The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-12-29


ter ALL the facilities of cheap transportation to
convey their agricultural produce, and especially
their heavy lumber, to market Hence the free
CATION OF the ST. John to the is Of vital impor
lance to the upper parts OF the Slate OF Maine and
the stipulation to receive and treat their productions
on footing Of equal favor with the produce Of the
colonies, enhances still farther the value of this grant
The free navigation Of the ST. John formed part
OF the award Of the King of the Netherlands; and
IN every practical view, therefore, the arrangement
now proposed possesses marked advantages for the
State OF Maine over that Of the award which il is
now attempted to exalt so much in the comparison.
On this point, we have the highest possible evidence
the decision Of the party most deeply Interested
OF Maine herself IL IS apparent, from the cores
pondenee before us, that Lord Ash.urton was, at all
tines, ready to enter into arrangement on the
ked basis Of the award of the King of the Neither
lands, and that the commissioners Of Maine as
steady and unwavcring in their rcpugnance to II and
authorized explicitly TO state the fact that the
three-fold option distinctly presented to the COM
missioners-of the acard, the arbitration, and the ar
rdngenteM nor before Icy deliberately elected
the last; and most wisely and sagaciousy, in my
opinion, did they decide.
Looking at the arrangement as national question,
and the interests of the Union at large
ed, IFS advantages, in sober and candid view Of
things, appear 10 the committee equally Obvious
Will any gentleman hesitate 10 say that the impor-
tant territorial concessions, and the quoting OF con-
tested boundaries all along the Norhern frontier OF
the United States, from the head of Connecticut ri
yer to the western extremity of Lake SUPERIOR in
clu ling the surrender OF the umquestionabte British
title to the ownership Of by far the most important
military position upon whole frontier, (Rouse's
Pomt,) are not cheapy purchased by the paltry sum
TO be paid TO Maine and Massachusetts for their
seat to the new boundary Have honorable gentle
men, who find much fault with this arrangement,
forgotten that General Jackson willing, and ac
tually entered into an agreement, to pay TO Maine
and Massachusetts-not the pittance of three hun
dred thousand dollars--but an indemnity equivalent
to million and quarter Of dollars, if they woud
acquiesce in the award Of the King of the Neither
lands?
But it is said that the arrangement in question: by
giving to Great Britain the narrow strip of wild
and desolate land the eastern side Of the high
lands from the head waters Of the st. Francis ri
yer to the MeUarmette portage, surrenders line of
military positions, which, at the time, COM
mand Quebec and corer The State Of Main But for
this unlucky treaty, MIR President these important
discoveries in military topography, venture to say
would never have been made. We have had able
and scientific reports, from time to time, the de-
fences of inland frontier, from boards Of officers
consisting of the first professional in America,
who are well acquainted with the country in ques-
ton, and all ITS military attributes and relations
And yet, in not of these reports have had the
remotest hint Of these commanding military positions
facing as they do, the st. Lawrence at points be-
low Quebec, where nothing would he gained if you
to reach it, and the other side looking down
on stcil region and boundless forests where ar
would, therefore, never attempt to penetrate
have two of these reports now before me-one made
in 1898, and the other in lS40-and they both concur
in the emphatic declaration, that moth of the old
route leading to Quebec along the kennebec and the
Chaudere--a line which the southern termination of
the boundary conceded to Great Britain does
not approach nearer than within some thirty or forty
miles-there is no military position along the high
lands OF any Importance either Tor defence or nva-
sion. One of these reports disposes of the whole
ptes Inv hraH v lac hat .tn
understood his profession would invade Maine by
route destitute Of forage, provisions, and the means
of transportation" and the other pithily remarks,
that isolated forts along the frontier, if you had
Them would command nothing beyond the range of
their guns"' Aud yet the Quirotic Imagination of
gentlemen by these highland uindmills, would com
mand Quebec at the distance of ONE fifty miles
No, sir: Great Britain obtans nothing by the new
boundary agreed upon, but more direct and con-
venent communication between her upper and lower
provinces, and strip of alternate rock and morass,
which simply to exc out, By added space, her
border along the st. Lawrence. And are these such
boons that national hon safety lorbid they should
be granted, for fair equivalents, to neighborng pow
err, in the compromise and adjustment of disputed
boundary, which has been the subject of controve sy
for half century, We have always admitted that
the boundary claimed by most nconyeDicn
one for Great Britain, by interrupting the commuD
cation between her provinces; and we have never
been so chu ,lish neghbor to insist on holding
this advantage, against every proposition OF com
promise and mutual accommodation. cannot divest
myself of the consciousness that we are the stronger
power on this continent, and am not afraid to do
what the spirit of good neghborhood and manly in
tercourse requires, when appealed to by correspond
ing dispositions and it does seem to me that while
Great Britain freely surrendering to invalua-
BILE military Positlonher title to which, II she chose
to in list on it, is above all question: mean Rouses
| Point)-a position which is pronounced, by the first
military officers in our service Gin communications
before me) to be the great strategic point our
Northern froner-the key, in our hands, TO the Cam
adas ia theirs, the heart of our country and
therefore, "above all price," either for attack or de-
fence it would be ungracious, indeed, and unwor-
thy alike of our honor and our strength, II we were
doggedIy to refuse the slightest relaxation from the
rgor of our claims, even for an obvious mutual con-
venience.
But the Roman god Term nus, Mr.. President, is in
! voked to animate US to stand uncompromisingy by
limits as they are, however nconvenent to others
or to ourselves. The honorable gentlemen who make
this invocation will pardon for saying that they
have not been very consistent worshppers Of the Ro-
man deity. Where was their holy reverence for the
rites of this revived worship, three years ago, when
my honorable friend one of the Senators from Maine
! Mr.. Williams introduced bill simply to provide
| for peaceable and innocent survey of our bounda-
res by skilful and scientific men, according to the de-
scrpton OF limits in the treaty of peace? They then
arrayed themselves in stern opposition even to this
peaceabe attempt to ascertain our limits, lest 1t
| might give umbrage TO our neigbb, beg leave TO
remind my learned and classical friends who now
| hold up to us the example of the Romans in the wor
ship of the god Terminus that the same hardy and
restless people worshipped another pagan deity-Ja-
| nus, the god of war-whose temple, always open in
time of war; was shut, are told but three times
during period of more than seven hundred years.
Do the patriotic gentlemen, who call upon now to
initiate the example of the Romans in worshipping
the tigious and impractcabc divinity that presided
over limits mean to invite us also to follow them IN
their warke and bio dy career and do they propose
to celebrate the American Terminalla not by liba-
tons Of milk and wine, but by the eitson of blood
Tie the worship of these pagan deities, Mr.. Presl-
dent has succeeded purer and better religion, which
teaches "peace on earth, and good will to men y
and while for one, would never shrink from the