Litchfield enquirer., 1845-12-04
TanE ENQUIRER.
ArT, Hr1ELO, DEC. 4, 1916.
.yHE WHOLE OF OREGON OR NONE"


,chole of Oregon on none ?" has been echoed by
the thousand lOcoGoco editors and demagogues who
follow the leading strings Of Nc. Richie. AS lis
il most important national question: question
inv diving peace and Nar between two great and
powerful nations-it is attracting the attention OF
pat iotic and observing men from Que extreme oil
the Union TO the other; and such assumptions from
such source, cannot at this time fail to be regard
ed with serious apprehension and alarm Kegarn-
ed simply as embracing the individual opinions OF
MIR Richie, the article which he puts forth under
the above head would hardly be deemed oil SUN
cient consequence to merit sober reply. but a.
ernanating from the Presidents official organ-a
paper which is presumed to give expression to HIS
plans and 'purposes-the sentiments there express
ed assume degree ofilnportance infinitely beyond
what they could otherwise possess. question
naturally arises-b this TO be the policy Of oar Go
vernment? From the evidence before us, we un-
hesitatingly respond in the affirmative The Ian.
guage Of those friends of the President who have
had the best opportunities Of knowing his views
and determinations in regard to it.. has been too
plain and unequivocal to admit Of q reasonable
doubt on this point. Read the following from the
article alluded to:
.tTHE WHO e OF OREGON OR NoNE--fhtS IS the
only alternative as an issue of territorial right
Wewholiy deny the break in the American f'nc
at latitude ~ deg. We hold that cur title from
AZ deg to 81 deg. 40 min. is one lite, and, as we
believe, q perfect title og0inst the scOrfd AS the
question has been discussed for quarter o: cen
fury between US and England, we ale not aware OF
one argument-scarcelv of one phrase purpor'lng
to I've an argument-whch carries our title up Il"
40 deg and there stops We claim as matter OF
right the territory drained by the Columbia river.
In the view of the law OF nations. this territory
being unoccuped, has its distinctive character and
siy as regi0n in the fact that 1t IS s" drain
ed. And as one region, we either own 1t, or we
do not own 1t. H. q ....'> -
Away, then, once for all. with such nonsense
as the claim uf England north OF 40 deg ID better
than our claim " Let US at least know clearly,
and state accurately, what we do in this matter
II it has ever been deemed erpedtent las matter OF
compromise, and to hush zap dispute) to g've
ua,ny to England, certain portion OF that iann'
all of which we consider ours, or II, from any oth-
er motives of high national concernment,t may
have been deemed wise to compromise the question
of possession. let and put our past actIon
on that ground. But let as make no attempt 10
cloak our policy under a pretended inter'o,"y OF
our title to the land so sacrificed. No such pre-
tence can SAGE rs -@es... "a.
'sAgain, we must speak to the democratic party
OF the United States. But we dare to nope tha'
many liberal wing will feel the force Of the APP
peal which the interests Of his country will make
10 his patriotism in this important question we
especially address ourselves. however, at this lme
to the democratic party. because OF the peculiar
circumstances which have connected them IN past
times with the question Of Oregon They became
peculiarly connected with it by their public avow-
ais near eighteen months age. The Baltimore
convention expressed the deepest interest in the
TERRITORY Of Oregon. In the canvass Of the Presi-
dental election. the same decided sentiments were
manifested. The Presidents first prompt, strong.
manly word, in full response to that convention.
was, to the Oregon our right IS clear and an
Questionable. - /
The last sentence in the above paragraph. which
was contained in President Folks Inaugural Adj
dress, tells us in no unmeanng terms what ms
views are on this important question; and from 1t.
with the subsequent course Of his intimate frends1
and political advisers. we may fairly infer what
ahe policy of his administration with regard to il
will be. The Prime Minister Of Great Britain, in
answer to this unfortunate and unnecessary decla.
ration Of the President, declared that England
would not yield an inch of her rights Here, then.
the door u compromise is shut, and so long as our
Government acts upon the principles and policy
laid down by the o6irial, there is no possible room
even for negotiation between the two Governments
The only alternative is WAR. We have all along
officially acknowledged that England had fright"
to portion of Oregon We did not say to what
extent, but by admitting her to joint and equal
occupancy Of the whole territory. from lat AZ to
lat 81 40, we left room for the inference that we
considered her rights about equal 20 our own On
the sth Of February. 1929. Mr.. Benton offered in
the u. S. Senate the following resolution:
Resolved, That 1t is erpedirnt for the Geo.
rrnment of the United States to treat arith his
Britannic Majesty in reference to said claims
and boundaries. upon the basis of a separation Of
irterest, and the ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FORTY
NINTH DEGR EE OF NORTH LATITUDE as a per.
n,anenf boundary 6et,ceen them, in the shortest
possible time" .3lg.' .f e -a a.'t.rrf-. .s.a
And no,o the administration claim our right to
the tcaole Of Oregon " clear and indssputabIe!"
In the face Of all former negotiations and dis
putes its partzans are rampant ior war because the
whole ofthat vast territory is not at once surren.
dered to our far.reaching ambition and cupidity.
So palraby wrong -headed is the administration on
this question. that such papers as the N. Y. Eve
ming Post and the Charleston Mercury have ,e.
Gently come oHt in tone of manly rebuke and
warning. Even the Journal Of Commerce. strong.
ly anti.Whig as it is, thus speaks % -''~sa
Our Democracy needs to be rebuked when it
threatens to plunge the nation in needless, an un-
Just, a bloody and ruinous war; In regard to Ore.
uon, Great Britain has shown herself disposed to
meet Us on fair terms. After trying in vain to a.
gree upon compromise. she proposes to refer il
to disnterested arhtrators. What greater proof
could be required Of her sincerity and jus,ice.-
We tell her she is unreasOnahle--hasn no iust claim