Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-12-13

highest moment TO lellow-citzens, i'm the present
apparently critical aspect Of the Oregon question.
Whether the Instructions TO Mr.. McLAsE ON ibis
subject were placed in his possession before he
went or have been since forwarded TO him, is a
matter Of no consequence. II he was instructed
beforehand how to act in q certain contingency,
there was no occasion 10 instruct him over again
after that contingency had occurred. The Union /"
has withheld from its readers that passage Of the
Constitution" which is the key TO the whole article.
as well as to the truth, and which has become much
more consequential by the fact Of this suppression
Of it. We repeat the passage in question:
II is generally known that SIMULTANEOUS viih
has the Presidents determination 10 make THIS
i prop0sifiOn-the motives for which he explains
in his message-the President selected a distin-
guished gentleman of this State, peculiarly quail
fed by his eminent abilities and great experience
for the position. as Minister 10 England. Pos-
sessed Of the VIEWS and INTENTIONS Of the Presi-
dent, and pledged to sustain them, il would have
been his duty to have urged and enforced on the
British Ministry the proposition which, the Exec
utive had determined to submit to Mr.. Pakenham'
My, pretending to reply to us, does the Gov
eminent paper suppress this passage? Is it be-
cause it is the policy Of the Administration still to
conceal its hand, that the government paper, not
being able to deny that Mr.. McLANE is instructed,
in the contingency which has happened to enter
tan if not to make propositions, seeks to evade the
question by assuming the negative on points which
are wholly unessential If Mr.. McLANE was
already instructed as to what the President meant
to propose, and what he was willing to accept if it
was made his duty, before he left the United States,
to enforce those views should the occasion arise
if, in the language of The Constitution he was
possessed Of the views and intentions of the Pre-
sident, and pledged TO SUSTAIN fhen," there can be
no doubt that the contingency which has happened
was foreseen, and he was instructed upon that
point also. And it may be perfectly true thatthere
is no idea" of " renewing at London the PROPOSE
ton of our Government which has been declined at
Washington" without being at all true, that, if the
British Government should of its own accord express
to Minister at London willingness to accept the
proposition of the United States, even with some
modification, our Minister will not receive such a
proposition, or, if he be not authorized to accept it,
refuse to transmit it home for the consideration of
his Government.
ton of the Constitution which the Union has
not denied and believe sciH not deny, that the
British Government, with every assurance of our
sincere disposition to maintain peace, will have
-nppnrtnniiy tn take mp the nliye branch &1e
and substitute for the remedy of the sword a fair
and equitable adjustment Of our rights"
We are happy to renew our congratulation to our
readers upon the conviction which we have arrived
at, from evidence which we deem satisfactory, that
War, as means Of adjusting the difficulty with
England, is not within any rational calculation of
probabilities.
We are right glad, however, by the notice we
have taken of this matter to have brought the gov
eminent Editor to the following confession, which,
if our examination of the state of this question had
resulted in nothing more important, would be suf-
fcient compensation for the trouble we have taken
UNoUEsTIoNABLY PEACE IS DESIRABLE TO THE
UNITED STATES, but it must be an honorable
peace, and we would rather have war itself than
sacrifice the rights and honor of our country
Sound Wing doctrine, this