The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-07-01
WHOLE NO. 669.


OF the position occupy IN this matter and com
pei to renqulsh triumphant issue, to adopt
that which England would fam present TO Us, for her
advantage and our disgrace
But this Is not all. The question Of the Caroline
Is not the only pending between England and The
United States There many others IN all which
AZ N that of the Caroline the United States the
aggfleved and complainant party and on any of which
the United States might, II occasion required and no
other means Of redress xisled ustfaby enter upon
war with Great Britain
Ia the first place have the old and ong-pendng
questions Of boundary-not merely that OF the North
eastern, but Of twohirds of the Tong line of frontier
extending from the mouth Of the Passamaq uoddy bay
across the continent 10 the shores Of the Pacific ocean
the larger part OF which is still wholly unsettled and
upon the line of which Great Brian is continu-
ally committing acts of gross agl esson on the rights
OF The United States For all these wrongs the day
Of Judgment and redress must come and in these
great boundary questions England might well jumpat
The chance OF Inierposlng the case of Mcleod, and
complaint against us for wrong in that matter. Bri-
tam would willingly nerpose this between and
our claims on her II we have the folly allow her
do 50. appeal To the members from the State Of
Maine, appeal 10 those from the great Northwest,
whether they will suffer themselves be drawn into
position SO false as this and whether they are
tent to follow in the lead OF the gentleman from Penn
sylvania IN this matter and 10 become the instruments
Of Great Britain in the sacrifice of the rights of all the
frontier States.
In the second place 90 to the sea- and you find that
10 The vast career of ambition and conquest in which
England Is hurryIng along 10 great hut inappe-
enable contamination, she perpetuay there, also
uniting aggressons the rights of the United States.
Among these acts of the gravest and threat
ening description. do not allude here and there
case o blockade operating inlurlousy upon
MERGE do not speak merely of the innovation upon
the law of nations which England is endeavoring TO
force upon at the expense OF Southern States 10
the reiterated cases of shIpwrecked slaves unlaw
fully taken from their masters by British officers the
West ladies, new Instances OF which have occurred
with the last year But alude more particularly to
the long OF Insoent OF search and seizure
our vessels perpetrated by English cruisers the
coast of Africa. Are gentlemen that these
have already within two years, been earluy multi
pied that set representations of tnentyf fur such
cases have already been formally brought by injured
parties TO the notice Of the Department of State : A nd
they constitute cases Of wilful injury and public ag-
erosion second only 10 those old Of search which
were among the primary causes Of the last war with
Great Britain. For when, subsequently 70 the Con
gress of Vienna, the English Government entered nto
a negotiation with the great Powers ofEurope and
America for the purpose OF adopting concerted
ofputtlng end TO the African slave trade she pro-
posed TO us an arrangement to reciprocal right of
search on the coast OF Africa The object was noble
and a generous one--the termination of the slave
trade, We were as anxious as she To exnguish that
trade, as we have evnced by our legislation upon the
subject But our Government said To that OF England,
and said rightly We cannot and we will not trust you
IN this matter your conduct at the of the
French Revolution was full OF aggression and usur
patton that decline to entertain any proposition for
placing in the hands Of your cruisers power deli
cate and dangerous as that of searching vessels
though for ever good purpose. And upon that
precise point the negotiations were broken of and ceas
ed And the recent acts of search and seizure not
{ only violations of the immunity of flag, under
the law OF nations, but they aggravated by the
consideration that they the exercise of right
which England requested us to concede to her by
treaty. and which positively refused to concede
And is important TO observe that these ourages have
been committed under authority of act of Parlia-
ment passed in 1899, against the Temonstrance and
protest of men the most preemineni, such the Duke
of Wellington who warned Parliament that the act if
passed would inevitably and almost instantly bring
the English Government into collision with the United
States, upon point where the United States were
most OF all sensitive and prompt for war that England
would be liable to us for every detention of our
sells and that, if there point to be avoid
ed than another II was the detention and visitation of
vessels belonging to the United States Upon all
these questions the United States have stored
up against England great body Of wrongs amply
sufficient to call for and to justify the nerposon ofthe
public force of the Union Here, also, we have the
rIn lit side. Here also position Is inn
pregnabe one, long choose stand on it,
And again. | appeal to every member of this House
not to allow himself TO be blinded by party spirit
mlsled by party associations into allowing false issue
upon the of Mcleod TO take the place of these
the true ones in any possible war between us and
Great Britain When the shock comes, come II
well may, let take care that, in addition to the
strength and the spirit enlisted side of the strug
gle we may also have the right, remembering that
Three is he armed who hath his quarrel just"
| might stop here and content myself with exhibit
ing what conceive to be the mpolitic, misguided, and
perncious tendency and effect of the course OF the
gentleman from Pennsylvania Mr.. lngersol) and his
friends in this matter But in Justice to the gentleman
from Pennsylvania ought, perhaps TO examine some
the principal of those lesser questions of denquen
cy and law which he has discussed in his speech with
much of imposing air of conviction and truth.
The gentleman dwells emphatlcaliy upon the fact
and than too that the letter of Mr., Fox
dated almost immediately after the accession Of the pre-
sent administration insnuating that the British Go
vernment selected that precise time Tor making the de-
mand How is 1t possible that the gentleman should
thus allow himself to contemplate things through
inverted telescope, and 10 see things in the hule in
stead of the large Does not the letter OF MIR Fox
upon the face it, purport be merely continue
ton of the correspondence; not a demand then for
the first time made "a selected season, but demand
reiterated and bearing date at just such time the
natural course OF nlcaton with and instruction
from his own Government II naturally might do
This suggestion OF the gentleman very small
game.
Next the gentleman labors very much TO show that
the language in which Mr.. Fox couches the demand
that of menace that is threatening language and
such the American Government ought to have
fused TO answer, or 10 have made the subject OF a
counter demand for lanaon, in the spirit of private
dueng, which is the illustration applied TO the point
in the discussion al he other end OF the Capitol The
, words these
| But, be that as it may, Her Mojcsty's Govern
ment formally demand upon the grounds already
stated, the immediate release OF MIR. Mcleod and
Her Macstys Government entrcat the President of
the United States to take into his most deliberate
siderntion the serious nature of the consequences
which must ensue from rejection of this demand
There are two clauses, the first containing the
words Of formal demand which purely formal and
. technical and such are commonly used in such
cases. The second contains lntImation of possible
cons, quences to follow refusal TO comply with the