Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-11-15
THE GOVERNMENT PAPER AND THE FOREIGN
RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.

a (
THE GOVERNMENT PAPER AND THE FOREIGN
RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.
The leading article in " the Union of Saturday
night last is yrulent attack upon the National In
telligencer sustained and enforced by one Of its
correspondents, for obecting TO this country . be-
ing dishonored by any attempt, under present cir
cumstances, to play the bully's part towards Gov
eminent so weak and defenceless as Mexico is, be-
ing sister Republic wthal, contending against UNI
happy :dissensions at home which have resulted
from her following in the structure Of her political
institutions, the example Of the United States
On this subject the government editor and his
coaduors would do well 10 husband for future
day the vgor which they exert against those who, like
u.s. seek TO protect the reputation Of the country from
such disparagenent The g Union" will need all its
powers of defence, in behalf Of itself and the Adj
mnstration, should the designs and purposes which
it foreshadows, SO repugnant to the policy of
every Administration ofthis Government which
we do not mean the President merely-acqnire inn
portance by the avowal the part of the Executive
ofsimiIar or equivalent designs and purposes. We
SHALL meantime, take no further notice of the TRADE
in the Union of Saturday concerning the rela-
tons Of the United States with Mexico, than to ask
it. matter Of sheer justice, to copy into its
lumns the Correspondence Of |" the Journal Of Com
merce" suggesting the intentions of the Admins
tration in regard to Mexico to which the organ Of
the Administration has given countenance by rail-
ing at our earnest remonstrance against these inn
puted designs.
Another article in the same number of the
Union,' in different spirit, and evidently from a
different hand, endeavors to break the force Of the
authority of Mr.. BENTON as to the eligibility or
expediency Of the forty-ninh degree Of latitude as
the Boundary between the territorial claims of the
United States and Great Britain on the northwest
coast Of this continent. $3.50
The indisputable testimony Of the expressed OPT
Mon of Mr.. BENTON is rejected by this new organ
Of the Democratic Party, apparently because Of the
antiquity Of its date, (ls2s) though four years
before that time the same boundary had been pro-
posed by President MoNRoE--and also because it
was proposed as a compromise. n, therefore, we
show that the opinion Of Mr.. Benton was the same
within the last three years that It was seventeen
years ago, and that it in spirit Of assertion
Qfrighf, and not Of compromise, that he uttered it,
the questio-s vi rire Union viii be satisfactorily
answered.
With this view, therefore, and without further
comment we present to the venerable Editor of the
Union and to our respected readers the following
page Of history:
EXTRACT from speech deliuered January IL,
ls43, an the Senate of the United States, by
the Hon. THOMAS II. BENTON.
MIR. b. said he would not restate the American
title to this country: it had been well done by
others who had preceded him in debate. He
would only give little more development TO two
.points-the treaties Of 1903 and 1919; the former
with France, by which we acquired Louisiana !;
the latter with SPAIN by which we acquired all
her rights the northwest coast of America north
of 40 degrees. By the first OF these treaties we
became party to the tenth article of the treaty of
Utrecht between France and England; the treaty
of peace of l7l4, which terminated the wars Of
Queen Anne and Louis XIV, and settled all their
differences of every kind in Europe and America,
and undertook to prevent the recurrence of future
differences between them. The tenth article of
this treaty applied to their settlements and terrific
ries in North America, and directed commissaries
to be appointed to mark and define their possess
sions. These commissaries did their work. They
drew line from ocean to ocean, 10 separate the
French and British dominions, and TO prevent
future encroachments and collisions. This line
began on the coast of Labrador, and followed a
course sgnuy s0utn oil west 10 the centre oil NORM
America, leaving the British settlements Of Hud-
sons Bay to the north, and the French Canadian
possessions to the SOUTH This line took for a
: landmark the Lake of the Woods, which was then
believed to be due east from the head Of the Mis-
sissippi and from that point took the FoRTY-NINTH
PARALLEL Of north latitude indefinitely to the
tcesf The language Of the line is indefinitely; :
and this established the northern boundary OF
'Louisidna, and erected wall beyond tchici fI-
lure French settlements could not cross 10 The
north nor Brifish 10 tAe south.
GAS purchasers Of Louisiana, the treaty of 1909
made party TO the tenth article of The fyeof,,
of Utrecht, and made THE roRTY-NrNTH pApAI1rI
the same TO us and the British sclich II Ind been
10 the French and the British: it became a wall
which neither could pass, SO far as it depended
upon that line"
At a later period Of the same speech, it is true,
that after inveghng in strong and even bitter terms
against the British claim Of territorial right south Of
latitude 40, Mr.. B. does allude to more northern
rights alleged to have been acquired by the U. States
under the treaty Of 1919 with Spain but as befccen
The United. States and Great Britain, it is clear
that he considers the line Of the 49h degree Of lat-
ude to have been defnitvely established as long
ago as in the year TIA, in the treaty of peace be-
tween France and England; that is to say, not Sc
venteen or twenty-one, but hundred and thirty
one years ago.
Whilst on this subject, to relieve ourselves from
misapprehenson or misrepresentation of our own