The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-03-19
OREGON AGAIN.

Committee on Foreign Relations for terminal
ing the Oregon Convention
! Mr.. WHITE said he would suggest, before
the debate began, that it should be conducted in
Committee Of the Whole; ii 1t was to take
| place in the House. he should insist upon no ir.
| the Committee which would make any discus
sion on this subject appropriate. 0Nhi
Mr.. INGERSOLL asked if a majority could
go into committee tHla
The SPEAKER said yes.
Mr. l. then submitted a motion for that pur.
pose.
Mr. WINTHROP demanded the yeas and
nays, which were ordered, and were 80 to II.
The House went into committee, and Mr..
HAMLIN of Me, was called to the Chair
Mr. C. J. INGERSOLL, having full scope,
addressed the House for an hour IN his usually
discursive style. We give some Of his principal
points. Discovery-Mr. argued the question Of
title, which was clearly ours from first discoye-
nv. Reputation Pennsylvania never had and
never could repudiate. Mr.. Upshur-Mr. /. said
he had letter from the late Secretary of State
on this subject, to which he wished to refer.
Mr.. ADAMS called for the reading of the let
ter.
1t was sent to the Chair, and listened to with
additional interest from having been one Of the
last manuscripts of the late Inflated Secretary Of
State. The letter acknowledged the receipt of
draft Of bill providing for taking possession
of this territory. Mr.. U. said that SOME prepar-
atory steps had been taken upon the subject of
Oregon, but nothing had been done by the Co.
vernment. He mentions the arrival of Mr..
Packenham with instructions to settle this ques-
ton, and concludes with the important assertion
that legislation on this subject, at this time,
would be ",mpolitic and highly prejudicia to
the public interest" tE@a
Mr.. INGERSOLL resumed, and next spoke
of war, which was only terrible in the abstract.
War was not so great an evil as had been
thought by some. 1t was not for the interest OF
England to 60 to war with us. If England had
seized Cuba, as was threatened while since,
he would have gone to war in an instant. A
British officer, not long since, seized town OF
the Sandwich Islands, his Government disowned
the act, if it had not, he would in an instant
have seized upon the Oregon Territory. Mexico
he would treat with the greatest forbearancc-
England with none at all. Politics-Mr. /.
! closed in what he seldom INDUCED, as he said
He wished to know where Mr.. Clay stood in
this matter, and where his friends stood. In re-
gard TO Mr.. Van Buren,, he confessed he did not
know what his views were Qaughter) MIR.
Van Buren, was in the habit Of deferring to the
people in such matters, (great laughter) but he
thought he could answer for the Democratic
party.
L
| Mr.. WINTHROP then rose. He had hoped
| Cooking towards Mr.. Adams) that other gentle
man would reply to what had been said The
discovery of Oregon, on the mouth Of the Colum.
bia river, was due to Boston man, who sailed ir
| Boston ship. The subject of giving the pro.
posed notice was next discussed and Mr., w
found every reason against it, and not one for it
With regard to war, and the constant efforts Of
the Van Buren, Democrats to identify the Wings
| L. -
sion and war through the country, Mr.. w. said
it reminded him Of painter who was absorbed
| with but one idea, that Of painting red lion. He
was called upon by some one to paint fancy
sketch, and he made red lion. Not long after,
gentleman called on him to fill PANEL in some
room OF his house with picture, and he painted a
red lion. The gentleman thought it singular
subject but from delicacy did not express any
dissatisfaction on the contrary, having another
PANEL vacant, and smaller one, in another
ROOM hetook the painter in there, and desired
him to fill that PANEL also, requesting that he
| would take some subject that would be in unison
with other paintings IN the room. The painter
undertook the work, but painted another little
red lion 1t seemed to MIR. w. that the Demo
Gratis we're affected much the painter was, and
could turn in no direction without finding Brit
ish Lion in their path, which they charged their
opponents with protecting, while they were fur-
Gus tor rushing upon and destroying hun. The
treaty of Washington was this red lion-Oregon
was the little red lion, and Texas was the big red
lion AS for tricks employed in the treaty of
Washington, he did not believe that the negotia-
tors were more prone to trickery than the gen.
tlcman from Pennsylvania himself
Mr.. INGERSOLL. do, though.
Mr.. MORSE, of Maine, rose, he said, not to
enter this discussion generally, but to reply to
one of the points Of the gentleman from Pennsyl-
vania, (Mr. G. ]. lngersoll,) who had represented
that tho Maine boundary question had been set
tied by trckery on the part of the negotlator.
Mr.. INGERSOLL denied having used that
word, but went on to state that gentleman from
Maine, member of this House, who knew how
that negotiation progressed from day to day, had
told him Mr.. j. that the Maine commissioners
had been tricked into the negotiation.
Mr.. MORSE did not see that the gentleman
had bettercd the matter; on the contrary, he
seemed to have extended the allegation.
In the course of the explanation Mr.. Ingersol
caught smile on the countenance of Mr.. nj.
Baswn, of Tenn, and wanted to know what he