Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-12-31
DOIttfraI.
OREGON.
HON. CALEB cUsHING's LECTURE on THE
OREGON oIgEsTInN


There is, at he present moment. no
subject of such deep and general interest
to the United States, and there is at the /
same time none. in regard to which, iudg /
ing from the language of many of the /
public Journals, such complete and extra
ordinary misrepresentation prevails among I
us, as that of Oregon. Having heen much |
with this question myself, while
in Congress, my attention has been drawn |
very naturally 10 the passing discussions
il. find some persnns of opin-
ion hat the British title To a part nr even
the whole Of Oregon is equal, nav supe-
rior, to that of the uuued States; although,
as appears firm official public documents,
the Brush government, IN It's correspnn-
dence with ours, has never pretended. hut
on the cantrary has expressly and uueqni
vocalls aiS4vowed, tile t. a sinale acre of
ground in Oregon. A respectable news
paper now before me, published in thi,
Siaie-ln which II is assumed. by ourselves
1t least, thata great degree OF knowledge
is dfused through all classes of men-de-
liberaiely aflirms that, { possible the BrI
ii and American claims he equal north
of latitude 49, ct 10 the south ot that par
allel, the British claim is clearly better
than the American, when the exact re-
verse OF this Is the fact. One writer ar
CUES, with perfect $eIf-ca,nplacency IF be-
| lief, that the establishments OF the Llud-
sons Bay Company In Oregon give title
to England, Notwithstanding the contrary
| is positively agreed bv treaty hetween4he
two governments. How often ii is sid,
also, that Great Britain would wllia%1
compromise thus question, and that The dns
reasnnab.eneSS and oIlstlnacy of the Ame-
rican government is precipi'ating The Uni
ted ST tes into war; when, 10 the con
trary OF This, the United Stlies hive at Sc
vera stages. Of the controversy, made the
mos liberal offers OF compromise, such rs
to DIVIDE the disputed territory into two
equal parts by continuing our present
boundary from the r 1cky Mountains to the
Pacific 0ceau, although our government
taifts We have a 90 q tile u Inc whole
OF Greg n. and The Brush government
admits that England has no title to any
part OF IT; which oilers have cen unrea-
spnlhIy refused by Great Britain. | an
unwilling To aScIibe all these and a hast o
other prev .iling errors an the subject Il
mere party prejudice; and am SIRE the
cannot come from want OF patri ans
prehend the evil to ariss fr4m the de
lplorable tendency which exists among u.
10 copy our ideas from Eng and; from tn,
many popular English esstv~ on this ques
ton which have been republiShed and CIR
cnleted in the United STATES and from lht
consequences that, under The insensible in
f1nence OF our want of intellectual indie
pendence, Americans have suffered thei
judgment OF the merits Of controvers'
between Us and Greai Britlin to lie fxet
bA the.Intsrested, dlsingennous, false, ano
let me add, pr3foundiy ignorant argument
ri our adversary S press, regardless O
F.. VIVA is said BY our own statesmen of tn
! truth of the case as exposed in the officia
correspondence of the two government:
I And in view of all this, | feel confiien
. there is nothing could say on he presen
. occasion more wel-tmed and useful, or
E trust more acceptable, than briefly to eN
q plain the real nature and present state {
the Oregon question.
!; | beg leave IN advance to say to the ger
: tgemen present that, IN the discussion
e this qu' stion | shall of course avoid a
It party matters to the ladies that, histor
cd and diplomatic asthe subject is, I tru
they cannot be unwilling to understan
the merits OF question upon which the
= fathers and husbands may one day be pn
: siHly summoned TO the battlefield In ID
! fence OF their country against foreign Il
= vasion; and q all, OF either sex, that, as
= she'll say nothing in this matter which
! do ut deemto be true. and viii h sgoa
: n I lie free and elad 10 say 70 an assemb
j y Engllshmens / ot course cannat pres N
: 'iiai any AmerI@an wiiLshrink from lis lei
: ing u trink tsuf temperate exposition
= The rights Of the United States.
:. There = a graf region of 8his cont
= nent washed ~ The PAeiic o can, al
5 isannded ~ The possessions Of the Me1
= can Republic. on the South, those oil RI
= STA on The north, and salase OF The Unit,
EStates and If Great Bulain IN tue ea,
Il winch S not yet subjected t. the awt
8 government t any European or Americi
+ poWef aad il s. The onl9 remaining pa
ot Nefth America which c9nlinaes
ID "a III anona4l sas. eona4tf n. In Spperfici
a. extent, il i 81 nearIs 400 900 squa
tntlsss thsi Is. nsfe ohm tbree tunes
I'll large a. aiie egsfe Of ali The Bfitl
4 lsl.nd-, nd alsoat equal insexient TO I
States II MAine. New Hampshire, AIMS
elasasetls. Rhode lsland, Cs3unekaieul,
Sc York, New Jer eA, PsanSy xania, De-