The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-01-04

Ia Senate. sfuguMt lCf--oh AhS iiNsN " 'N|
ngton
Mr. CALHOUN said that bis object in rising was
not TO advocate or OIpose the tsay, bui simply 10
state The reasons that would govern him Ia soli for
its ratification The question, according TO Dis CON
cepon, was not whether II was all We could desne,
or whether II liable 10 this or that oiJecuon bui
whether il as such a that under all the ciTcum'
stances of the ease il would be most advisable 10 adopt
or reject Thus regarded, was his intention TO stale
fairly the reasons in favor Of and against is ratIhca-
tinn and to assign 10 each IFS proper weight begin
ming with the portion rtiailng 10 the Northeastern
boundary, the settlement OF which was The Immediate
and prominent object Of the negotiation
| He was one of thore who had not The slightest
doubt thai the boundary for which the State OF Maine
contended the true one, as estabs shed ny the
treaty of peace in 1853 and had accordingly SO re-
corded his vote after deliberate investigation of the
| subject But, although such was his opinion, he did
not doubt at The time that the boundary could only he
settled by compromise line We had admitted II to
be doubtful al an early period during the Adm'nis'ra-
ton of Washington and more recently and explicit
y by stimulating TO subm il TO The arbitration Of
! II endly power by the tieaty Of Client. The donbl,
thus admitted on our part TO 1isl had been greatly
strengthened by the award of the King Of Holland,
who had been mutually selected as the arblter under
the treaty. So strong, indeed, was his MI C's) I'M
preston that the dispute could only be settled by
comp omise or conventional inc, that he said 10 a
| friend in the then Cabinet, (when an appropriation
made few years since for special mission TO be
| .
| his name among others, was mentioned for the place.
that the quest could only be settled by compromise
and for that purpose some distinguished citizen OF the
sec ion ought to be selected and neither he, any
other Southern man, ought TO be thought of. With
these previous impressions, he was prepared, when
the negotiation opened to expect If It succeeded In
adjusting the difficulty /, would be Gas it has been)
on compromise line. Nolwhstandl ng, when ii
was first announced that the line agreed included
a considerable por ion Of The territory lying To the
IS, I. Nv AZ HALE he
was increduous and expressed himself strongly
against it, His first impression was perhaps, the
more strongly against ii, from the fact that he had
fixed on tie river ST John, from the mouth Of Eel
river taking The ST. Francis branch (the selected
by the King Of Hollsnd) the natural and proper
conprom boundary, including in limits all the
portion Of the disputed territory lying north Of Eel
river, and west and south Of the ST. John, above lis
junction. and all the other within that fGreat Britain
On little Fiction however he resolved not Ia form
his opinion Of the merits dement's of the treaty on
imperfect infi nation hut to wait until the
whole subjec, brought before the Senate official
ly, and then TO make 1t up on fu knowledge OF all
the facts and circumstances after deliberate and ma
.nre r. Fiction and that he had done with the utmost
care and Inplra,iy. What he now proposed was
to give the result, with the reasons on which il
rests, and which would govern his vote on the ratG
! cation.
He still believed that the boundary which he had
fixed in his own mind was The natural and proper
one but, that could not be obtained, the question
| for them - decide was Are the objections TO the
boundary actually agreed on, and the stpulations
connected with it, such ought to cause its ejecon2
In deciding IT, il must be borne in mind that far
this portion oithe boundary is concerned, is Que
ton beloB ging much TO the STATE of Maine than
| to the Union. 1t s., in Truth, bat the boundary Of
tai State; and il makes part of the boundary OF
the United States on by being the exterior bonnda-
~ of oue # the States OF cur Federal unon. IL is
her sovereignty and soil that in dispute except the
portion of the lat er that sill remains in Massachu
sets and belongs in the first place 10 her, and TO
Massachusetts, as far her light of soil is involved,
to say what their rights and interests are and what is
r,quied to b. done. The rest Of the Union is bound
TO defend them in their just claim and 10 assent to
what ih'y may be willing TO assent to in settling the
claim IN contest II there should be nothing IT
consistent with the interest, honor, safety of the
rest OF the Un IL is SO that the controversy has
ever been regarded. 1t is we'll known that President
Jackson would readily have agreed 10 the award of the
King of Holland, had not Maine objected and that
to overcome her objection he prcpar to recon-
mend TO Congress 10 give her in order 10 get her
sent, million of OF the public domain worth
! al The II inInum price, million and quarter of dol
lars. The case ls now reversed. Maine and Massa-
chuselts have both assented TO the puatons of the
treaty; as far as the question of the boundary affects
their peculiar interest," through commissioners vested
with iul powers TO represent them and the question
for Us TO decide Is-Shall we reject that 10 which they
have assented Shall The Government, after rcfus-
ing agree to the award of The King of Holland,
because Maine obj rcted, reverse its course and
refuse 10 agree 10 that which she and Massachusetts
have both a-seneIl There may, indeed be rca sons
strong enough To authorize such course but they
must such as will 90 to prove that we cannot give
our sent consistently with The interests the honor,
or tie safety of The Union. That has hem done
and he would add If there be any such, he has not
been able to detect them.
IL has indeed been said that the assent of Maine
was cueIced. She certainly desired TO obtain more
fav rable boundary; but when the alternative was
presented of an lther reference 10 arbitration, she
waived her object on, as far as she was Individually
concerned, rather than incur the rick, delay, uncer.
tain,y and yenation of another submission Of her
claims t. arbitration and lett II TO the Senate, the
const ued authority appointed for the purpose to de-
eide the general merits OF the treaty as it relates
10 the whole Union In doing, she has in his
opinion a,t,d wisely and patrioucay-wlsely for
herself and patriot caiy in reference The ret of the
Union. She has not got indeed, all she desired and
has even lost territory II The treaty be compared a.
the award of he King Of Holland but, as an Offset
that which she has lost is Of little value while that
which she retains has been greatly increased value
10y tie stipulItons contained in the treaty. The
whole amount lost, Is about half million OF acres
1t lies along the eastern slope of the highlands skirt
ing the ST. Lawrence TO the east and acknowledge
10 be of little va ne tor soil, timber, or yhng else
terile region, in q severe inhosp able cline Against
that loss she has acquired the right To nayi the
river ST. John and that, not only to float down the
timber its banks but all the productions Of the ex-
tensive, well-iimbered end taken as a whole not a
sterile portion Of The State that lies Ter side Of tho
bosom of that river and its tnbutaris. But that !,
all. She also gains what is Vastly more valuabl,
the rig t to ship them the lerns as colonial
Trodu tons 10 Great Britain aud her colonial posses
sions
These great and important advantages will proba.
bly, double the value Of that extensive region, and
make it one of the most populous and aourlshing
portions of the State. Estimated by mere money ed
standard, these advantages worth, he would sup
pose, all the rest Of the territory claimed by Maine
without them. II TO this be added the sum of about
5000 900 TO be paid her for the expense Of de.
Tending her territory, 100000 10 her and Mas
sachusetts in equal moetes in consequence of then
10 he md Ia