Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-05-21
OUR TITLE TO OREGON.

ufeat Britain claims, without reserv
0 ton, all the territory north of the Columb
D river, and with an equal right 10 nayiga
\ that river. II is said that she has offert
to make that river the boundary be!wec
the two governments. This claim, If d
lowed by the United States, would TAX
full one half Of the Oregon --perhar
more. To this, our country will never az
cede. During the discussions in the pa
pers and in Congress, our title to the 49t
parallel was considered valid and unques
lionable.
| The American title rests upon the siron
and acknowledged right of discovery
Captain Gray Of Boston, in the year 1892
in the ship Columbia, entered for the frs
time the great river Of Oregon, which b,
named after his ship--the Columbia--an,
to this day il bears that and no othe
name. This is Of some moment, as Their,
is law Of nations which reads thus:
"The nation which discovers and enters
the mouth of river, by implication disco.
vers the whole country watered byit.n
In virtue of this discovery, the Colum.
bia valley belongs to the United States, as
against England As if to perfect our Ii
lie, il is not denied that the Lewis, and
Clark, and Willamette rivers, its tribua-
RES, which spread through all Oregon,
were first explored by Americans, by the
expedition sent out by the American Con-
gress at the suggestion Of Jefferson, under
Captains Lewis and Clark. There was
minuleness and fullness in their discoye-
ries which give The highest authenticity TO
a title founded upon prior discovery.
Oregon is ours by purchase lin 1870
from Spain, undeniaby the first discoverer
and occupant Of the coast, even as far
north as the 55lh parallel In 1919,
Spain, for consideration of $5,000,000,
coded TO the United States Florida, and al.
so all her rights, title, and claim to all Ter.
rlsry on the Pacific coast north Of the 42d
parallel Of latitude.
The only circumstance calculated to
weaken the perlectness Of The United
States title, is the well known Nootka
Sound contest (in l7s9) which terminated
in convention between England and
Spain, in the year 1890, some twenty
years before our purchase from Spain, and
with which conditions our title is certain.
" cloggod. The terms Of that conyen.
ton have been the source of infinite dis
pute. After an examination Of the terms
of the treaty--the debates in the English
Parliament when the treaty was laid be-
fore that body--the contemporaneous ac-
lion in relation 10 the surrender Of the En-.
gish possessions on Nootka Sound, which
had been seized by Spain---which surren.
der, by the way, an English historian,
Belsham, insists was never made--the
whole convention seems to be resolved in
to a joiat occupancy Oh the part Of En-
gishmen and Spaniards for commercial
purposes. Such one now exists, and has
existed for twenty.seven years between
Great Britain and the United States in re.
lation to the very same territory. Yet we
doubt whether any American considers
that we yielded ID the least our ultimate
title 10 the Oregon, by that joint occupan-
cy. Applying the same principle TO the
between England and Spain,
The conviction viii arise that the title was
left in allegiance to be determined by sub
sequenl agreement. The following is a |
clear summary of the American tile:
/. Discovery of the mouth Of Column
bia river, by Capt. Gray, of Boston, giving
the name of his vessel to the river
2. The discovery of the head Of the |
same river, by Lewis and Clark, under the
authority of the United States.
8. The settlement of Astoria under the
auspices of Mr.. Astor, an American natu-
ralized citizen.
4. The treaty Of 1903 with the French |
republic.
s. Tha treaty of Spain of 1910, ac-
luiring all rights of Spain to land north Of
IL degrees beyond the Rocky mountains.
6. The Nooika Sound contest (l7S9)
England and Spain.
Z. The treaty of Utrecht (l763) be-
ween France and England, settling boun-
settlement becoming ours, as
he successor of France IN that part of
Ter dominions.
8. The treaty Of Client (lSl5) restor-
ng Astoria to the United States as Ameri-
an property.
!. Q. American citizens were once in sole
Sssession of the Columbia river region.
Even should the Nootka Sound conven-
ion be considered cession of title and
overeignty 10 England on the part Of
pain, il only applies TO the places named
herein, and those that are situate north of
40 10th parallel Of latitude. 1t is well
"Not an inch Of soil In the val 1
BY Of the Columbia aud its tributariesl
'erc included in the provisions Of The
Of 100. South Of Noo!ka
'ound all parties in this country concur
lat our title is 'clear and unques,ionable."
md there is not the remotest probability |