Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-02-28


when the question up, the Of the whole American
people would be tested and he would say further that when
the contest comes would 10 conducted by so kand but
by the gaunileted arm Of the warrior.
Mr. ALLEN said he feared he had misunderstood the re-
marks Of the Senator from Georgia and So he wished to
right in regard them He understood the honorable
Senator say that he had great objection vote for the
naked notice. but that he had appended the second section Of
his resolution the first for the purpose Of testing the of
the Senate upon the question Of compromise Of the existing
difficulty II he had mistaken the tenor Of the honorable Se
nutors remarks, he desired 10 be corrected.
Mr. COLQUTTT said that the Senaror had not materially
mistaken the Of what he had stated One inducement
for offering his second resolution was his desire to test the
Of the Senate and whether they opposed
gotaon and compromise not that they might act advsedy
hereafter.
Mr.. ALLEN said he not then mistaken in any mate
rial point He would say that there any improperly
in offering the proposition which the Senator had offered for
certainly upon great public question: competent for
any member Of the body to the of the Senate
by submitting proposition. When he did so however, he
should present his proposition in such enable
the Senate whose opinions he wished elicit clearly and
precisely to understand the meaning proposition Fairness
and candor required that when question asked Of the
Senate, which to be answered by soeny recorded
voe that that question should he definite in its meaning
to leave for hesitation in the mind Of Senator
There words in the resolution which admitted Of
very extended, very limited, very medium sense,
might suit the convenience of those by whom it ITO be
construed They required say the nation and to
the world by the adoption Of that resolution, that they
nesy desired that this ngsanding controversy respecting
limits in the Oregon territory should be speedily settled by
COLLATION. and compromise. Now, what was meant by the
word compromise The resolution contained the word limits
1t contained that word applicable tho Oregon tsp.
and that word is followed by tho word compnnse. Xh.
then, the meaning Of that word When the Senate
called upon to record test vote of their sentiments upon the
resolution they had right to know whether It the
ing of the Of the resolution that they c0npro
mise the difficulty BY surrender Of part Of the territory
Great Britain And fit meant that they to surrender
part, what part The resolution presented with the
curing them put upon paper the precise and exact view
which they entertained with regard to the controversy But
from the general phaseoogy of the resolution and the
generality of meaning which the word compromise seemed TO
carry with it. might well for the resolution, and
aterwafd say that he did by compromise that they
to give away any part OF the territory to Great Britain,
but something else meant by the word He desired
the Senate to be measured man by man, from head to
foot by the standard which the Senator applied thr he
desired that that standard should be Marked in inches
and feet wi precise and unequivocal accuracy He de-
sired that it should be known whether it the pur-
pose the resolution under the disguised rather ambgu
meaning of the word compromise to require the Sc
in advance the surrender of part o the
Oregon territory to Great Britain Whether il to be
qued Of them that they should express their opinions
this great question Of dismemberng the Union because that
which belonged 70 the Union was within the right and the
power Of the I'm on and sacrifice would be equivalent to
the sacrifice Of any portion of the Union All that he desired
know was What the precise and accurate meaning of
the word compromise }" Whether, the first place. meant
division Of the territory, and the surrender Of part Of to
Great Britain And, if So what part Where was the line
be run And for what equivalent they to make the
render, Whether it be for equivalent for
none Whether they required make the surrender
for an equivalent from dread Of the consequences Of
making the surrender That was ALL Therefore, their
sentiments to be tested necessary that the stand
ard should precise and definite length would be
necessary examine the question Of weights and
and they had them well regulated BY fixed law. before
they undertook regulate the weight and the of
other things He wanted the thing be put plain language.
that its meaning might be Clearly asceaned that they might
know whether that they surrender part
Of their territory and if So what part He would notn
dertake anticipate what the vote OF the Senate would be-
He had right to do all he had right to do was to
certain what of meaning be attached TO the pou
ton before being called upon correspond 10 by sndnays
One other remark of thu Senator from Georgia. which it
seemed proper to- advert to was that the proposition Of the
President compromise by division Of the territory at the
49h parallel, the old proposition made by his pre-
decessos The Senator seemed 70 suppose that the fact
of rendering this proposition to be taken evidence
of the real opinion Of the President rather than his de-
caration Of title covering the whole territory. To how
the really Stood they had but 10 to the ccum-
under which that offer made The President of
the United States himself declared that be made because he
felt himself in degree bound by what his predecessors had
done, and that he withdrew when rejected, and acted
his original opinion, expressed in his inaugural adj
Dress which was that title unquesonabe mp to the
Russian ne settled in s24 fixing $40 4O the boundary
Something had been said with regard TO the views Of the
Executive In reference that he had only refer gentle
message ITSELF and he would announce here that
dow Of change He did desire the general dis
cusson Of this now for he had had greater
ready in the debate than had fallen any individual and
he had merely risen az present for the purpose Of aong the
Senator from Georgia the opportunity of explaining pre-
cisey the meaning of his resolution
Mr. C0LQUITT said that after the remarks which he had
already submitted he could hardly have supposed that Scna
tors would have considered his meaning doubtful and he
thought that the argument Of the Senator from Ohio him
self showed that he did not consider it. The Senat
qured definite and for the guidance Of the
Senate. The exact which he himself wanted was
whether they could compromise inch and he would
il to the Executive in whose hands properly belonged
say how far they should compromise and after that would
be time enough for the Senate determine whether they
would sustain that compromise He did intend be
indicate take the matter Of the hands Of the nsgo
aors and line for then but the opinion Of the
Senate whether there ought to be compromise ALL
The honorable Senator from Ohio spoke of compromise as
being ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of the Union that he considered to
be indication the part Of the Senator Of his intention to
go against all negotiation and all compromise and his pur-
pose how many Senators Of that opinion But
said the Senator from Ohio run the line we must
lake the proportions and dimensions Of the compromise we
must define precisely how far will GO But that was not
the object Of his resolutions that question with the nego-
atofs II for them to submit such proposition they
might think reasonable And there another reason why
The Senate should not mark out definite fine and that was
hat if they did no, they would have SON II hersuer
whereas they ought to commit themselves to any definite
division Of the territory The test he desired was whether
The public nesoator should be authorized TO compromise at
al upon any boundary short Of $40 40. The Senator had
Tho ~