Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-06-21
THE OREGON QUESTION.

III Is cheap virtue, inat oil Saying you are III Ia
vor OF peace and detest war; nobody will object to
that But let any attempt to act consistently
on the principles Of peace; lei him really endeayor
TO prevent war by removing or dsspating the causes
Of war, and he is to raise hornets nest about
his ears.
/ Why do nations ever plunge into the horrors of
war Not because the mass of men have any abb
love for butchery, still less for being butcher
ed, however it may be with individuals. But ma
| tons are iured into two grounds first, a
conviction in the breast of each that it is right, or
secondly, that it is stronger than its adversary and
so is sure OF an easy victory, and may revel plum
der and glory.
| But how can each Of two nations be induced to
believe that it is right in controversy terminating
in war Is human judgment delusive that what
is black on one side Of an imaginary line appears
white to those on the other We answer, 10 ; but
the judgment has no fair play. Men are too prone
to believe their geese swans but this tendency
could be wthstood and counteracted If Governments
were upright and historians, journalists, and popu-
lar orators honest. But they too often not above
warpng or col0ring the truth, and thus misleading
those less informed than themselves. For instance
President finds himself sinking in popularity, or
Secretary of State is ambitious of ngratlating him
self with the masses preparatory to race for the
Presidency-what course inviting to either as to
get up controversy with some foreign Govern
ment! This will Withdraw public attention from
their domestic mismanagement or personal foibles
it will identify them with the patriotic feeling of the
county, and enable their partisans to brand all who
dissent from their course aristocrats, cold to the
appeals of g national honor" and guilty of moral
treason" The ignorant and unrehecting, hearing
only what is deemed the national side of the ques-
ton, and not scanning this very carefully, are
of course easily excited and honestly attached to
what is deemed their own side. The dssolute and
unprinciped gladly escape from their own sense of
degradation and the reproach of those who know
them in tempest OF popular excitement; the thrift
less and destitute consider that war opens great
lottery in which they may gain and cannot lose.
The tmid yield to the momentary phrenzy and
either swell its chorus or hold their peace the Gov
eminent finds itself borne up on resistess wave,
which covers all its delinquencies and errors and
assures it of impunity and unlimited power it is
encouraged to insist on the last iota of its claims,
and take measures to enforce them; and the end is
war. Such is substantially the origin Of those
scenes of wholesale murder from which humanity
recos in horror, while Christianity brands them
with her sternest reprobaon. Just think of one of
our eghtdollar-aday chaplains reading with proper
emphasis Christ's Sermon on the Mount to Con-
gress about to declare war, or TO take military posses
sion of some disputed territory or General read
ing |. Corinth. XIII. to his army drawn up for a
battle!
We have Witnessed in this Oregon furry OF the
last two or three years. the exhibition OF every evil
passion which has melted man to imbrue his hands
in brothers. blood from the day of Cain TO the
present. In the first place, it utterly, mady
wrong to agitate the matter in Congress at all. Eve
ry thing going on exactly those who are so
anxious to secure all Oregon must have desired.
Our people, who but few years since had scarce
ly footing in Oregon, were pouring over the Rocky
Mountains by hundreds, not opposed but welcomed
by the British there, and not asked to submit to
British authority. They were covering and set
Ting all the good land without red-coat in the
whole territory they were organizing their own
government and taking the best care of themselves,
without costing US farthing. Five years more of
| simple inactivity on the part of our Government
would have settled the whole business, far the
habitable portion of Oregon concerned for the
Hudson Bay Company and their trapping business
would soon have been run out by numerous body
of farmers. But our demagogues wanted some sta
pie for a excitement of popular prejudice, and
in an evil hour Oregon was pitched upon. Con-
gress has for years been sedulously importuned to
terminate the joint occupation, and proceed TO take
formal possession of the whole territory; and,
though without entire success yet the agitation was
found so profitable that the Polk Convention at Bal
timore last May fit to resolve that our right
to the whoie of Oregon is clear and indsputable,"
and to be enforced speedily practicable. This
sentiment partially re-echoed by Mr.. Polk in
his Inaugural and hence the present state of the
question.
Now, we do not believe there is one impartial
rational being the face of the earth who, on
careful review Of the facts in the case, would ex-
press the opinion affirmed in the Baltimore resolu-
tons. He might say that our right TO the whole
was stronger than that of any other Power that
the greater part of Oregon is of right ours; but to
say that the whole, up to north latitude SO 40 is
iidisputabty ours, he could not At most, he could
but claim the whole valley of the Columbia but to
make out for us an ndispuabie claim to the region
Of Fraser's river, which was explored by British
subject over half century ago. and has been set.
tied upon by British subjects nearly forty years,
while we have never had settlement on its whole
course to this day. is beyond the reach of honest
perversity.
Now, how many of our people would delibe-
rately prefer war with Great Britain to a settlement
Of this controversy on such terms as an impartial
Power should judge just and honorable to both par
tesl If any, let us know who they are But, if
our people would really choose TO settle the matter
amicably, las undoubtingly believe they would
what possible good come from setting up ex-
IRENE pretensons, and denouncing the British claim
arrogant and absurd Is not this manifestly
compcating the question, and increasing the posi-
bilites Of war If our journals tell their readers
that Of right should have The whoie, do they not
teach them TO condemn and denounce as craven or
treachcrous whatever Executive or Minister shall
agree to take less than the whole They may say,
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