The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-11-21
POLITICAL.
From the Raleigh IN. CO. Standard.
THE OREGON QUESTION.

The Raleigh Register, following in the lead Of the
National Inteigencer, Of which It is the echo for
North Carolina, WAKES warm in its anti-Oregon,
anti American sentiments. That paper Of Friday
last contains the following:
'sThe portentous limitations from England brought
by the Caledonia, taken in connection with the Ian
guage Of the government organ ut Washington,
would seem TO indicate that trouble is brewing, and
viii certainly come, unless Mr. Polk qualities in his
forthcoming message the expressions used by him
on the Oregon question, in his inaugural, and at
which the British minisry, Parliament, and the
public press took such umbrage. But the Union,
the Presidents organ, goes even farther II is con-
stantly exclaming 'Oregon-thc whole of Oregon or
homeland leaves full ground for the inference,
that the President will strongly urge the passage Of
a bill for Immediately extending our government
the whole of Oregon. Such step would inn
mediately bring about crisis--'argument would
be exhausIed;' and AS Gov. Troup said, on memo
rabe OCCASION should have no alternative but ito
stand by our arms Are the American people, are
the people Of North Carolina, prepared for such
result !"
Mr.. Polk is to equality" his expressions He
is to take back the truth, to please the ssParament
and the public press" Of England He is 10 sur
render our rights rather than beard John Bull and an
angry Parliament High times, indeed ! Gor-
GUS times for these free States, when the federal
presse1advise the government and people to give up
their undoubted rights, or go into battle for them
with English editors at their head
Passing over the discoveries of Spanish naviga-
tors, under which, to some extent, we hold title
well as all disputes topriority ofdiscovcry by
the English, (Which we must do, on account of our
lack of space,) with the promise TO lay before our
readers, long, much valuable matter on this ques-
ton we come at once to the speech of Mr.. Benton in
lS24-that mastery effort in favor of American
rights, and breathing the best American sentiments
In this speech, delivered in the Senate in 1924, Mr..
csaA r,rbf f<,n
undeniable propositions: LIST, discovery of the Co
lumbia river, by Captain Gray, in 1880; I'd, pur-
chase OF Louisiana, in 1903; ID, discovery of the
Columbia, from its head to it's mouth, by Lewis
and Clarke, in 1905; 9TH, settlement at Astoria, in
1911; 5th, treaty with Spain of 1919. By these
several titles, continues Mr.. Benton, the United
States has collected into her own hands all the
rights conferred by first discovery aud first settlement
reinorcedby all the claims Of France and Spain. Mr.
Calhoun, in his speech in the Senate in l643, on
this question: alluded the frequent Intellectual at
tempts made by the two governments to adjust this
AZ degrees to the southern limits of the Russian
possessions, in latitude 81 degrees; and the British
contending at time for line of division at the
Columbia river, at about the 46th degree, and re-
fusing, at another, to take the 49th parallel and,
though he did not profess in that speech discuss
the title, he controrertedno issue offered by the most
dent advocates for the right Of this country TO the 54h de-
gree, but said, distinctly "the cesker the title the
more valuable the territory" But, we are answer
ed by the Raleigh Register, no matter how good our
title may be to the ichole territory government
has repeatedly offered to compromise at the 49ih
parallel; and Mr. Benton himself made this offer in
1928; and we ought not now to 60 to war for what
we were once prepared to abandon. We admit
that this compromise has been offered; but experi-
cnce has shown that neither it, nor one much more
liberal, would satisfy the British government But
did this offer, made for The sake Of peace impair in
any sense right to the whole territoryi Surely
not. Hear the Washington Union upon this point:
eve take shorter course We defy our oppo-
nSnts OH this question: one and all, TO produce anu
Stale paper claiming 10 speak the sentiments Of the
.Inerican government al amy Time in phich the doc
frine Of OUR RIGHT TO THE WHOLE OF OREGON has
been contrddicted OF abandoned. Let them show us
one administration in this country that has ever
said, or intimaed, or allowed, in any terms or on
any occasion, that the United States did not Of right
ocn The soil Of Oregon up to 50 deg. 40 min.
"Over and over again, indeed, our government
has offered to COMPROMISE this our rightful claim
10 compromise Of the line Of the 49th parallel Fail
ing to do this, government has twice postponed
the decision Of the question by stipulation Of Joint
occupancy carefully reserving in that stipulation
lis ,chole right and claim unimpaired But what adj
ADMINISTRATION has ever naroiued the ground Of our al
legged right one inch What one State paper has
done this, in the name Of the government We
defy the anti-Oregon press to produce one such
document, or any trace of one."
Our title to Oregon conceive to be good all the
way through, by discovery and occupation, by
in the face Of England and Of all the world; and we
frankly confess that, if we did not believe, we
should not support this or any administration in the
stand it has taken. In this opinion we arc sus-
tanned, not only by host of the first minds in the
country, out by Mr.. Henry Clay Is the Register
astonlshed! On the 10Th June, 1926, Henry Clay,
then Secretary of State, wrote to Mr. Gallaiin, our
minister at London, the following instructions:
".Nor is conceived that Great Britain has, or can
make out eren colorado title 10 any portion of the
northwest coast" Put that into your pipe and
smoke it, Mr. Register. But, replies that paper
frightened, no doubt by'portentous limitations from
England-what TaiM The territory is ours, had we not
better give up two or three degrees of it, and thus
avoid war Would it not be as well, as Johnny
Bull is roaring, for Mr. Polk to equality" his tex
pressions'' Shall we, continues that paper, bring
about "a crisis" merely because our rights and
honor are involved We are as much friend to
peace as the editor Of the Register. We would de-
plorc as much as he would, the calamitics war
with England or with any other power would oc-
cason; but in the cup of nations the caamities Of
war are not to be compared to that mixture of hui
initiation and Disgrace which would inevitably fol.
low a tame and base surrender of undoubted ter
rtorial rights. Oregon 10 either ours, or it is not.
If Englands right to be better than ours let her
take it but if our right be the clearer and the better
one, shall we yield i because England demands it :
INcNor ~ - uot W TIC purpose W sdyy IL 10 cruc
and valuable, and ought therefore to have it-no
matter what it TO- il our right be clear and satisfacto
ry, we are bound to hold il as against the unjust de-
mands of any and all powers bn|
But, after all this kind reader, is il not mournful-
ly apparent that these Jeffersonian democrats arc
terrible set of felowsi What right have htyto
whisper even, when the lion Of old England howls !
What right have they TO property or territory I
In the admirable strain of Cobbett they not re-
pubiicansf Are they not dragged republicans" with
irregular governments, and without king, lords,
and commons What shall jacobins and level
lcrs ocofocos and dcstroyers ofsocal order control
lands and territories Are the old women and chill
dren to be scared federal editors to be plunged into
a crisis, and Great Britain whippcd-iust because
these republicans want, and intend to have, their
rights Monstrous! 1t shocks every nerve in our
decent and respectable" body. Possessed as
Of "ali the intelligence and all the learning"
il is absolutely provoking to US to these igno
rant, huge-pawed fellows telling our dear old moth
or England that she has right to Oregon and that
any attempt her part to control it. Gas her liberal
IL IL