Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1845-12-31
state, succeeds to the rights Of its ipg'
smer European sovereign.

totutO, S0SSOSoS W. wv ftStttS3 VI AA16 i*t1
Emer European sovereign.
8. Thirdly, a European Tor Ameri
can) government may acquire title Il
unoccupied lands in America by priol
discovery, followed by settlement, oc'
cupation, or conquest; and its sovereign
ty may be extended over any contig-
uous unoccupied territory, until it meets
the bounds of some other power.
Such are the principles, as admitted
on all hands by which the Oregon
question is to be determined.
Now. there are fre governments, and
only five; which have, at one time or
another, had, or been supposed to lave,
some sort of rights in or to Oregon
namely. Spain, France, Russia, Great
Britain, and the United States.
Whatever exclusive rights Spain had
north Of latitude 42-that is, in Oregon
she herself, by the Florida treaty
so called.) in 1919, and afterwards the
Mexican republic, in 1928, as the sue.
cessor Of Spain, have ceded to the u
ni,ed States.
Whatever exclusive rights France
had, (if any) she also, by the Lonisi-
ana treaty $50 called) in 1903, ceded
to the United States.
lfRussia had any claims, she also,by
the treaty of 1896 with the United
States, and by corresponding treaty
with England, stipulated to make no
settlements, or pretensions south Of the
southernmost point Of Prince OF Wales
Island-lhat is, latitude Sd, 40, which
thus becomes the northern limit Of Ore.
gop.
And, although Portugal. Holland,
Sweden, Denmark, Naples. Austria,
Prussia, Belgium, either Of them, has
clearly as much right as Great Britain
to set herself up as the general appro'
priator of all unoccupied lands in A.
naerisa--which.~ indeed, the,~ British
protocol admits in express terms-yet,
as Great Britain has got in the habit
OF taking possession every where, un-
til her politicians and writer's have
come thus TO be subject to such an ex-
traordinary mental hallucination as to
imagine that she has an exclusive right
ofacquisition-that acquisitions made
by any other government are an act .
injury to her--that acquisitions o
hers all over the world, made by
wanton wars of invasion and the blood.
lest and most ruthless conquests, are
perfectly right and proper: but that
even the most honorable, peaceful, and
natural acquisitions made by Russia,
France, or the United States, are mon
strous acts of unparalleled ambition ano
rapacity,--l say, under the influence o
this habit of action, and the mental hal
Iucination consequent on it, Great Brit
ain alone has come forward as the in
vading appropriation Of Oregon; first a.
gainst the title of Spain, Russia, o.
France, and now as against the title o
the United States.
Thus in consequence OF the al
grasping ambition of Great Britain,anc
Comparative unambltiousness of all thu
rest of Europe, the controversy is mar
rowed down TO the conflicting preten
sions of Great Britain and the United
States.
The United States claim title to the
whole OF Oregon, considered as the
valley Of the river Columbia.
l. BY our own discovery. 1t is con
ceded that Captain Gray Of Boston, in
the ship Columbia, first of all christian
men discovered and enlered,and named
the river Columbia; and it is one Of the
points Of the right Of discovery, tina
the discoverer OF river holds the riv'
er valley; the discoverer Of a bay the
lands on the bay; on which principle
France held the Mississippi country
called Louisiana, England (undel
France) the st. Lawrence country
called Canada. and England the north
ern interior of the continent from Hud
sons bay 10 the Rocky Mountains. II
is also conceded that Messrs. Levi:
and Clarke, in the service of the United
States first explored the Columbia val.
ley on the land side from the head wat
ers of the Columbia. 1t is also conce
ded that Mr.. John Jacob Astor, a clti'
zen of the United States, made the frs1
settlement on the main waters Of the
Columbia. The American government
points to these facts. as constituting a
right by discovery, complete and exclu
sive, unless it be doubtful on the side OF
Spain.
2. We claim title in right of Spain
It is conceded that Spanish navigators
from the west coast OF Mexico first o.
all explored the coast Of California to
Cape Mendocino, named after the vice
roy Mendoza. 1t is conceded thai
Spanish navigators first OF all explored
and entered the bay into which the Co.
lumbia flows. 1t is conceded thai
Spanish navigators first Of all explored