The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-02-20
TNENT'Y,E1GHTH CONGRESS,
FIRST SESSION.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1914.
SENATE.


been shamefully defrauded by spectators who
have procured assignments of their claims
Mr.. WRIGHT presented preamble and rcso-
lutions of the Chamber of Commerce of New
York, assigning their opinions that railroad iron
should be admitted duty free.
Mr.. BUCHANAN, memorial from citizens
OF Philadelphia, asking Congress to buy the u
S. Bank edifce to be converted into custom
house.
OREGON.
Mr.. ARCHER, from the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, reported bill appropriating $4,000 for
the purchase and distribution of 1900 copies Of
Mr.. Greenhow's work upon the Oregon Terri
tory.
MIR. BENTON opposed the appropriation with
great warmth. This method of taking money for
the purchase of books for the use of members had
cost already something like million and half
it was a great abuse-he never had taken, and
never would take, a book under such circum-
stances. Besides this, the author of this work
was librarian, with salary of $500, as much
as any OF us have, and the country was entitled
to all his labor--he had derived his information
from books belonging to the United States He
gave the Senator from Virginia notice that he
would contest this bill inch by inch at every stage
Mr.. BUCHANAN was a member OF the com.
mittee, who had agreed that this work ought to
be published, and it had already cost the author
more than he could afford--it contained much
valuable information, which should be dssemina-
ted, upon momentous subject now exciting the
attention of the whole country. IF we claim
the Oregon Territory, by contguty, we must
stop at the 40 deg. Of latitude-if by the treaty
of Utrecht we must stop at 40 deg-if by the
Columbia river, we must be confined to the valley
OF this river; but if, as this work would show we
claim under the old Spanish title, our claim EN-.
braced the territory between the 42d deg. and Sd
deg. 20 min.
He did not favor the clause in the bill for the
distribution of the work among members
Mr.. ARCHER said the opposition of the Sem
ator from Missouri to the bill would no doubt be
such as it was TO all matters that did not meet
his views 1t did not follow, because the Senator
from Missouri was conversant with the whole
Oregon subject, that everybody else was. The
work IN question had cost great pains and labor,
and it contained accurate information to be found
nowhere else; that it ought to be in the hands OF
all who were to act upon this subject. He was
not tenacious OF the clause for distributing the
work among members-it might be stricken out.
NIT. BENTON rejoined, and repeated what he
had before said about the enormity Of the abuse
which the bill c0untenanced. He could not stig-
maize II too strongly. The Senator from Vir-
ginia might rely upon it, that at the proper time
he should. speak on the Oregon question, and
speak decidedly too If Great Britain wanted to
take the best half of a territory where she had
no title to foot Of land, he would say that she
must fight for it. The national honor was con-
cerned, and it would not be weighed against any
counting house consideration of profit and loss.
The bill was then laid on the table, and, on
motion Of Mr.. EVANS, the Senate passed to the
orders Of the day, being the discussion of Mr..
McDuffie's bill
Mr.. PHELPS occupied the floor, up to the
hour of adjournment in the conclusion If a vorv
able argument in favor of the existing Tariff