The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-02-29

SiuoHt no SECRETARY, no minister. can reason.
r ably be expected to obtain from Great Bri-
, tain a satisfactory adjustment of this bound
airy question. How are we to assume such
an attitude By retracting, SO far as we hon.
orably may, the false steps we have taken
by putting an end to entangling alliances
INTO which we should never have entered ;by
/; receeding from rejected concessions, which
we ought never to have made. That is the
object and the effect of the joint resolution
But the Committee on Foreign Affairs
may, perhaps, further object, that such no.
tice as that resolution proposes, is likely 10
prove offensive, and to involve us IN a war
1t to declare to Great Britain that she is nc
longer TO remain with us a joint occupant of
1 the valley Of the Columbia be cause of war,
& then war must come. 1t may come sooner,
1t may come later; but come it must, at last
Can you arrest emigration 10 Oregon? How
do you propose 10 set about it? VIII YOU
bulldup, along the submit range ofthe Rocky
Mountains, a Chinese wall of demarcation.
and sayto the tameless spirits OF the west
ern wilderness, thus far shall We go and
no farther, and here shall your onward pro-
gress be stayed" Canute had an easier task
/ When you can whistle back the mountain
eagle in his upward flight to the sun; when
you can arrest by a word, the wild horse of
| the prairie in his mad career, when you can
extingash, in the bird of passage, that in
stinct which bids her be up and away to the
regions nature designed for her-then, then
only expect to set up rnete or bound, short
OF the broad Pacific, barrier to the restless
enterprise of the West.
Oregon is our landof promise. Oregon is
our land of destination. .sThe finger OF Ma
turep-such were once the words of the
| gentleman from Massachusetts MIR. Adams
in regard to this country-"points that outs
Two thousand American ctizans are already
| indwellers of her valleys. Five thousand
moray, it may be twice that number-will
have crossed the mountain passes before an
other year rolls round While YOU are legis-
lating they are emigrating and whether you
legIslatc for them OF not, they will emigrate,
still
| What is to be the result of all this? What
will England do? If she permits us, as |
hope and believe, peacefully overrun the
Columbia valley, then neither will she find 4
cause of offence in this resolution But i'll
she resist--and as leading London Journal
mot the ministerial organ, howeverl boldly
| III her cause what then? This resolution
may be voted down; the Oregon bill OF my
friend from Missouri Mr.. Hnghes] may be
defeated this session, as similar bill was the
last; we may depart from these halls without
lifting finger to protect, by military posts or
otherwise, our settlers on the Columbia; and
yet let Great Britain fulfill this threat of arm
ing Indians against us, and then let the tom
ahawk draw but one drop of American blood
let one single sclap be tak9n-the forerun-
ner of further outrage-and will our people, |
think you, await your tardy legislation before
they rush TO the rescue? We have faults !
and failings enough, God knows-we of the |
West ;but COMMUNICATING cold-blooded COW I
ardice---the craven spirit that would desert a
comrade at his utmost need, that, at least,ls
nopart OF our character. Let the news pass
over our land ola massacre among the Ore
gon emigrants, and your armed occupation
project will be an idle form. Oregon will |
soon be occupied-an armed occupation,
too. And occupied by whom? Not by
smooth-chinned, trim-uniformed cadets from
West Point; but by veteran pioneers, from
old age itself, though it Written their locks,
cannot steal their strength and their fire; by
fierce young hunters of the frontier, who |
heard the warwhoop in their cradles, and
who burn to emulate the exploits-to avenge |
the death, perhaps--of their fathers; by
partizan army, in short, of Nmrod warriors,
who, with their knives at their belts, and their
long rifles on their shoulders, fear nothing,
red or white, in the form of man.
am friend of peace. hold that it is |
our duty to do much, to suffer much. if thus
we may avoid the shedding of human
blood What a spectacle would it be, in
this age of the world to see two powerful ma
tons squandering lives and treasure i'll the
insenate and antiquated trade of war! 70
avert such a calamity, would agree TO any
adjustment within the bounds of reason, that /
should not compromise our honor. Farther
than this, even expedlency itself forbids us
| TO 60. A distinguished British statesman has
well said: .sHe who vindcates the honor of
a country vindicates It's dearest interests; for
he who vindicates its honor preserves its
peace" Nothing more true. Permanent
peace was never obtained by dishonorable
concession.
Say, that these United States, struck with
panic terror of England's power, were TO
abandon TO her that TO which she scruples
not to set Up a claim, the entire territory of
Oregon; suppose, that for the moment, the
monarchcal rule; should we, even by such
base abandonment of our rightful claim, have
obtained anything beyond suspension OF
hostility? We may, by law, cede terrific
| ry; but the spirit of freedom is no Russian