The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1844-01-12

greatest cai4miy 2stei could befall the United
states ano 10 aepgee such contingency, he inti-
mates 'ha' peas huid 30 maintained, even by the
sacrhcc OF CteEoa We have great respect for many
opinions oi ~ Apa1$ We admit that his histori.
ca khowiedgs . ~ siA and minute, that many Of
US views ait como henssse and statesnlanlke, and
mat ms lnteRis M patriotism are above reproach.
nut Wih AZ l'ese eaceiicnces, he sometimes makes
great install andHesirsin them most obstinately.
ne y nue. csSe.ed y entertain projects for the
LIME, 70 whtk De @gv'es all his. energies still az
great as al aly Pento cfhi life and though in his
devotlon 70 proiee hs generally right he is some
times both wronga grong-headed, To- degree tru-
" extraordinary a iaapf his capacity, learning,
and exPerielce ipce ae was a bitter enemy Of
England, and po,p NJ Whole soul into his country.
~ iate- years - W ai-c ,n the opposite tack, in.
iectea WIN y4osesS fnsbi mania and under this
new impulse, no sceirs etnnsines as ready ia ahan
don the vital nteTesp sf lis country. as 70 com
mlt outrages nroif ,nf4s sense We remem-
aeTHnas ridasnlcus lItise On the British attack
S YeTi. IL *. Il s ssi lecture II Which,
ufrrr iuysng az yn os iaBHma the right of nations to
se'fgovernmeni, arc teHl Iay to promote the inte-
rests OF each Other be proceeded to draw, conclu-
sions necessar " hc@ing rom these premises the
night Of Britain ~ m7ea5 CR.na because il attempted
to restrain It's s4DJs io,n poisoning themselves with
opium, the duty of China trade with other nations
whatever might belts views of its own interest, and
the right of Britain to brce China through ire and
sword, into foreign TRADE All who expected some
thing astonishing from Mr.. Adams on this occasion,
were gratifed beyond heir hopes And after be-
holding this assault upoh national rights the rights of
humanity and common sense, nobody be aston
ished at seeing MIR. Adams in crusade against his
own country, for the benefit of England
Mr.. Adams deprecates war with England as the
most serious of caIamlies. Thoroughly as we abhor
wars of all kinds deeply should lament war
between our own and any country and greatly as our
ptrvv sp pfa WITH, I'm nd
imagine still greater cal anti es than such collision.
We can imagine war with France, Russia,
Prussia, and Austria combined, as much more seri-
Gus calamity. We can even imagine civil war
as replete with horrors enfod greater. We can
even imagine a series OF present submissions to
England, that would induce war at last, as much
more serious calamity thana war to check aggression
on the threshold. Though we do not regard war be-
tween the u States and thegreat powers of Continent
tai Europe within probabilities yet if it should
occur our commerce, besides the hostility of these
belligerants, would become the prey
of English privateers, sdling under their COM
missions But in war with England we should
find friends instead of enemies in the continent
tai powers, and therefore should be exposed to Br-
fish depreciation only. In war with England, our
would suffer from the British navy aud
privateers But British codmerce would suffer as
much or more from our naly and privateers. We
must remember that in our last war with Britain,
when no other European nafon had any navy, and
when British ships OF war and\ prvateers covered the
ocean, and our navy was much weaker than it
is at present. the balance of mchief TO commerce be-
tween the two nations much in our favor. What
then, might we expect now, when we are compare
lively much slronger' We must also remember that
IN this war our national energies expended in
rutess attempt TO conquer Canada, by marching
through widernesses against hostile population; and
that now, it'll Northern frontier densey settled
and with large majority ofthe Canadian population
lDf and eh in Ia.rsa ....s,lI
conquer all The British Nonh American colonies in
fortnight.
Then il, with such great odds against us, we tri-
umphed IN the last war, a. did 10 the Revolution,
With means still more Insignificant why should we
lpprehend destruction from a British war now' Our
only assailabe point is the South, which is only
;aiable through its coored population, with few
,olored regiments from the West Indies. Bot even
supposing q eat imprObaby general serve 10
surIection in any State, its almost instant sup
preston would teach the British how little they
could rely for on such contingencies
The white population of the South, and of the great
free States contiguous, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
illinois, would soon prove the futlity of any British
hopes in that quarter Therefore, so far as success
On land, and balance Of mischief on the ocean,
we see no prospect of humiliation in
a war with England.
But Mr.. Adams would regard a war with England
as greater calamity than the sacrifice of Oregon Let
us examine this position. war with England will
cost us few ships OF war, and perhaps multitude Of
ships and their cargoes This, we admit
would be severe calamity to the present generation
But the loss Of Oregon, extensive region, upon
The Pacific Ocean, which would afford room for pow
erful States bound 10 by the ties Of community in
origin language, laws and interests would be much
severer calamity to both the present and future gene
ratioDs. In the hands of The British this region
would long remain as Canada has, a wilderness, the
abode of Indians continually excited to hosiilities
against our border settlements by British intrigue,
stimulated by British rapacity. This British DONNA
ton has deporaby retarded the prosperity of Canada
and the most enlightened Canadians now perceive il.
But the subject presents relations which TO our as
Mr. Adams overlooks; and well may we
be astonished at this want Of foresight in statesman
a politician familiar with enlarged views The Br-
fish Government, yes, Government in the name of The
Barings mere merchants and stock brokers and bank
ers arc cutting canal across Darien. This will give
hem entire commercial control Of the Pacific as their
route across Suez will give them the same control of
he Indian Ocean and then merchants may, if
hey can, enter into competition with them by gong
round Capcs Horn and Good Hope Rather hopeless
'ome Of them will say. How shall zoe counteraci
his An American city at the mouth of the Colum-
)ia and railroads and canals between il and the
gable waters Of the Missouri running through popu-
Gus States all of which is probable within the next
fifty years, OF less will bring us quite as near to
China the British will be through the Darien ca
1dl ana almost as near 10 the lnuian ocean as they
ire through Egypt. Now if we surrender Oregon,
he British will strain every to settle it, 10 found
gicat city at the mouth of the Columbia, TO keep the
Western Indians continually in hostility on our bor-
Ter, and TO monoollze the China trade for the West
I'm States, Mexico, and South America They
would regard the possession Of city there almost
quol TO the possession of Now Orleans, their favo-
tie project in the last war.
And do the British Government now entertain any
uch designsl Peel, the British Prime Minister,
md therefore the organ of his Government upon 70.
egn affairs rays, in his 5fciol seat in the House of
Commons that the bill once before our Senate for Ia
ting possession of Oregon would hive been lust
ause of war" Now if the British are willing for the
axe Of this territory to incur all the calamos of
var with us, they certainly entertain some great de
ign concerning IT and when we view their canal
cross Darien, we can imagine no design more proba-
lie than the founding of o commercial and naval de-
ot at the mouth Of the Columbia for the purpose of
Excluding us hom the Pacific With this view of
he case, we should regard the surrender of Oregon
s much severer calamity than war with the Brit.
sh. And in such war what part would Russia akcl
glance at the map Of the world will show that Rus