The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1845-06-14
OUR CLAIM TO OREGON.

ew words.
Gres, Britain claims, ~,hou, reservs
ion sll the territory north Of The C1'
,mtIa river, and with an equal right TO
,avila,e that river II is said that she
lss offered 10 make that river the bound
ny between ,he two governments,
This claim, if allowed by the Uolted
States, would take full one half of the
regon--perhsps mote. To this, our
will never accede During the
discussions in the papers and in con-
sress. our title to the forty ninth paraI.
lei was considered valid aud unquestion'
able.
The American tide resls upon the
strong and acknowledged right of dis
covery.-Cap,sin GRAY, Of Boston, in
the yea' l79s, in the ship Columbia en-
tered for The GrSt time the great river
Of Oregon, which he named after his
ship--ihe CoidnJia-snd to this day il
bears tha, aud no other name. This Is
of some moment, as there is a law OF
natious which reads thus; --'The nation
which discovers end enters the mouth
Of river, by implication discovers the
whole country watered by it, Ia vlr-
lue Of this discovery, the Columbia val
lev belongs TO the Uniled States as a.
ssinsl England. As it 10 perfect our
title, i, is not denied that the Lewis and
|Clark and Wslsmet,e river, its trihutl-
ties, which spread through all Oregon,
were 6rsl explored by Americans by the
expedition sent out by the American
Congress al the suggestion Of JEFFER
SON, under Captain LEWIS and CLARK
There was a minuleness and a lullness
IN their discoveries which gave the
highest authenticity 10 a little founded
upon prior discovery.
Oregon is also ours by purchase (in Is.
81 from Spain, undenlabIy the first dis
coverer and occupant of the coast, even
as far north as the ssh parallel. L.
1919, Spain, for considerali ion Of So,
loO0,o 900, ceded 10 the United State'
Florida, and also all her rights, title
and claim, 10 all territory on the PscI-
&c coast north of the 42d parallel of lat
luide.
The only circumstance calculated to
weaken the peifec'ness Of ihe Unite
States title, is The well known Nook
Sound conles, (n 1882 which lermina
tied in a convention between E0g glacd
land Spain, in The year 1890, some
Twenty years before the purchase f:ou
itIe is undoubtedly clogged. Tn
terms Of that convention have been tn,
source Of iu6nite dispute. After an ex
animation Of The terms Of the treaty.
he debates in TIE English Pariamen
when the treaty was laid before tha
body--,he contem poraneous action il
rela,ion to The sure der Of The Eng
iish possessions on Noolka Sound, whlcl
had been seized by Spain---which sur
render, by The way, IN English his,orl
an, BELsHAM, insists was never made
he whole convention seems to be re
solved into a joint occupancy on tn,
part of Erglshmen aud Spsnards o
commercial purposes. Such one nov
exists and has existed for twenty sever
lyesrs between Grea, Britain snd IN.
! United States in relation 10 The ver,
same territory. Yet we doubt whe,her
lany American considers that we Weld
led 10 the least our ultimate title to Ore
lyon, by 'hatJoint occupancy. Apply
ling The same principal 10 lhe convention
between Eogland and Spain, and tn,
Iconvictiou will arise that The title wa
left in obeyance 10 be determined b,
subsequent agreement. The followine
ls clear summary Of the American Ii,
tie:
l. Discovery of the mouth Of The Co
umba river by Captain Gray Of Bos
on, giving the name ofhs vessel TO til,
.Iriver.
9. The discovery of the head o: III,
same river by Lewis and Clark und.,
the hutt ori,y OF The United States.
8. The settlement of Astoria under ,ht
ausPices Of MIR. Astor, an American nsl
lursiiZed cillzen.
A. The treaty OF 1903 with the Freucl
republic.
Il 5. The treaty Of Spain of 1919, ac
Iqulrlng all right OF Spain 10 land nor,l
oi 42 degrees beyond the Rocky Noun
Isins.
6. The Nooka Sound contest (l7s9
between Eogland aud Spain.
Z. The treaty ofUrech, (l763) be
tween France, and England. seuin,
hmm n ariaa this aaitlan,a,. l..--.