Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-03-04

Edmund Burke. when member of the
British Parliament, was once asked. Why
ministers, when. in any case, they had =
well ascer.ained majority, did mol press the
question al once, without The trouble ct
discussing its merits. That has been
Iried." was his reply; shut Il would not Do.
The minister who would perSevere in II
would soon have 20 60 out"
And vet, there Is no direct response
biliiy of the British Premier 20 the peo-
pie whom he governs. Powerful he l. !;
absolute, almost, while he retains a con
trolling majority al his beck; bat siill. he
must defer to public opinion; o. 1t he
neglect such Difference, loss OF power aud
degradation from place, Is the speedy pc
nalty.
And thus, we of these United States,
y hlle We are responsible for uur acts as
nation 10 no human power. must vet defer
to the public opinion - mankind. |. We
would retain our station and Inhlehce
among the nations of the earth, not unly
must our puhic acts be pisrihable, but, be
fore We con>unmate, We must take the
trouble to iustif, them.
My motive Ia rising now l. 20 furnish
such small contribution as | NAV TO the
mass o. evidence and argument s. ably
supplied from our Department If State. in
vindicatlon, to the world, II the course
pursued by our government on the great
question Of the day.
Accusations of a grave character are
brought, IN respectable quarters, impugn-
ing The Justice OF the measures recon-
mendsd b. the President. and nov under
consideration by the House. IN regard IL
the territory OF Oregon d, not speak
Of charges coming from foreign and inte-
rested sources; bit OF language used bv
the press here a. home, aud by members
on this very door. We OF the msiori,y
may feel exceedingly well satisfied, that
our course Is Just. and these charges un-
founded; but II Is not the less an impera-
live duty to defend the one and repel the
other.
| select, as specimen of the ground
assumed BY portion OF the press, para
graph from New York paper OF good
standing. Speaking Of our title 10 Oseguu.
The Journal OF Commerce, IN an editorial
of December %, says:
"The evidence. even as far south as
Columbia river, is not all on one side, BY
great deal. And when We come to
latitude 40, the English claim Is better
than our own"
If this be true, then the President lost
sight of right and justice, when he adaer-
ed to the offer of 40 as an uItiInatum; and
Mr.. Packenham was justified in expecting
from our government ''Some proposal more
consistent with fairness aud equity"
And, when some London journalist iri-
umphantly quotes against US such para
graph as that, drawn from the pages of
one among the leading periodicals ct the
Union, he will find, in further aid OF an ar
gament about the reckless and grasping
ambition OF these States. certain reso.u-
lions touching war and Oregon offered at
your table, not by some young, rash, hot
headed partisan, but by member from
Massachusetts, Mr.. Win,hrop,l both able
and experienced, gentleman whose Ia
lent aud standing no one disputes. The
second of these resolutions declares:
THAT il would be dshonor 10 the ace
in which we live, and in the highest de-
gree discredItable 10 both the nations
concerned, If they should suffer them
selves to be drawn into war upon a
question of no immediate or practical IN
terest 10 either of them.n
An eminent British statesman once said.
that las we ought never 10 20 to war tor i
profitable wrong, so neither ought we 10
90 to war for an Improbable right. p
There is much good sense in the maxim.
and the gentleman from Massachusetts,
doubtless considers it applicable in the
present case.
The direct inference from his resolution
IS, in the first place. that the rightin dispute,
ii il indeed be right at ali, is an unprO-
flable right: that it is OF 10 practical I'm
por.ance wheiher we cede to England a
part or even the whule. e the territory ly
ing south II 10 and north of the Coln,n-
bia. He esteems II our Imperative daty,
rather htn resort to war, 70 make some
compromising division OF this disputed
tract
will ask the gentleman to ;ake map IN
hand, and answer me question or two
Il asails nothing To talk .agaely OF soma
. compromise. Let him tell Us lchat com
promise beyond that already offered, he
suggests. Ii ne recede but hall degree
south ot49, he touches already The Straits
of Fuca, the entrance, and the only en-
trance, 10 Puget sound. Ii he abandon.
10 England but one degree out OF the shres
Which span this debatahle land he hns
cuts u wholly of from these ssraits, frOu