Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-12-31
polftieal.
OREGON.

OREGON QUESTION.
d There Is, al he present moment. n,
J, suhjeci Of surh deep aud general interes
to lhe Unled States, and there is NJ III,
g same time none ip regard to which, lndg
$ ing from the language of many OF III,
public journals, such complete and extra.
: ordinary misrepresentation prevails amons
/, us, as that of Oregon Having been mucI
connected with this question myself. while
IN Congress, my attention has been drawn
very naturally TO the passing discussions
regarding i. find some persons Of opin.
ION that the Brush title 10 part or even
the whole OF Oregon is equal, nay supe.
rlor, to that Of the United States; although,
as appears from official public documents,
the British government, IN its correspon-
dence with ours, has never pretended but
on the contrary has expressly aud uneq1i
vocallv disayowed, title to single acre of
ground in Oregon. A respectable news.
paper now before me, published in this
Stale--in which il is assumed. by ourselves
at least, That great degree Of knowledge
is ditiused through all classes of monde.
llbera'ely ailirms that, # possible the Bri.
tlsh and American claims be equal north
OF latitude 40, yet TO the south OF that mr..
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 seIt.conpacency of be.
lief that the establishments Of The Hud.
sons Bay Company in Oregon give lille
to England, notwithstanding the eohrfary
is positively agreed by treaty between HE |
two governments. How often it is id, |
also, that Great Britain would willingly
compromise this question, and that the IN. |
reasonabeness and obstinacy of the Anne
rlcan government is precpiiating the Uni.
led States into war; when, 10 the con.
trary Of this, the United States have at se.
yerol stages Of the controversy, made the
most liberal offers of compromise, such ms
TO divide the disputed territory into two
equal parts by continuing our present
boundary from the Rocky Mountains to the
Paclfic Ocean, although our government
thinks we have a good title to the Whale
OF Oregon, and the British government,
admits that England has no title to ony
part OF IT; which offers have been unrea.
sonably refused by Great Britain. I am
to asctlbe all these and host of
other prevailing errors on the subject TO
mere party prejudice; and am sure they
cannot come from want OF patri ,tism: and
apprehend The evil to arise from the de-
plorable tendency which exists among us
to copy our ldcns from England; from The /,
many popular English essays on this oues- \
lion which have been repubI.hed and cir.
'neted in the United States and from The /
consequence that, under the insensible in. /,
inence OF our want Of Intellectual indie r
iendence, Americans have suffered their i
Judgment OF the merits of Controversy
between US and Great Britain 10 I've fixed .
~ the interested, disingennous, false, and n
ct me add, profoundly ignorant arguments =
y our adversary's press, regardless Of c
what IS said by our own statesmen Of The /,
ruth OF the case as exposed in the ofliciai I,
of The two governments .,
And in view Of all this, feel confident ,,
here Is nothing could say on he present II
occasion more weI.tmed and useful. or | 10
rust more acceptable, than briefly 10 ex. If
lain the ren nature and present state of 3,
ne Oregon que-tiou Il
! beg leave in adsauce to saw 10 the gen. n
emen present that, IN the discussion of al
lIs gu stlon shall Of course avoid MI =,
ar'y matters; to the ladies' that, his,ori. Vi
u and diplomatic asthe subject Is, | trust N
icy cannot be unwilling to understand
e merits OF nquesiipn upon which their m
ihers and husbands may one day be pos. ou
bly, summoned 10 The battlefield IN de. -,
nee OF their country against foreign in an
'slon; and oall, Of either sex. Thai. as ~
all say morning. in this matter which h,
mt deem 10 be true, and which | should n,
y 90 Tree and glad 10 say 10 an assembly
Englshmen, lot course cannot presume %
at any American will shrink from listen. 81,
to frank but temperate exposition oil IA
9 rights Of the United States. a.
There Is great region Of this conti- I'd
Mt washed ny the Parifc Orean. and Tor
unded w the possessions Of the Mexi an
Republic on the South, those 81 Rus.
on the north, and those OF The Unfed an
ates and Of Great Britain On the east. u
llch Is not yet subjected 10 the Lawful
vernment q any European or Americ onl
wer, and 4 II The only remaining parl he
North America which continues in sor
- anomalous condition. In superficial an,
tent, I is Of nearly 400,0DO square ,he
les; that is, more than three zines as
&c as The aggregate Of aI The British M,
inds, and about equal in extent 70 ibe he,
iles q Maine, New Hampshire, Massa. Is