The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1846-08-29

arms could have conquered in centu
ry. The Queen smiled, and ratified
the treaty. She had cut piece of oul
territory out of the side Of our consti
n--not, indeed, by the sword, bu
by the yet sharper edge of negotiation
Her ministers and statesmen, in full
Parliament asse mbled, then proudly ex
ulted in the display of map, marked
by the hand of an English King, to
prove that they had obtained, without
price, without blood, by the mere means
of a bullying negotiation, a territory
from US, 10 no one inch of which had
she any right whatever. The fact went
forth 10 the world. The war-panic-
the instrument with which England
had worked--was found to have been
a miserable humbug. The men who,
on this side of the Atlantic, had been
her agents in getting it up, sought to
excuse their conduct, by impudently
declaring that the territory surrendered
was Of little or no value.
Once more, desire the Senate to re-
member, that am seeking to prove
Englan is policy to be, the settlement
Of but one difficulty at time, the ad-
journment Of all others to the future,
and the resort to war-panic. in every
instance, as the best means Of extortng
concessions from US. With the same
view, proceed.
The Ashburton treaty was signed, in
this capital, on the ninth of August,a land
ratified in London on The thirteenth Of
October, eighteen hundred and torty.
hco. By that treaty, England had Sc
cured a part of Maine. That object
was obtamed-thal work done. What
next? Why, sir, on the ffA day after
the ratification Of the treaty which
gave her that territory, she instructed
Mr.. Fox, her then Minister at Wash
ington, to commence negotiations with
our Government about the Oregon ter
ritory; and in those re,y instructions,
LORD aberdeen tells Mr.. Foe that Lord
AShOurton had been "furnished wiM
specific and detdied instructions wiM
respect TO tile treatment Of this point Of
difference betrcen the t,o0 Gouernments,"
that is, The Oregon question. Here,
then, it seems that Lord Ashburton re-
fused to settle the Oregon dispute in
connexion with that of the Maine boun-
Diary, in obedience to the specific and
detailed instructions of this Govern
ment. Either so, or he violated those
instructions by excluding that matter.
Which did he do? This question is
answered in the same despatch TO Mr..
Fox, in which he is told that, Lord Ash
burton had brought the "negotlatons
with which he was instructed TO a sat-
issue" Yes, sir, he had obey
ed his instructions in kee ping out the
Oregon question. TO have disobeyed,
would have been fatal in him. For no
cuIprit, however guilty, stands less
chance for impunity than the English
Minister who disregards the orders OF
his Government. That Government,
which conquers equally by negotiation
and arms, exacts equal subordination
from her diplomatists and generals
When, therefore, Lord Ashburton, ut
The beginning Of his conference with
Mr.. Webster, declared that he had full
powers to settle all the questions in
dispute, and, at the conclusion, declar-
ed that he had no power to settle any
but one, that of the Maine boundary,
he did but Iepeat the detailed and spe-
cifc instructions Of his Government.
lie did but carry out England's system
of diplomatic dupIicity and trickery.-
If am asked, what object England
could have had in refusing to adjust, at
the same time, more than one difficulty
with US, my answer is ready: it was, to
give effect to the war-panic upon our
TO illustrate this. let it
be recollccted that when the Ashbur-
ton negotiation opened, there were, to
say nothing of The cases of "the Gre
ole" and the Carolne,' Mice great
questions in disputc--the Maine boun-
dairy, the Oregon boundary, and the
and Iight of search. These
three questions, taken togcther, involv-
ed the interests, and, therefore, excited !
the feelings, Of the whole American
people. The whole East, felt a more
Immediate interest in the question Of
Name, because it was more local, to
the East. The whole West, felt a
more immediate interest in the question
IF Oregon, because it was more local,
70 the West. The whole Atlantic
Iront, as we'll as the whole interior, felt
, widespread national interest in the
question ofimpressment and search, be-
cause it was national and widespread
n its effects. England knew this; she
Knew, that so many and such great in
erests, stretching all over the Union,