Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-05-23
g TMe Eoicn OF he UcsL on Orernil. w

"THe Voice OF The Uest on Oregon. We have
collected together number Of articles from some
of the leading Western papers indicative of the
public sentiment with regard to this great question
1t is gratifying to see the cordial Immunity of opin
ion with which it is taken up, and the universal de-
termination that our rights to the territory should
be soutly and ably advocated There is but one
sentiment aud one voice on the subject. What is
clearly ours will be SO claimed and maintained, let
Great Britain take offence as she may"
Ncw York EUening Post
Undoubtedly, "what is clearly ours" ought to be
ESQ claimed and maintaned," at proper time and
in proper manner. But the very question at is
sue, in this case, between the United Sites and
Great Britain, deemed fit subject for negotiation
by all previous Administrations fthis Government,
AMI now admitted By the present to be such, is,
What is clearly ours? The &" Universal dctermin-
ation," the Evening Post viii grant, cannot deter
mine question of rigM. That is not a question
of feeling, but of fact to be decided not by popu-
lar denon5ration, but upon evidence.
The Evening Post from which the above para
graph is copied, having shown, in regard to another
great National question, proper senslblity to the
national honor and the national interest, so com
promittod by the late Administration in the alihir
of Texas, we suppose that it is not unwilling to lis
ten to reason in regard to this Oregon question. We
therefore ask its attention to one view of the sub
ject which seems to have been overlooked by it, and
others. We refer to the state of the Oregon ques-
ton (which nothing has since occurred to change
or altcr) as understood and admitted by the United
States about twenty years ago. For this purpose
we avail ourselves Of the authority of the Hon
Richard Rush, in work published after his return
from his honorable service as Minister of the Uni
ted States at the British Court ffom which we
make the following extract, and ask for it the at
tentlon of our readers:
From l." Ru,l's Residence in London"
"The British plenipotcntiarics asserted that car
lt.Nr, FL,
Cooks, gave to Britain the rights Of prior dscove-
ny on this the Northwestern coast. They alleg
cd also that purchases Of territory had been made
by Britain or her subjects from the natives south of
this river before the American Revolution. They
made no formal proposal Of boundary in these re-
glons, but intimated that the river itself was the
most convenient, and said they could agree TO none
that did not give them the harbor AT its mouth in
common with the United States. To this we could
not assent, but lcere icding to leave things west of
the mountains at large for future settlement. To
this they objected, and made in turn propositions
Objectionable in our eyes. Finally, it ,vGs agreed
that the country on the Northwest coast Of Amcri-
ca, westward of the Rocky Mountains claimed by
either nation, should be open to the inhabitants Of
both for ten years for purposes of trade, with the
equal right Of navigating all its rivers
" cannot leave this part ofthe negotiation with
out remarkng that he important question of terri.
torlaL rights tcich uotres bettceen the t,co nations
is still an open one and do not fear to record the
prediction that it will be found question full of
difficulty, under whatever administration, either of
Great Britain Or of the United States, it may here
after be approached" LLelLicencer.