The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-22
CON RES SION AL.
SPEECH OF MIR. WICK,
OF INDIANA,

OF INDIANA,
In The House Of Representatives, April l6, 1886
On the bill 70 provide for the protection of the
rights OF American settlers IN the Oregon territory
The House being In Committee of the Whole on
the state of the Union
Mr. WICK addressed the committee as follows:
Mr. Grammar; When, on former occasion,
addressed the Committee Of the Whole House on
the state Of the Union upon the notice resolutions,
declared !, to be my purpose to speak, not ITO the
country" as isehe custom here, but TO the House,
and TO the House only. On this occasion | would
willingly speak to the House, If the House were
here but il (the House, is not here, but has
gone TO the other hall 10 be Sin at the deathn-to
witness the falling Of the curtain at the cose Of the
notice drama enacted there am not certain but
that win, for once, follow the fashion, and speak
SO the country" from the hall Of Legislation.
am the more inclined 10 take this course, because,
upon the occasion to which have alluded I avoid
ed the discussion Of certain TOPICS ofa delicate nature
concerning which would have been glad 10 have
spoken the voice u those represent. alluds, SIR,
70 topics Involving our title 10 or IN Oregon, the
course Of diplomacy pursued, and proper yet to
be pursued 10 reference to the recognition thereof
by the President and the natural results Of thr To-
gislation recommended by the Executive. thought
then that il in bad taste 10 discuss those topics
here, or in the other hall, except in session,
upon the consideration of treaty; and have not
delicate subjects have been rudey brought into the
halls Of Congress and literally tomahawked into
shreds. This nation has not single diplomatic
secret which imprudence here could disclose; and
the udest efforts have been unsuccessfully made TO
drug forth and expose the opinions and intentions
Of the Executive.
Those opinions and intentions have been guessed
at inferred; every gentleman guessing inferrng
TO suit himself and the result Of those guesses or
inferences have been openly proclaimed in the face
Of the country and the world. Sir so far as lay in
the power Of members Of Cong ess the most deli.
Of national interest have been pacarded
upon the walls, and gaping world has Iosked on
in wonder at the indiseretion. Subjects have been
openly heraded which the interests Of the country
require should be lef in hands where they could be
defcately and shrewdly managed-in the hands TO
which the constitution has assigned them-I mean
the treat y-making power-the President and the
Senate, IN secret session. Our title TO Oregon has
been ugged in by the head and shoulders, to be
questioned or deprecated, as might suit the taste
opinions, feelings of speakers, ill it has been
spoken into the GLORIOUS uncertainty" OF law
suit. The measures concerning Oregon, recon-
mended by the Executive, have been arraigned as
unwise and as tending to produce a war, and the
loss Of Oregon the result Of the disasters and de-
feats Of that war. In the conflict Of powerful
minds, and yet more powerful wills, assuming to
speak Of the present opinions and intentions Of the
Executive, things have been said which might lead
the casual nearer or reader to infer that more OF
these opinions and intentions are known than the
Executive communications to Congress have dis
closed, or that those communications are fairly sus-
ceptible Of a duplicate meaning.
Now, sir, propose to speak briefly Of our title TO
and in Oregon, justify the action on the subject of
Oregon both of the party to which belong, and Of
the Executive, and to defend the same against the
charge Of Inconsistency and indiscretion the action
Tor inaction) Of this Congress only excented
Weak as well as mschevous minds often delight
themselves in finding profundty where all is plain
and easy; marvels where all is common; intricacies
where all is straight; in dreaming Of, and making in
ferences from, imagined facts in taking mstaphy-
seal view Of subjects to which common sense only
is fairly applicable; and in converting ducks and
geese and such like cattle into switches, and war
locks and lang-nebbed things" II is to that weak
ness, to this perverseness that is to be attributed
much Of what has been said, written, thought, sup
posed believed, or imagined concerning Oregon, our
title therein thereto, and the action Of the demo-
cratic party and OF the Executive in reference there
to. mo one will imagine (of course) that am
speaking of what has been said, &c. in Congress
these subjects, | am speaking Of things which
have been sand, &c, in very supplementary and
unoongressional sort of wayl
To attain my object, need only give statement
Of facts A "plain tale" will "put down" all cavil-
lers.
God gave Oregon, together with the rest of the
world, to man. In process of time, church dgni-
tary resident at Rome came to be recognised by all
Christian nations Gods viceregent on earth, and,
such, authorized to convey and grant portions of
the EARTH unoccupied by any Christian nation, al
his pleasure. He granted Oregon to the king or
kingdom of Spain. will not pause to question or
establish the power of this dignitary to make the
grant. II is sufficient that such power was then
recognised by Great Britain, who profted there
by, and took Ireland under similar grant, and
acquiesced in the grant of Oregon to Spain.
This estops that power from Directing for
the validity of grants made by this dignitary, and
his sole right to partition out the world not
tested, until that king Of England, who, because of
his remarkable pety and exemplary characterize
not having been famous for wickedness, except the
small vices of adultery and wife-murder-he was a
connoisseur in wives--and perhaps small matter of
fatricide-was declared defender Of the faith; and
because the Pope would not allow him to kill an.
other wife, he set up kind of Opposition line in
III religious world, and declared Tor declared
him self head of the church, and assumed the right
to ma Ike grants of portions Of the earth to himself
Spain was in the occupancy of Oregon, Cat Moot,
ka) successor Of that king Of England already
designated tortiously unlawfuly, and with force
and arms-as the lawyers write it--entered upon
this possession Of Spain, probably on pretence Of a
grant to himself and his successors, made by the
aforesaid English monarch Spain "threw herself
upon her reserved rights" and, without much cere-
mony, retook Nootka. This was enough for Eng.
land. With that common spoer of Gods earth
that universal depredator upon the rights Of nations
whose benevolence is proclaimed by itself in trades
against domestic slavery, as it exists directly and
arowedly in the Upited States and is written in In
dia in the blood Of hundred nations swept from
existence China in the blood of her sons fight
ing TO defend themselves against the invasion Of o
poisonous drug which was forced upon them that
British commerce might fatten and thrive-in
her own home dominion in a code Of laws
the result of which is slavery, not the less alb
horrent to God and man that it is accomplish
ed by fraud, and is indirect in forn--and every
where, in thousand acts OF arrogance, cruelty
and wrong-I say, with that power, a forcible
entry or fraudulent one, is material out Of which
to be gin title, to be perfected by diplomacy, by
force US circumstances may require treaty was
forced upon SPAIN in virtue Of which England &c
quired the acknowledgment of her right to occupy
Oregon jointly with Spain In this attitude of af
fairs, the United States purchased the right of Spain
and superadded, as to the valley of the Columbia
river the ncboats title resulting from the discovery
made by Captain Gray, and the exploration Of tha'
valley by Lewis and Clarke and the expedition I'M
der their command. or course we purchased the