Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-03-20

tor act done within the territorial linn
Its of the republic. !"
The Hudson Bay Company have
quilt forts South of the Columbia river;
one on the Unqua river, in latitude
70 degrees 80 minutes, while the Uni
tea States have not single post in
all that vast region. Thus England
has the exclusive possession Of the
oregon territoty, and under the above
act OF the British Parliament, the juris-
dlctlon has also gone into the hands
OF English judges. These circumstan-
ces are eminenty worthy of the deep
consideration ofevery American.
The bill which passed the House by
the extraordinary majority of 81, can
with no justice excite the hostility of
England. It FIRST provides that notice
shall be given to England, that after
the termination Of t,celue months, the
present joint occupancy shall cease
his act is In strict pursuance of a SOL
emn treaty stipulation, which has been
IN force for seventeen years, signed by
Great Britain and the United States,
on the 9th August, 1927, which thus
declares:
cart. 2. 1t shall be competent, how
ever, to either ofthe contracting parties,
IN case either should think fit, at any
time after the Goth of October, 1928, en-
giving due notice of TWELVE MONTHS
to the other contracting party, to annul
and abrogate this convention: and it
shall in such case be accordingly an
nulled and abrogated, alter the expira-
ton of the said notice. -
1t is clear that under this agreement
our government have had the power
during the last sixteen years to termi-
nate the joint occupancy, without affor-
ding Just cause of war.
Blythe present arrangement, England
has undeniably the lions share of Ore
gon. The fur trade is entirely in her
hands. She collects about one mil
lion of dollars worth of furs every
year. AS it is twenty five years since
the Joint occupation was first (1S1S)
agreedupon, the value of her commerce
connot be less than TWENTY MILLIONS
of dollars.
Had the policy of Jefferson been
strictly carried out by the succeeding
administrations, this lucrative trade
might have been retained in the hands
Of citizens Of the United States; and
the claims of our country would thus
have been SO srenot eatd, that We
doubt whether England would now
have had the audacity to dispute our
possession; but different policy was
pursued, in allowing England to joint
ly occupy that territory even south of
the Columbia river, with the forts and
garrisons of the Hudson Bay Compa-
ny.
Does not all history prove that delay,
when accompanied by possession, as
in this case, strengthens claim of ter
ritory, no matter how originally ua-
Just? To eveu bad title it gives the
appearance of right. This is of no
mean importance in the present state
of the world. When public opinion
exer;s such controlling power over
every nation, it is particular, desirable
that, in every international dispute,
our country should not only be right,
but seem to be right. Give to England
the Joint occupation of the whole Of
the Oregon Territory for twenty-five
years more, and, in the estimation of
half the civilized world, she will then
have some foundation for claim to at
least portion Of Oregon. She under
stands this well; and therefore desires
TO delay final settlement of the boun-
dary. To foreclose a claim which is
thus growing stronger day by day, the
far-seeing and sound statesmen Of our
country are impelled to urge the occu-
patton of Oregon by the government of
the United States.
KEnxs,ssnA