New-York daily tribune., 1846-01-15
Oregon and ,he WhIss.


Oregon and the Whigs.
We think the Courier 8, Enquirer MAKES an 1-., !,
generous response to our article OF "e'u1S ~, 49,
ON Col Webb letter from Warrington La O.
.;cie WAS as respectful and detereruai as we Hne"
how 10 make IT. it was made up In gooo part oi quo
to.;ons from, Col Webb's letter with a aif synopsis
os,be portions not quoted and, In SO lar as II ois
..,,.d from, his views that dissent was expressed
moderately courteously and with an admission tnat
,,a had entertained some views accordant with
,bose here expressed by Col. w. which argument
and reHectisn have induced US TO modify I'VE
Nigh, have truly said that facts had been developed
no which our views were essentially and necessarily
nodifed.) In these circumstances, we invited our
readers TO consider carefully our present views In
contrast with their opposi,es as ably and far more
faIly set forth in our columns by Col. Webb, and
indee between them.
The response to this by the Courier implies that
our present attitude is dictated by Abolition feeling
that il is based on desire to see the South the
arena of servile insursecion and general butchery
that our cue is taken from j. O. AdamS j. H. Cid
dings and C. NJ Clay-and that
The Aboiitonists thus preparing 70 use 'ne W W
most exertions plunge the coun:ry lnto "a,o 20
tbey think il necessary maintain its or
~, honor bu; because they thus deMge the sou tn
hlooS and stand fair chance Of sweeping away Slavery
ies., of burying beneath the ruins OF the Union
The aim of all these Abolition movements is to
savy tho seeds of dissolution Of the Uon which Is now
the goal Of their exertions They seek 10 ae
stroy the Union and TO prostrate the "'n
stands IN their way.
That these schemes involve the uery extremes Of trea
son aud Of political crime that they are such as no l9ver
of his country who has the sgnest regard 1or
the we'll being of the land can for moment countenance
we need not stop TO say The common sense OF every
man aust nj once brand them erfncin tte most de-
nd
have no apprehension provided the Wings viii maintain
their ground be induced to favor these anatcal
and infamous pro9ects
In all these charges The Tribune and other
Abolition prints are very laboriously inculpated.
We think we need not reply to such accusations
Indeed, VIC had hoped that the Courier had learned
the suicidal folly ofthis Of general indictment OF
those with whom it differs as guilty OF all manner
of iniquites and diabolical intentions, and had re-
solved on a return to the words OF truth and sober
ness However be that as it may.
Our readers will remember that our change OF
tone regarding Oregon was first evinced In our
comments on the Presidents Message, written on
the receipt OF that Message. Dec. I'd, and published
with the Message in next morning paper, Ia month
before we ever heard word from Adams, Gid
dings or c. H. Clay on the subject) We were
then first made aware that The Union had de-
ceived as and the Country by its positive contradc
tion las we all understood i that Messrs. Polk and
Buchanan had offered to divide Oregon with Great
Britain The developments of the Message rubbed
the scales from our eyes-we saw that the cry for
2 " the whole of Oregon or none" was cheat 30 far
as Mr. Polk was concerned, and that he had no in
ention of going to war for the territory North of 49o
We thought we perceived evidences, on the other
hand of disposition to play with the matter, pro-
tract the controversy and make aparty hobby out of
it, on which 10 fight the Presidential battle of ls4s
and make himself the Loco. Foco candidate for re-
election. We commenced our comments on the
Message as follows:
1--WE are asreeably dsappoinedint the revelations Of the
Mes respecting Oregon 1t appears that In defiance
Of the reeaters demonstration that all Oregon is inds
putably ours and must be maintained by the sword if
sssry the President has officially reneped old
Offer to divide Oregon with Great Britain the parallel
OF 49e from the Rocky Mountains TO the Pacific, with
draw ing only former offer of the free navigation OF the
Coln mbia fright enough.) and insisting on the South
ead of Vaucouvers Island (Which s tring and unwise9
Great Britain has again rejected this offer and 1t was
there up very properly Withdrawn. So far excepting
the teral claim piece Of Vancouvers leland he
ha. done just heartily approve and we make no
ooje cton TO his recommendations OF line OF posts to
Greg on territorial Jurisdiction people there.
aud a Mail rhther. We think Mr.. Polk is unwise
in pr posing terminate the Joint Occupancy. but that
il oaly question Of time His recommendations are
cenar aly so moderate compared with what they might
have been that disposed to regard them with all
possi ble favor We believe the line OF 49' the true and
Ssop boundary of the two nations-no sacrifice OF
our right any part of it. hut what should be main
tain ed and insisted We trust nothing has been or
viii be done to prevent renewal OF the offer whenever
roper occasion shall present itself and think the
Pr esdent will do nothing wrong In the premises unless
errulsd by Congress rnsed by false and fictitious
Pu bile Opinion, which has often lured weak rulers TO
ru in"
Such is the spirit in which, on our first hurried
glance over Mr.. Folks Message we hailed its de-
velopments respecting Oregon. We thought the
ground practically taken in tina, Message Excluding
ali the offensive bluster about balance of power
European colonization &c. against which we eS-
plicy protested and still protes in the main sound
and just, and we desired to do what we could 10
take tho whole matter out Of the coil of Party Poll
tics wherein it had been most wickedly entangied
by the Convention which nominated Polk, and place
it on general, National grounds. whereby our Gov.
eminent carefully dem anding no more than is clear
" right should be sustained by the convictions and
the sympathies of our whole People. Is not this in
every sense desirable?
That we have since censured the gambling parti
san maneuvers of Messrs. Cass, Allen It Co. and
rejoiced that Mr. Calhoun has stepped forward to
defeat them, is mos, true, and take nothing of 1t
back. We anxously desire Peace with Justice
we believe lat AGE is the and Just boundary be-
tween our territory West of the Rocky Mountains
and that OF Great Britain and we hope 10 see it
established such by Treaty at an carly day. We
believe in view of all existing circumstances, this
viii be moro surely and speedily effected if the
whigs unite in giving the President power to give
tie years notice suca time as he shall think prop
er, than Ii our Wing Senators were to combine
with those led by Mr. Calhoun and by their united
strength barely succeed in defeating the Notice.
thus allowing the LoOo-Foco demasosues a chance
TO denounce as British party Peace party,
&c. We may be wrong in this, but our conviction
strengthens with each days deliberaton. Remem-
Der tha, las we have often and long since stately
giving Notice is in no sense belligerent and need
not be an offensive measure. We do not think op-