Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-04-16
Gmrntp- Nintb Congress.
From the Ohio Slatesman.
Interesting Oregon Discussion, I'm the
Senate.

senate.
The Oregon debate, in the Senate, which was get
ting rather prosy. has been recently relieved by a dis
cussion between Messrs. CAss and HANNEGAN, on one
side, and Mr.. BENTON on the other, the latter gentle
man being supported by Mr.. WEBSTER. On We'd
nesday, the first of Aprll,-a proper day for the bus
mess, Mr.. ASHLEY, of Arkansas, who was entitled to
the floor, courteously gave way TO the Senator from
Missouri.
Mr.. BENTON said, he did not rise to make any
speech, but merely to vindicate history, and the in
telligence of the Senate, from an error into which the
Senator from Michigan, now in his seat, (AIr. Cass,)
had fallen yesterday, in relying on MIR. Greenhow's
book on Oregon. That book maintained that the
commissaries had never acted under the treaty of
Utrecht had never established the lines between the
British and French possessions in North America, had
done nothing on the subject. And the Senator from
Michigan, holding Mr.. Greenhow to be right, had
adopted his opinion, and laid so much stress upon the
fact of the action of these commissaries, as to make
his future conduct upon the Oregon question depend
ent upon it. If Mr.. Greenhow was wrong, and the
commissaries had acted and established the parallel
of 40 deg, and this fact was proved, he (Mr. B. I'M
derstood the Senator from Michigan to say, that he
would give up the Russian limit of 81 deg. 40 min.
and never say anything more about Oregon north of
40 dogs. This is a penalty which MIR. B. would not
have imposed it was giving to the line of the treaty
of Utrecht a consequence and importance which he
would not have attributed to IT. But the Senator from
Michigan had judged for himself, and Judged deliber-
ately for his speech was well prepared, and it was
his own act to make his future conduct dependent
upon the correctness of Mr.. Greenhow's opinions,
which he had quoted and adopted. Mr.. B.. would
show, by the highest evidence, that the commissaries
did act that they did establish the limits between
France and Great Britain in North America; and
that the 49th parallel was one of the lines establish
ed, and, having shown this, be would make no argu-
ment upon it, would make no application of the fact,
but content himself with indicating history, at an
essential point, and leave it to the Senator from Mich
igan to give it the influence upon his own conduct,
which he should think proper.
Mr.. B. then made a statement Introductory to the
proofs which he meant TO introduce, and showing how
the treaty of Utrecht had been applicable 10 this queS-
ton of boundary between the United States and
Great Britain. 1t grew out of the purchase of Louis
lana, and was coeval with that purchase. 1t was
known to everybody that the northwest corner of the
United States could not be claimed, because there
was an impossible call in the treaty of 1888. 1t
called for a due west course, from the Lake of the
Woods to the Mississippi, when such course would
never strike the MiSsisslppi-the lake being north of
the head of that river. Upon the supposition that
the line due west from the lake would strike the
river, the right of its free navigation was granted to
the British by the treaty of peace; but, on finding
that the line would not strike the river, the struggle
began between the two countrieS-on the part of the
British to defect the line, TO turn 1t down south
west, and thus get TO the river, and with THIS arrival
upon that stream, come TO the enjoyment of its navi-
CATION. The struggle on the part of the United
States was, to prevent this consequencc-to close the
line without yielding the navigation and this con-
test had continued twenty years, when a treaty was
signed in London to terminate the contest. 1t was In
the year 1903, Mr.. Jefferson being President, and
Mr.. Rufus King, minister In London for, in those
days, ministers were not so rapidly changed upon a
change Of administration, as has sometimes since &C.
CURED.
Mr.. Benton then went into a very elaborate and
learned argument, TO establish the soundness of his
position. We have not room for it, or we should lay
it before our readers, for the purpose of showing them
on what flimsy pretexts a great man can rely for sup
port of grounds taken in accordance with the dictates
of his passions, and against those of his judgment.
Mr.. Benton was severe and insulting, even to coarse
ness, against those Senators who have stood up SO
firmly for the rights of their country, against the ar
rogant demands of Great Britain-the ffty.four fort,
men, as they are called-such as Allen, Cass, Breese
Bright, flanagan, &c. &c. He vas not conten
with making an argument, but went out of his way
for the purpose of insulting men who now occupy thu
same ground that he did himself, a short time since
but which he has, for reasons known only to himself
now abandoned. At the close of his remarks, ther,
was applause manifested in the galleries, according t.
the Washington Union but private letters say moth
ing of the kind occurred.
In concluding his remarks, Mr.. Benton said
The effect of this change in the Senator's position
must be great. On the Grecian band, of whom he j
the Agamemnon, it must have a very diminishing eff
feet. That band for some months had been sittin!
for the picture which the poet drew of our grandma
theirs, in the time of long-waisted gowns and tigh
stays
"Small by degrees and beautifully less"
But now the sudden deduction of so much weigh
and strength, in the person of their chief, must leav
them almost nothing. On the future conduct OF tn
campaign, 1t must have a decisive effect, for tn
Aiaxes of this expedition, both big and little, mus
renounce it when their chief has imposed tile penalt
of silence and ~inaction on himself. On the contrary
it must have a fine effect, for the alarms of war Wi
suddenly cease. On the treasury, the effect will b
delightful. The twenty-one millions extra for the al
mament of the navy, and the eight or nine million
extra for the army. will cease to be wanted. tn
military and naval committees, if not wise, have a
least been lucky. They delayed to report bills fc
these thirty millions, and to-day they become unne
cessary. Inactivity, in them, If not mastery, has q
least been profitable it has saved thirty millions {
extra taxes, or loans, to the people.
When Mr.. Benton had concluded,
MI. HASNEGAN rose, and said Mr.. President
have a few words to say. l would not have made
single observation on this occasion had it not been fc
a particular expression, accompanied by a very sign
fcant look towards this quarter, which fell from tn
Senator from Missouri. Certainly he was the la:
man here from whom / expected an unkind look or a
unkind allusion. As l said before, upon a certai
occasion here, he has been to a great extent my pol
i teal teacher; and, sir, / learned from him on tn
Oregon question more than from any other living maj
r | learned it from his speech on the Ashburton treat,
$ which from that hour has been to him the constaI
theme of deadly and unmitigated hostility against IL
J n~egotiator who made that treaty, and the Senator
II who voted for IT. / learned mainly from that sneet
my principles and relation to the Oregon questio
fl Eron, that sneech of the Senatnr from Missnnri