The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1845-12-09

IN SuCH case, DC dCCouiuSiy S"s'J ~
led and abrogated after the exPir alton oil
the said term of service" In these at
tempts to adjust the controversy, the par
rallel of forty-ninth degree Of north latitu-
de had been offered by the United States
to Great Britain, and i'll those oil 1915,
and IS26. with a further concession OF
the free navigation of the Columbia river
south of that latitude. The parallel Of
the 10Th degree, from the Rocky noun
tains to its intersection of the northeast
ernmost branch ofthe Columbia, g. thence
down the channel of that river to the sea,
had been offered by Great Britain, with
an addition of small detached territory
north of the Columbia. Each OF these
propositions had been rejected by the par
ties respectively.
In Oct 1913, the Envoy extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary OF the Unit
ed States in London was authorised to
make similar offer to those made IN Is
and '26. Thus stood the question when
the negotiation was shortly afterwards
transferred to Washington and on the
Odd of August, IA, was formally opened
under the direction Of my immediate pre-
decessor. Like all the previous negotla-
tons, it was based upon principles OF COM
promise, and the avowed purpose. OF the
parties was, ''to treat of the respective
claims of the two countries to the Oregon
territory, with the view to establish per-
manent boundary between them westward
of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific
Ocean" Accordingly, on the Goth OF
Aug. 1914, the British Plenipotentiary Of
fered to divide the Oregon territory by the
10Th parallel Of North latitude, from the
Rocky Mountains to the point of inter-
section with the Northeasternmost branch
of the Columbia river, and thence down
that river to the sea; leaving the free nav
igation of the river TO be enjoyed in COM
mon by both parties-the country South
of this line to belong to the United States,
and that North of it to Great Britain. At
the same time he proposed, in addition,
to yield to the U. States detached terri
tory, North of the Columbia, extending
along the Pacific and the Straits Of Fuca,
from Bufnch's Harbor inclusive, to
Hoods canal, and to make free to the U.
States anv port or ports south of latitude
40 degrees, which they might desire, Ell
Their on the main land, or on Quadra and
Vancouver's island. With the exception
of the free ports, this was the same offer
which had been made by the British and
rejected by the American government, IN
the negotiation of 1876. This PROPOSE
ton was properly rejected by the Amerl-
can plenipotentiary on the day it was sub
United. This was the only proposition Of
compromise offered by the British pleni-
potentiary. The proposition on the part
of Great Britain having been rejected, the
British plenipotentiary requested that a
proposal should be made by the United
States for an Equitable adjustment oftbe
question"
When came into office found this to
be the state of the negotiation. Though
entertaining the settled conviction that the
British 3retensions of title could not be
maintained to any portion of the Oregon
territory, upon any principle OF public law
recognized by nations, yet IN difference to
what had been done by my predecessors,
and especially in consideration that prop
ositions of compromise had been thrice
made by two preceding administrations,
to adjust the question on the parallel oil
40 degrees, and in two of them yielding
10 Great Britain the free navigation of the
Columbia, and that the pending negotia-
t;on had been commenced on the basis oi
compromise, deemed it to be my duty
not abruptly to break it off. In consider
alton. too. that under the conventions OIL
= 1918 and 1927, the citizens and subjects
of the two powers held joint occupancy
ofthe country, | was induced TO make
another effort to settle the long pending
,, controversy in the spirit Of moderation
: which had given birth to the renewed dis
: cussion. A proposition was accordingly
made, which was rejected by the British
! plenipotentiary, who, without submitting
any other proposition, suffered the nego
tiation on his part to drop, expressing hI'
trust that the U, States would offer wha
: he saw fit to call "some further propose
y for the settlement of the Oregon question
!. more consistent with fairness and equity
and with the reasonable expectations o
the British government" The PROPOSE
= ton thus offered and rejected repeated
" the offer of the parallel of 40 degrees @
north latitude, which had been made b
two preceding administrations, but with
out proposing to surrender to Great Brit
ain, as they had done, the free navigation
of the Columbia river. The right OF an
:, foreign power to the free navigation of an
e of our rivers, through the heart OF on
. country, was one which i was unwillin
to concede. 1t also embraced provisio
!, to make free to Great Britain any port O
ports on the cape of Quadra md Vancou
, vre's island, south of this parallel. Ilu
:, this been a new question, coming undel
= discussion for the first time, this PROPOSE
. ton would not have been made. The ex
i traordinary and wholly inadmlssible de
- mands of the British Government, and tn
20 rejection of the proposition made In de
: erence alone to what had been done b
% my predecessors, and the implied obllg;
- ton which their acts seemed to impose
Is afford satisfactory evidence that no CON