Weekly national intelligencer., 1846-01-03
"WHo is THE FRIEND OF PEACE |

ccar and unquesonabe title to Oregon rests with u.s. Yet
the last offer made by us and for compromise. Eng
land has refused it. With her. therefore, rests the ISSUE She
resort to hostile without putting herself in
the wrong in the face of all civilized Europe She
take hostile step, which may embroi the world in general
war, without drawing down upon herself the rebuke Of the
Whole civilized world. We caino the negotiation and
make any other proposition without disgrace No impartial
people expect from We cannot solicit the opening
Of the door with any credit to ourselves No American who
desires it have proper appreciation Of what due TO the
national honor And let say further, that who
seeks weaken title thwar the which
due to national interests be consdeed the best
friend Of the peace of the country Unite the people Of the
United States not only upon rights but upon the remedy
necessary to them, and there be little doubt of the
efficacy Of every which may adopt. We repeat
that honorable peace the desire of every patriot but
the time, every serious opposition that is made the
rights OF the country and the OF the Government
calculated to raise the hopes of Great Britain defeat
SUCCESS and to endanger the peace Of the countries
In this point Of view ii is that regret the Of
the New York Journal of Commerce
Washington Union.
FROM THE JOURNAL OIL COMMENCE, JANUARY l.
We will take the !" Union at its words and see
what they amount to.
The President "desires peace" And what is
the evidence of it! Why this he offers terms OF
compromise less favorable to England than had
been offered before; and, because they declined,
he withdraws the proposition and refuses to make
any other. This is the extent of the evidence de-
ducibe from the course Of the negotiation that the
President desires peace.
And, moreover, according to the Union, it is all
that he is willing to do, or intends to do, for the
preservation of peace. Says that paper, We can
not renew the negotiation, and make any other
proposition without disgrace. We cannot
solicit the opening of the door with any credit to
ourselves. No American who desires il can have
| proper appreciation of what is due TO the ma
tional honor" Admitting this to be So the ques-
tion arises, How the Administration, with sq
little provocaton, to put itself in position from:
which it could not recede with /" honor" nor ad-
vance without the most imminent peril What right
had the Administration thus to jeopardize the dear
est interests of this nation and the world II is
true the British Minister declined proposition ess
favorable than had been made before and il Is
equally true that the American Government de-
clined proposition more favorable than had ever
been made before. In which case was the provo
cation greatest Which party had the greatest rea-
son to withdraw his proposition in pet and throw
the responsibility of all that might follow upon the
other : The answer is obvious.
A man or nation, very jealous of his honor,
should be careful not to make points Of honor
cessarly. Clearly there was no point of honor
which required the American Government to with
draw its not very liberal proposition, because de-
clined. If there was, then the British Minister,
fortiori has betrayed the honor of his country, by
not Withdrawing his proposition when declined.
All that is, or has been particularly embarrassing in
the state of the negotiation resulted from this dpo
matte firt of the American Government, in so un-
necessarily Withdrawing its proposition. We say
unnecessarily for, unless accepted, it of course
amounted to nothing. The only effect of withdraw
ing was, to manifest little temper, with great
loss of dignity and with great danger Of complicat-
ing the negotiation beyond the possibility of sou-
ton. Had the British Government manifested an
equally captious temper, the negotiation never
could have been renewed without the intervention
of some friendly Power, anxious to avert the con-
sequences of so fatal dilemma. Precisely how
far Great Britain may have waived, or may waive,
point Of etiquette for great public ends, we do
not yet know; but we trust il will appear that
overlooking the petty childishness which some men
call honor, she has had the magnanimity to make
new overtures of the most liberal kind-well know
ing that whatever sacrifices she may make will be
construed by sensible men, the world over into any
thing rather than pusianimity, fear, or any other
degrading motive.
In this case, the position of the two nations will
be like that of two gentlemen-one veteran, of
great physical strength and courage, and sufficiently
conscious of both the other young man, active,
impeuous resolute but at all events not more than
match Tor the veteran, whom we will call Entel-
lus. This young man, ever jealous for his honor,
and fearful that the other will wound it in some
tender part, at length fancies that he has dis
covered the long-expected insult, and braces him
self for action. He says he desires peace, % but
il must be an honorable peace = he has no wish
TO fight, but if he must, he will and other twaddle
Of the.same order; for particulars Of which see
Washington Union, passim. The elderly man,
COOL collected and seeing the young blood's mfr
mity generously disavows any intention or thought
of insulting him, and hopes he will favor him with
his company tomorrow at dinner The spectators
pity the weakness of the youth, and applaud the no
bic bearing of Entellus.
| IL men who talk so much about honor would
seek to make themselves and their country trul,j
honorable, instead of exhibiting the loneliness of a
wasp, and calling that honor, they would better
consult their real honor and their interests. The
honor Of duelist is not the kind of honor which
Christian nation is called upon to sustain. II is
very commonly the honor of wronging fellow
man, and then numbering him by way of vindicat-
ing that honor. II is the honor Of being despised,
hated, and Stunned by every generous nature, and
of being miserable by chershing the spirit Of evil,
which is itself the essence Of misery.
| In our humble opinion, the nation has been too