Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-06-28
THE ADMINISTRATION AND OREGON.

nave IN cOurung the enmty OF ule majority OF the
free people Of the United States, it is not easy to
comprehend. Yet we find the ordinary occupation
of its established organ TO be the belling Of the
Wing party Of the country, in manner most dis
ingenious and apparently shameless A glaring
instance Of this habit Of the government paper is
TO be found in g the Union " of Saturday night last
in the following paragraphs:
"AMEaicAs AND EssLrsH FEELIse.--When the Presi-
dent delivered his inaugural address there not whisper
OF opposition from the whole ranks Of the Wing patty upon
Of its important passages Celebrated it has since be-
come, but at the time, passed without the slightest cri
cism. He asserted rights TO- Oregon as clear snd un
questionable What Wing orator conadicedit WI hat
Wing press censured Not far as we are advised
II there one, few il certainly confined 70
narrow circle Such was the American feeling.
But when the English press attacked when Sir Robert
Peel and Lord Aberdeen rebuked hen indeed the eyes
of tho Wings suddenly opened The Wings began to
contemplate the subject through British spectaces Them
indeed the Wings caught the from British rivals
and because they who claim to the territory of Oregon
hoaght proper to abuse the address osar President the
Wings pleased initiate their example. They, too
began to denounce it, They too for the first time, thought
Mr. Folks language utterly unusfabe because the English
Premier had first struck the gong of opposition" &C.
Now, ..lnark how plain tale shall put him
down. When the President came to take the
oath of Office, these pestilent WHIes, acquescing
with the docility and prompttude of good citizens
in the constitutional accession of Mr. Polk to the
Presidency, and making every allowance for the
novelty of that gentleman's position, and his want
of recent familiarity with the course of our foreign
relations, were disposed to treat him with all the
courtesy and forbearance which generous men and
gentle know how to extend in certain circumstances
to their enemies. The same tenderness was
extended to the Presidents inaugural Address as
shown towards him personally. II was not
closely scanned nor dissected by the press, Off
cial papers usually are, and his Messages to
Congress undoubtedly will be, because it not
regarded official paper, but, like the Inaugu-
raj Address of the late lamented HARRISON, as the
offspring Of his individual mind, expressing sent
ments such as he might freely utter before taking
the oath of Office, for which no other person than
himself to be held accountable, and by no
to be taken as deciding forecosing the action OF
the coming Administration, when the Presiden,
should be better informed of the actual state of
foreign intercourse and have had the bene6tof con-
sultaton with official advisers then not yet appoint
ed. Such was undoubtedly the general understand
ing here Of the Inaugural Address. The different
construction put upon it elsewhere, the installing Mr.
PoLKs expression of opinion for an Executive an.
nunciaon, and the constituting of it too literally, led
to the structures in the British Parliament to which
the government paper refers, which eagerly
caught up here by designing demagogues, who,
giving to Mr.. Folks language a construction not
his own but that of the British Ministers, attempt
ed, upon their objections to it, to raise cry of War
than which nothing could have been more wanton
or wicked had it not the excuse of utter ignorance
on the part of most of those who raised it, of the
true state of the Oregon question.
i, is not true, however, that there was not
whisper Of opposition from the whole ranks of the
Wing party" upon the part of the Inaugural
Address which related TO Oregon or that il pass
ed without the slightest criticism Altogether
averse as we to even just criticism of the Ad
dress, the exceptonable paragraph concerning the
Oregon question was not suffered to pass wholly
without notice, having been referred to- in the Ma
tona Inteligencer of March 8, (the day after the
publication of the Address in the following terms
The points of the Address TO ,olich zoe parficu-
larry object are, the eulogy ofthe odious Veto power
the unnecessary fling at those who endeavored to
the public and private distress which follow
ed the refusal to renew the charter of the defunct
Bank of the United States all that part of the
: AuureSs Wnicn relates 10 the exaS queSuOn ; anu
The unnecessary introduction into such docu.
menf Of THE OREGON QUESTION, qualified though
u be Nth The natimafion that every obligation
posed by treaty conventional sfipulafionS IN
regard 10 that matter should be sacrediy respect.
ed. We sincerely wish that the President had
confined himself TO the enunciation in respect 10 oul
Foreign Relations, of general principles such as
: ne has expressed in the following sentences:
"ln the management Of our foreign relations it will be my
aim to observe careful respect for the rights of other ma
TONS while will be the subject Of constant wa tob
fitness Equal and exact justice should characterize all ou
intercourse with foreign countries"
"These are maxims which, if faithfully adhered
to- cannot fail to point the President to an homes,
policy, and ensure to him an honorable fame
The question at issue in the negotiation between
the United States and Great Britain, il must be OBJ
served, is not whether the United States have rights
in what is called the Oregon territory those rights
being admitted by the Government Of Great Bri-
tain, as we admit rights on her part, by entering
into the pending negotiation. Those rights to some
extent had before been admitted on both sides,
twenty-seven years ago, by Treaty negotiated by
Messrs. GALLArrN and RUSH, of which the follow
ing is the third article:
"AnT. 3. II Is agreed that any country that may be
claimed by either party the northwest coast Of America,
westward Of the Stony Mountains, shall together with its
habors bays, and creeks, and the navigation Of all
within the same, be free and OPEN for the term Of years
from the date of the signature Of tho present Convention
the vessels, citizens and subjects Of the two Powers being