Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-11-23
From the Philadelphia Ledger
WORK FOR CONGRESS.

The Federal Legislature will soon
meet. What will they do? This is a
grave question; and if we answered it
according to experience, we should say
that Congress will do very little; and if
according to our ideas of congressional
duty, that it would do ruch. Several
abuses at home should be reformed, and
some important foreign relations should
be settled; and If Congress accomplish
one-haf of the work that ought to admit
no delay, they will do more than any
preceding Congress since the peace of
1915.
Among the most important of our for,
eign affairs, is the dispute with Eng land
about the Oregon Territory. On this,a
on the Canada question, our Government
have committed capital error in per-
hitting it to be a subject of negotiation
We should have said, in the beginning,
that we admit no adverse claim; that we
will not hold an argument about the right
of ownership; that the territory is ours,
and will be defended at all hazards; and
that while we listen to any proposition
for a purchase Or cession, it must be
made upon no other grouud than full
and explicit admission of our proprieta-
ry right. Had we taken and maintain
ed this ground upon the Canada question
the British Government would never
have made such bold pretensions, or sup
ported them so insolently; for rotwith-
standing all their parade Of military pre-
paration, in maintaining an army IN
Canada at an enormous expense, they
dreaded nothing SO much as a war with
the United States. Upon this ground
we should have still retained She whole
territory. or have sold, for an ample E.
quivalent, small fraction of it, compar-
atively useless to our natural enemy
But by a timid and temporiZing policy,
which alleged the British Government to
persist in a groundless claim, and which
as if not satisfied about the justice of
our own claim, referred the question to
a third party, entireI y under English in
fluencc, we encouraged that Government
to persevere in It's unjust demands, and
finally to obtain, for an equivalent with
out value, an important military station
on our frontier. We have pursued the
same timid policy upon the Oregon ques
ton. In 1928, Or. Floyd, a member of
the House from Virginia, introduced a
bill to organise Territorial Government
in Oregon, upon which he could hardly
obtain respectable hearing. And yet
he plainly saw, at that early period, the
designs of the British Government upon
this territory, with view to its great
proiect-the command of the Pacific O.
cean. So the late DIR. Linn, Senator
from Missouri, applied his powerful
head and patriotic heart to this subject.
and with the same success that followed
the efforts Of DR.. Floyd. Congress did
not seem to look far enough into futurity,
or scan sufficiently the policy of Eng
land, to comprehend either of these leg
islators. But since the thorough and
mastery elucidation Of this subject by
our distinguished fellow citizen, Peter
A. Browne-one of those men of which
PHILADELPHIA produces more than any
other of our cities; who keeping aloof
from political life, employ their power
full intellects and extensive knowledge
in developing some subjects Of general
importance-Congress is left without ex-
cuse for longer neglect of this important
territory. The national voice will now
proclaim that Congress must take pos
session of Oreson-must treat the Eng
fish claim to it as they would to Penn
sylvania, or Massachusetts, or Louisiana,
as utterly preposterous, thoroughly inso-
lent, and must assert our national rights,
and prepare to enforce them. No other
mole of meeting England is safe
She must always be met in the very
threshold of an unjust claim with prompt
and decided negative, and show of the
sword. This course and this only, will
iasure peace. Any other will invite ag-
gression, to terminate in sui mission or
war. The British Government, in pre-
senting claims, must always be met like
swindler with pistol in his pocket
like a man intent on injustice, to be
sought though fraud; and if that fail,
though violence.