangements with foreign powersr
Now il | had discovered at Client, a.
has been asserted, That either Of them
was false and faithless to his country,
would L have voluntarily commenced
with them another negotiation Further:
Nbere never has been a period, during
ourwhole acquaintance, that Mr.. Adams
and | have not exchanged when we
have met, friendly salutalions, and the
courtesies and Inequalities Of social in-
~tercourse.
The address proceeds to character
ize the support which | gave to Mr.. A.
dams as unnatural. The authors oftha
address have not stated why it is unna-
tural, and we are therefore left to COM
lecture their meaning. II is because
Mr.. Adams is from New-England, and
I am a citizen ofthe Wests If j. be un-
natural in the Western States to sup
port a citizen of New-England, II must
be equally unnatural in the fsw-Eng-
land states TO suTporta citizen Of the
West. And, on the same principle
the New England states ought to