The New York herald., 1845-11-14
Highly Important from Washington-Vievs
of MIR. Polk on the Oregon Question.
From the Washington Union, (ttfe organ) Nov. Ill
TIE rORrv MI Ar,rII d AID All I III


of Mr.. Polk on the Oregon Question.
From the Washington Union, tttfe organ) Nov H.
THE FORTY-NINTH PARALLEL.
We have already stated our conviction that the Amer
ican title to Oregon is sound and perfect up to % deg
40 m We have denied the existence Of any break in
in SO far as the negotiations this subject between the
United States and England have been made
which carries title 49 deg and there stops
We made all these statements with due delberaton-
allegations the matter which running the rounds
Of the whg Press and we are prepared to sustain them
This being the state of our title to Oregon it seems
proper explain briefly how it has happened in past
times, that as matter OF compromise we have offered
and the acceptance OF Great Britain the 49h
parallel line of limits between herself and u.s. from
the Rocky Mountains TO the p,ciac We pressed this
,as During all that time, offer of this compromise
steadily repelled. In some Of our Unsuccessful at
tempts at Oregon legislation, under the stipulation of
joint occupancy (as Il is called of 1875 we have also
named the north limit OF our territorial jurisdiction
it's question of no small interest Just now how all
this has come to pass7 In what manner and for what
cause has SO happened that our government through
quarter Of century claiming and holding good title
its with lam vssi the line T. % dss
who doubt that our title is clear up to 81 deg. 40 M
hsw it that the line Of 40 deg has been line of
gotation, and Of attempted legislation, long, if
our title does not terminate at that line 7
This question we now propose to answer.
BY the treaty OF peace with Great Britain OF l7S3 the
northern boundary line between the United States and
British America settled from the of the river
ST. Croix the northeast to the Lake of the Woods
the northwestths lake being about $50 miles northwest
Of Lake Superior and then supposed to be but short
distance east of the heal waters Of the Mississippi This
lne-from the St. Croix to the Lake of the Woods-sl
stands our boundary has been changed
its commencement in the northeast and between Lake
burton treaty Having drawn this boundary far west
the Lake ofthe Woods, the treaty Of 1888 spu
lated that the boundary line should extend due west
| I.Qk nj he atriko tho
continue
west from the Lake OF the Woods could strike the
Mississippi A new line west from that lake then
and other disputed points Of the treaty Of 1885, having
been stipulated for in subsequent treaty with England
years following 1903 the date be it Observed of
Louisiana purchase. In these negotiations subsequent
boundary line between the United States and the British
possessions The penipotentiaries and governments
Just about on the line Ct the 49th degree
the Rocky Mountains with the express provso that the
agreement should in way touch the of territory
claimed by either party west othose mountains when
The affair Of the Chesapeake occurred, and the negota
tions broken off by the troubles which resulted
brought with it new boundary negotiation This ne ne.
Eotiaton renewed old basis tho line OF 40 deg
resulted in 1918, in the establishment of that line from
the Lake of the Woods the Rocky Mountains as our
boundary and lat the same time and by the next article
2. the IN the stipulation q Joint occupancy
/
! 1897 still exists.
Such being the history of the line of 40 degrees so far
as our diplomacy and our rights are concerned, the
question now arises how came that line to be adopted
as the basis Of our negotiation on this side of the Rocky
mountains
The answer is strange one The line of 40 degrees
which has played such part in the boundary negota
tons between the United States and England, first
there little doubt finally agreed upon
as the Rocky mountains-soely in consequence Of a
i neva m DtO inc inn
between the United States and England till after had
purchased Louisiana After that purchase, it became
necessary for Of course to ascertain the northern
boundary line of purchase. Ts find that boundary,
which, after the original grant of Louisiana Crozat by
Louis XIV had been carried far to the north into the
gon Of the Illinois, as caed then belonging to
France under the general name of New France TO set
tie, we say the northern boundary Of Louisiana, which
had thus been carried far to the northward it became
necessary to refer to the treaty Of Utrecht concluded
of Utrecht contains the following stipulation -
at is agreed on both sides to determine within
by commissioners to be forthwith named by each
Bay Of Hudson and the places appertainng to the
also have orders describe and settle like manner
the boundaries the other British and French CO.
lones in those parts"-2 Jenkinson's Treaties.
This treaty was, in general terms, confirmed in the
tan France and Spain Under this treaty of Utrecht
commissioners were appointed stipulated; and by
Of the srangest bunders which negotiation has made
modern times subsequent diplomacy to have TAX
for granted that they performed the duty for which
they were appointed and did line Of boundary be-
tween the French AID English essions and that the
line by them the line of the parallel OF 49 de-
grees 1t is perfectly astonishing to see how this
founded opinion through protocol after PROTOCOL and
negotiation after negotiation and treaty after treaty till
finally it became the basis Of special instruction from
and through them the Of our boundary line as il
by them then settled along the 49th parallel from
the Lake of the Woods westward to the Rocky noun
| tans.
The fact is well established that under the trea-
y Of Utrecht ne line whatever was either adopted
hut
as the boundary Of the French possessions the NORTH
or of the British possessions on the south.
In fact no such boundary line ever run at all.
Often this line cited and referred basis
OF subsequent negotiation, it had any existence
Till then boundary line running along the 49th paal
lei was just as imaginary in diplomacy as the parallel
Itself elf is sin, imaginary on the surface Of the earth
lect are now agreed on this point But Of course,
do not make these statements without being prepared
to present the proofs of what assert These proofs
amounting to complete denomination we will present
in detail whenever they may be wanted to sustain
rity of Mr. Greenhow in his most accurate and exhaus
tive work upon Oregon that the archives ohe Depart
ment of Foreign Affairs in France have been searched
for any evidence of the adoption of any such boundary
line under the treaty Of Utrecht and that trace Of
such evidence has been found To this we may add,
that the various English and French publications, writ
ten since MI. Greenhows work, and in reply to it, and
some Of them written under the eye of the British Co.
vernment, produce no evidence from the British
chives Of any such line conclusive proof that such
evidence to be found there And lastly may saythat
.ne only autnor VINO makes mention OF the appointment
OF any such commissioners under the treaty Of Utrecht
states that their negotiations ceased prematurcly in
l72a-they having been appointed in i7l9. 1t may he
proper to add that MIR. Monroe, when Minister at
tho Court of st. James, in 1904 been the
first American statesman who brought into negota-
tions with England this imaginary boundary line OF the
49h degree, supposed by him to have been run under
the treaty Of Utrecht There be doubt that
Mr. Monroe was mised by old map in his possession,
to which reference is made in his correspondence.
Meantime any Of readers opponents entertain
any doubt on the whole view we have given Of this
tn Mr r. 1anru
and able work. and the largo list of autho
rites cited by him on this point
We have gone thus mnutely into the history Of this
line Of the 49th parallel with the view of showing how
entirely imaginary how wholly baselcss is the idea
has any connexon whatever with our title to the soil
OF Oregon. or course, 1t is unnecessary for to say
that this line is in no way related In the slightest de-
gree TO the history of discovery of exploration Of
settlement, Of occupation, in the soil Of Oregon. No
dscoverer, explorer nhabitant started from
it, stopped at it, or settled upon it, a line of dema
cation.