Mobile register and journal., 1845-11-18

THE OREGON QUESTION

lHE OhEGON QUESTION.
"The whole of Oregon nsne," is the assertion
that the "Unlon'' makes behalf Of this govern
ment, and which it asks Congress TO confirm. We
consider the thought ''unproportoned," and oppose
any act of Congress in conformity with il. Mr..
Rush, while minister to Great Britain in 1918, mac q
the first effort for the settlement of this boundary.
The controversy then IN embryo. He records
his impressions Of THAT time in the following Ian
guage: ''l cannot leave this part Of the negotiation
without renarking that the important lquestion OF
territorial rights which it involves between the two
nations rs still an open one; and do not fear to re.
cord the prediction that it will be found question
full of difficulty under whatever administration eth
err of Great Britain or of the United Slates il may
hereafter be approached II Is not in the genius OF
either nation to yield what il believes itself entitled
to; and however strong our convictions OF the just
foundation Of the whole claim that coast and its
interior may be, the convictions of Great Britain in
the stable nature of her rights, that interieres
teraIIv with ours, are moi less decided aud unequ-
vocal" Under the negotiations between the United
States and Great Britain, conducted on the part of
the former, by the minister whose "memoranda" we
have quoted, the country OF Oregon has been occu-
pied by Great Britain and the United States on
equal terms since 1918.
The United States at that time proposed to Great
Britain 10 make the 49th deg the boundary This
was refused by Great Britain. The question now
occurs how comes the 49th deg. TO be an important
line in this question: and why has the United States
uniformly expressed its Willingness to adopt that
line? Why has the government paper found it me-
cessory repudiae in such terms the notion that the
49th deg. is not the proper boundary?
The claim of the Uned States to pass 10 the west
Of the Mississippi orig males in the treaty of Paris
Of 1903, under which Louisiana wills acquired. Du-
ring the winter of 1903 Mr.. jefferson directed The
attention of Congress the northwest coast of
America, and in 1904 Lewis and Carke's expedi-
ton fitted 10 explore The Of the Mis-
! souri, and 10 pass TO the Pacific.
Lousian, had been acquired with an underlined
boundary to the west. BY The treaty of Utrecht the
line between the French and English possessions
mad been fixed at the 49lh deg. The boundary Of
Louisiana The west and south west was equally
uncertain and underlined. The whole country to The
west of the Sabine and Missouri and north to the
Russian possessions were claimed by Span. The
lands wholly nnoccupied, and were in that
dtion that exploration claim and settlement would
confer right upon the of contgu terrific
ry able 10 maintain possession. The expedition
of Lew and Clarke trasersed the Oregon terrific
ry They entered upon 1t between the AZ and ~
degrees of north lattude-arrived at a principal
branch Of the Columbia river and followed that RI
TO its mouth.
This public expedition Of the United States for
The purposes Of exploration, and which was followed
bya claim oil the part of the government and occu.
pancy by individual settlers, connected with the fact
that the contiguous territory to the 49ih degree was
ours, and that there conflicting superior
right, gives very great force and impressveness TO
the American claim to the 49,h deg.
When we go TO the north of that line, we find that
English navgators, under the authority of the gov
ernmen t had made discoveries on the coast prior 10
the Americans That explorations Of one of the large
rivers Of the coast Rad been pre-, ousy made BY
British subject. and that Great Britain owned the
contiguous territory with an open boundary. Thus
while we find our rights to the Columbia river and
the contiguous lands superior 10 the British, we
are forced to admit the merit of the English claim to
the north. This has been the sentiment ofthe staes
men OF the United States for twenty-five years past,
who have had this subject especially in charge.
Mr. Rush, IN bis Memoranda, thus explains the