The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-14

| themi II we do and she arm TO resist their execu
| ton, we must meet that resistance also by arms
The question of war is, therefore, with her, mol
with us, 10 decide. If we refuse TO extend laws
but one reason has been, can be given--the fear Of
England. II, them this fear prevails how stand we
| in Il Judgment OF the world What will be the ef
feet of this disclosure of the nefciency Of our gov
eminent for the defence of its own soiR What Will
be the effect, when il shall be seen that this repub
| hc--the only one which has been thought sufficient
strong to guarantee the safety Of its neighborng
| and kindred governments against European mon
archs---what will be the effect when we are
found willing, for the sake Of peace, TO allow Great
Britain 10 extend her system Of monarchy not only
upon this continent but part of our own soil
Ii do this will these soyerelgns longer hesitate
in their desIgns' Will they not, on the contrary,
| take courage from our apparent want Off Wiil
they not advance IN their purpose Of universal do
| mnioni Will they not reduce the southern repub-
lies Of the continent and force at last TO fight IN
their defence, as an indispensable preliminary to the
final defence Of ourselves! These sir, are my views
of the moral involved in this controversy.
And now, sir, | shall proceed TO look briefly into
the motives by which Great Britain has regua-
| ted her conduct towards the United States. This
deem necessary, in order TO understand the secret
springs Of the pending difficulty.
Sir, II Is In the social nature of her empire that
theaa motives to DC found. They have orlgina-
ted not in the whfms Of this statesman Of that.
They the product of no arbitrary theory Of one
party or ofthe other. They spring from those vital
laws OF her social being, which prescribe her legs-
laton, which overbear all statesmen and all parties
alike, and bring all into subsection to an overriding
poliucal necessity.
The insulsr position Of the parent centre Of that
government hrst gave a maritime direction TO all
her interests. Those interests required and sought
colonies and by planting them the world over, con-
serted an lnsular kingdom into extended colonial
empire, based upon commerce, and upheld by the
ffall of cOmmeTciAl cFe1n To Dlant colo
Mes became necessary for her TO obtain territory
at remote points, often pre-occupied by others She
purchased no such territory. To purchase, required
the consent OF others-a thing not always attalna'
BILE. She therefore, smpllfed her mode of acqulsl-
| uon by reducing it TO system which had but one
It, That principle was, TO start causes of quarrel, Ia
raise questions about navigation or commerce, to sci
up claims TO rivers or territory, and TO enforce hef
pretenslons, however unjust, by the terror OF hei
arms against the timd, and by the use of them
| against the brave. When successful in claim,
| no matter how, she has Instantly started another
Thus, everywhere, has 1t been her policy TO create
| and keep open causes OF quarrel with distant ma
tons, that she might ever have ready some pretext
for sezng upon the territory Of others, az often as
| the spread of her commerce required new colonies
With us, her policy has been, in principle the same
! though more complicated in form.
Our strength, and the danger with which 1t mena-
ces her adjoining possessions in the event OF war
| has impaired more circumspection to her aggres'
slons. In de ,ling with US, therefore, she has mixed
up with her system of terror all the subsidiary eIe
| ments of diplomatic duplicity. Time, space, and
persons taken into her calculations. She raises
her questions of dispute at different periods; she lays
her claims of territory at different points, she en-
ploys cunning and fnesse to pos pone their settle
| ment to the suspicious hour, when terror can best
promote her purposes, and then, by negotiation, ad
iustng but question at time, she starts others
i'm stead and holds then1 in rpadIneaa
ture, when another suspicious hour shall arrive. In
word her policy, as regards US, has ever been 10
| start new questions of dispute when adjusting old
ones; TO threaten in every instance as conse-
quence of our refusal to YIELD and at the same time
declaimng about the horrors of a war between two
| such nations, profess her deep soicitude for the
maintenance OF the peace and harmony OF the world
The success of this policy has illustrated alike the
forecast of her ambition and the triumph of her du-
pllcty. Most profoundly has she estimated every
| local circumstance peculiar to our condtion-every
accident which the miscellaneous interests of our
J counry-ts changing legislation the personal
character of its public functionaries-might give
| rise. These things she has watched with an un'
| broken gaze. Never has she let the hour pass un
| improved, when she saw, in the condition of our at
fairs the character OF our public men, the prospect
of pressing old claim with success, Of starting
| a with profit But, sir the gravity of the
matter before us, justice TO the two nations whose
interests involved, require that should re-
duco these generahies to form more exac
| and specific. proceed therefore. 10 we'll
roborated by current events | allude not to thu
| numberless eggressons committed by England
against usraggressons beginning before the treaty
of peace Of 1888 was dry aggressions extending TO-
and resulting IN the late war. ] say nothing OF the
manifold outrages committed upon commerce
nothing of the Impressment of our seamen--of hel
studied delay in delivering certain posts and islands
as by that treaty she bound-of her protracted
refusal to execute the boundary, as well as the COM
mercial provisions of that treaty-of her constant
efforts raduce the character and outrage the flag
of our country in all parts Of the world. say moth.
ing of her horrible practice during the late war Of
| brbng the pitiless Indian to butcher our women
and children of the west whilst asleep at night IN
their cabins. say nothing of her having within q
few years past despatched an armed force, at mid
| night, to invade our shores; to board an American
steamer moored 10 soil; to cut 1t from Its moor
| ngs; to murder part of its crew; to leave others
for the murder Of the fames to put the torch to the
| boat, and then to send her freghted with the dead
bodies of our countrymen headIong over the cata-
ract Of Niagara--of these things | speak not. No.
shall begin with the treaty signed at Client on the
Gath of December, 1914.
And now, sir, mark as proceed the exact con-
formty of the facts to the policy have ascribed to
| Great Britain.
That treaty terminated the late war. Upon its
| face it professed to consolidate peace between the
| TWO Countries, ny proVluing Ior the adjustment VI
outstanding difficulties From the acknowledg
ment of our independence, questions of boundary
and territorial rights had been in discussion; and as
it seems have been the leading object Of the nego
tiatons at Client to adjust those questions, three
fourths of the treaty were devoted to that pur
pose. The first Of these questions related tc
the right to certain islands in the hays
of Passamaquoddy and Fundy; the second, tt
| that part Of the line of boundary, from the poin
where the forty-f,h degree Of north latitude strike,
the river lroquois to the water communications be
tween the lakes Huron and SUPERIOR the third, t.
that part Of the line from the point have last named
to the northwestern point of the Lake of tn,
| Woods.
Now, sir, desire that this fact should be KEEP
constantly in mind, that these three we're, with on,
exception the only questions of territorial right OF
boundary which had ever been started, do,on TO tn
meeting Of the negotators at Client. say with on,
exception, and that was the question Of boundary
upon the line between the Lake of the Woods ant
the Rocky mountains. Let it be remembered, too
that this old question left unsettled, tnpropids,
for, by the treaty of Client; and that to this ole
question, thus carefully excluded by the British ne
gotistors thsu there in that very negotiation added