American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-05-06

try and Great Britain about the right 10 OTc-
gon, has enlisted much feeling in both coun-
tries, we extract from the New York CONNER
cial Advertiser, the following condensed view
OF the grounds on which the territory is claim
cd by the two parties. We believe, with the
New York American Republican, "that whcth-
or Oregon IS annexed to the United States
or not the United States will be annex.
ed to Oregon" OF this there can be no
doubt. As the population of orr country in
creascs it will spread into distant regions; and
we already see, that large bodies of em'grants
are annually posting oil for Oregon lime
will do more towards securing our possession
of that territory than war can-and we would
therefore prefer to leave the question in dis.
putc between the two countries to the certain
and sure decision of time, rather than engage
in premature war-uness indeed we be
forced into it by the action of England. There
is no necessity for our acting hastily in the mat
ter; on the contrary, it is our interest to pur-
sue procrastinltng policy.
The following is the view from the CONNER
cial Advertiser mentioned above.
Great Britain does not claim by virtue of
priority in discovery, though some show OF
stress has been laid upon certain alleged voy-
ages and proceedings of the freebooter, Sir
Francis Drake, in 1919. That unscrupulous
gentleman did certainly land upon the western
coast of North America, and 20 through certain
solemnitics called "acts of taking possession, -
but though 1t has been asserted that the place
/ where he did this was in latitude As or there
| about, the better opinion is that latitude SO was
! the northern limit of his voyaging. The claim
founded upon Brakes supposed landing is
therefore virtually abandoned, and Great BIZ
tain relies upon another tile.
This is derived from Spain The coast was
visited, it is alleged, in l54., by u Spanish en-
petition, which proceeded as far north as lati-
tude Al; by another Spanish expedition in
i 1852, going as far north as 81; again, by an
other Spanish navigator in 1892, and yet again
by another in l610--the last reaching as high
as So, and the one preceding A. Under the
visits, and the accompanying acts of possession,
4 Spain claimed the territory until 1870, when
she entered into a convention with Great
Britain, called the convention Of the EScu-
rial, ;" by which Spain surrendered the erClu-
size right derived from prior discovery, and
conceded TO Great Britain an equal and con-
current right, to be made available only by &C
tual occupation and settlement. 1t is this equal
and concurrent right which Great Britain now
claims, and no other. 1t will be observed,
however, that the equality and concurrence are
only with Spain, as against all other nations
Great Britain alleges that her rights are exclu-
sve.
But in 1919 Spain, by treaty called the
''treaty of Florida, coded to the United States
all her right and title to the territory North of
the AID parallel. Since the date of that treaty,
therefore, the United States have stood, as it
were, in the shoes of Spain, holding that same
equal and concurrent right with Great Britain
which was established by the convention of the
Escural. Spain, then, is now out of the case,
as all other nations were before; and the title
lies between the United States and Great Bri-
tain subject, Of course, to the provision in the
convention of the Escurial, that il is to be made
available only by actual occupation and settle
ment for Spain, by the terms of that conven-
ton had of course no right or power to give
more complete and exclusive title.
But besides this concurrent claim, derived
from Spain, the United States put forward an
exclusive claim, on several grounds; principal
among which are discovered by Capt. Gray,
in l7Os, who catered and sailed some distance
up the Oregon or Columbia river; exploration
! by Lewis and Clafke priority OF settlement py
American citizens; and the right derived from
contiguity, or perhaps we should rather say
continuity ofpossession. They also rely upon
the surrender of Astoria, by the British Govern
ment, in the treaty Of Client, 1914, that settle
) rncnt having been captured by British force in
1913, which surrender is alleged to be virtual
acknow ledgment of the American claim, mas
much as it was made under the clause of the
treaty providing for the restoration by each
power ofall territories and places captured from
) the other during the war
kn,,u No,r, from, In