Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1839-03-28
SPEECH OF MIR. ptCKENS.

Substance OF the remarks Of NJ, Pickcns of
S. c.. on the motion tu refer the Presidents
Message and Documents relating 10 The Bonn
Diary question.
Mr.. plckens rose and said that he desired to
trcspass for Us short Il time rs possible. upon
the ut ention otlte House. The subject under
consideration. was painfully delicate and deep
ly interesting lie desired TO say nothing thai
would prccipitate us. directly or in ccrly, into
that which all wise men would like to avoid.
Mr.. p. regretted that gentlemen hal thought it
necessary to go into the details Of the past his
tory, OF this controversy; he would rather avoid
that at present. lie had listened with pro-
found attention. 10 what fad fall n run thr
venerable gentleman from Massachusetts. (Mr.
Adams.) and mad entirely agreed with him in
on" observation particularly, and thai was. :ha;
al present lie was willing 10 forget the past"
1t was remark fill OF wisdom and patriotism.
fle also desired TO iorhear arl examinations or
/ ccnsi,re, ofwhat had occurred in the progress
o;' this unpleasant controversy. Mr.. =. would
prefer 10 meet tie present state nfthe question
to stand II on the ISSUE now lnade-and act
under the circumstances with which we were
! Surrounded. The gent Gman Mr.. Adams) had
/ observed that he I'm lGrStond The message Oitic
President, now belize us. made :, proposition
W 'S'hNS VIZ VI 'UU IuNfE>N. W
! the governments of Haine and New Brn s.
wick. NC. ln tins. Alr p. ihoug!,, the gen Ie-
man had misunderstood the message. Mr..
had no opportunity oijudging lis contents. ex-
ccpt by the TASTY reading given oft by nc
clerk ai the desk; ana he had convrrscd with
no gentleman us to lis substance: bul h. nm.
derstnod that part which thu gentleman refer
rcd tn, rs rather advising and expressing Il
hope tina, both the Governor Of Nan". and
New Brunswick might pause. and that those
who had been captured on bntll sides might be
mutually released, and that the militia ordered
out might he peacefully disbanded. II was
rather an expression Of desire, that things might
take This direction, and the afIlir he ter.nina-
ted. than leavin" it. as was su JpoScd to New
Brunswick, and alainc, TO settle and nd rst it.
This was Nlr Ps. understanding of thai part
of lhr message.
Bm the gentleman (Ir. Adans) had pro
n0nnced the message too pacific for him. Now.
the pacific tendency Of il, (fit were )was to him
(Mr. ?.) its highest recommendation. He
thought i! was due to the dignity Of the mat
ters Involved. that it should b" pacific. He
coudse no obie.ti,n tn it, pacific "hararter 1t
present. NJ p. deprecated the aIlnsous made
to the probability Of war; we sonid move with
'"ilCdCS oil iihtl punt lie iftn llsleileu WIFI
deep pain to that portion of tlic remarks Of the
gentleman from Maine, (slr. Evans) which
iniinatcrl that. il the President surpassed that
pence could be preserved. he was nistaken.-
The gentleman had said that it wils now tno
late for that, for the conflict of arms had ar"a-
dy taken place, in all probability on the from
tier. He hoped and trusted tina; in this, the
gentleman was mistaken. Others had made
similar remarks.
He (Mr. p. earnestly desired that peace
might be preserved he had no doubt it would
be. 1mbeclny and inderisinn now, at this
junctlire, would bring war; but decision and
firmness would preserve peace and our honor
too. AS 10 the controversy of the pust. Mr. p.
would desire TO suy but lit lie; he would how
ever. take this occasion to say that he had ex-
amined it; and, as to The question Of the loca-
ton Of the true line. under the treaty Of 1893.
there was not jury Of twelve neil, even in
England who, under oath could refuse us a
verdict upon the facts of the case; il was u
question too clear for con roversy. Aud. rs to
the possession of the particular section ofrnun-
try where the conflict had taken place. it had
for thirty years hecn settled by our citizens, un-
der grants from Massachusetts. The prcleu-
sions Of exclusive jurisdiction set up by Great
Britain. arose from The ground that she consid-
cred our sovereignty as commencing only
from the declaration of Independence, or the
treaty Of peace; and that, therefore, in all dis
pnted territory, she would exercise jurisdiction
from the claims of prior sovereignty. This
MIR. P. considered rnther n f 'iion. The trea-
ty Of 1873 wns signed by Independents equals
He would here say, in the past Maine had
been wronged-'leeply wrun%ed-by whom he
would not now say hut he would say she had
also wronged herself.
The gentleman from Massachusetts, (Mr.
Cushing) had alluded 10 other points of diff
Guilty between us, and Great Britain and 10 one
in which the South is vitality interested Yes;
Mr.. p. said he held in his hand the correspon-
dence recently published between the British
Cabinet, through Lord Palmerson. with our
Minister and Government it related to the