Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-04-03

ladopssd By me e that Of the nation itse, happen
TO be- returned upon me, viii not entertain it'
SThere shall be no compromise" -"no consultation
with the Senate''-"all Of Oregon or none "540
4O,, fight or no ightP' Oh, my God, what an at
titude is this for mans friend to assume for him
| hear Senator behind me say from his seat.
"7he President has put himself there :" Never
never. He has not said it. tits nowhere on the
"records." This kind office has been performed for
! him by his friends" who seem determined to
have his company and, because they 60 for "alI
Of o ECON or none" to take the Administration
along with them by construction, at any and eV-
cry peril to its consistency and to the peace of the
United States. No sir no, sir The President
has not put himself into that position. Had ne
done it, or ifhe should do it, |, for one DO not hes
itate to declare that il would compel me to turn
nv back upon him and his Administration.
have not that friend upon earth whom would
SUPPORT in a position so inconsistent with his own
professions of high devotions to his country hon.
or-so injurious to this great nat on's fame-so
peiilous to the worlds peace. The President
made not manly offering to the committed char
acter of our ,ountry and to the peace Of the world
that he might ingloriousy snatch it back again be-
fore it could be accepted, simply and sngy be-
cause it was not seized upon in the day. or month,
, or year he offered it. l ask his pardon for the
supposition that he could. For one, do not doubt
him. Before will do it, he must sign plain
recautation. would hardly believe that. He
must DO THE FOUL DEED before l suHended my
4 faith.
i What If it was withdrawn after its last rejec-
ton ? That is nothing, for it had been in like
manner withdrawn by his predecessors. If their
withdrawal in 1917 and 1927 left the Government
still committed, how could it be otherwise because
he withdrew the same offer in ls45! This plea
would be miserable subterfuge, and no Senator
: will adopt it in the name of the PRECEDENT; none
can do it, and call it an act OF friendship to him.
Mr.. President, ought not this one act, Of it.
|, self, to be conclusive against these false con-
struclions of the message! But it is not all.
. We are in possession Of more-much more
. in these ''recolds )" for it is to them | speak.
The President knows his own purposes best
where he intends TO stop, and whether he
has in truth already terminated his efforts to
' negotiate compromise. He knows that, If
s he terminates negotiation, and rashly enconn-
tiers the hazard of asserting our extreme
: claims to the ,chole Of Oregon up TO $40 40,
= the United States must either retreat lnglorl-
: ously from her pretensions, or prepare TO dis
: lodge Great Britain and to defend herself by
a force Of arms. That think have already
l. proved. And yet, oh what an OMISSION
e No notice has been given for this necessity to
;. Congress or the people. plainly and directly,
e az it ought to have been. No recommended
S lions to Congress to prepare for our defence,
e or for the forcible assertion Of our rights. are
S in these '.records =" To prepare no,c-to-dny.
v No estimates have been sent up to us for that
It object. None. Nothing Of the kind. The
:, estimates are lowered, not increased What
y is the inference! What does he mean that
: you shall understand by this i! That there is,
on his part, no intention 10 compromise 3
u That negotiation is come TO an end, and will
not be pursued by him! And will not his
1t friends permit themselves to see, when they
, thus misconstrue his message, that they in-
! volve the President, were it true, in a guilt
,. too deep for decent utserance IAN inexcnsa-
. BILE, treacherous, cowardly, criminal conceal.
: menE of our country's danger; when, if in re-
:. aIity there is to be no further negotiation on
l. our part, there can be no excuse-no reason
no pretext for silence. But the construction
is false: President Polk would not betray his
country thus. Depend npon it he would have
?. told you plainly and directly of it, if he had
n abandoned negotiation on his part; not daring
n thus to bring you to an inevitable war;" or
, a worse alternative, for sail Of Oregon OF
1t none," against your consent, and without no.
g. tice to prepare for it. That he has not so warn
If ed and SO informed you plainly, is, to my
lie mind, conclusive.
ID Nor is this all. The President knows, az
10 we'll as he knows the faces Of Senators, that
s. very large proportion, will not say how
vt many, Of those who expect to vote this notice
lie into his hands, are favorable to negotiation fol
a. compromise at Ago; and that we would moi
n do it, NOT FOR AN lNsTANT WOULD | THINK OF
e DoiNS 1T, if We believed the construction thai
P has been placad upon his message by the Sen
II ators Of Ohio. (Mr. AlIen,) Indiana, (Mr
8 Hsnnegan.) and Illinois, (Mr. Breese j and
IS perhaps, aIso-l am not certainly the Sen
Al ator from Michigan, (Mr. Cass.) He mus
rs know-he does know-that we would no
u vote for it, if, on the contrary, we did not con
6dently believe, from his past conduct, and thu
- ab,ence Of any plain recantation in the mes
20 sage, that this notice will be used as means
- of pursuing the pending negotiation upon the
= e basis Of compromise as a moral instrument lt
= help, and not to hinder it, as it has been here
- tofore conducted by himself and his predeces
n sors. And. yet. is there Senator here t
:, speak TO ms and say that he is authorized t.
=. undeceiue US if, indeed, we have been thus
!. deceivedl No answer! Then there is NJ
. one. Then the President has authorized no
N body to speak for him, and confirm this sena
at toriaI Interpretation of his message, as made
n. by the ''true friends Of Oregon" do believ.
st he would have done that. and more than that
e. rather than deceive and betray so many Of thi
Is, Senate. | am therefore friend enoug gin TO tn,
ne President to doubt and deny this false con
:" structlon, and faithfulness to my trust as
ht Senator compels me to do it, as from my hear
i'll do this day, openly, before the American
m Senate. If any one here be now authorize,
b. to sneak for him. let him sneak
It. come to one other &C. Of OMISSION, which
h. mention without The slightest intentional dis
We courtesy to the honorable Senator from Ohio
ne Mr.. Allen j but the facte are well known Il
ng the Senate, and the omission to which al
10 l.. IL -