The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-14

Alabama fhIr YIScEY asserted that the Convention
was adopted substitute for war, leaving the IN
ference To be drawn that IN tho absence OF the con-
yeiton, war must necessarily have followed. cam
not admit either the statement the inference IL
does by no means follow, that because the two ma
tons could not Immediately agree upon terms Of
adjustment, war must necessarily ensue, without an
agreement for joint rights within the disputed terri
tory. ] consider the conventions 10 have been an.
orunSte concessions on our part tending to iengthen
and compleate the negotiations, and TO delay and
render more difficult and dangerous the fnal al jas
ment Of the question. Il was an expedisnt, adopted
IN an EVIL hour, 10 put of matter which must have
forced speedy and peaceabe settlement of ITSELF had
II not been the subject Of these unfortunate agree.
msnts
The same gentleman also declared that Sing
lands rejection Of our offers proves that war would
have followed bat for the conventions" There
is as litte foundation for this assertion as for
the other. IL thls proposition be true, its con-
verse may likewise be affirmed; aud It follows,
that we would have gone to w0r upon our
own rejection Of Engand's offers. But, sir, the
rejection OF on offer, on AIDE or the other
does not preclude further offers, nor does it ne
cessariy imply that the parties will then resort 10
the last dread alternative Of II does not pre-.
elude the possibility that one party viii, at the ert
cal moment, abandon us unjust claims and leave the
other 10 the eul 1yment Of its rights Surely, sir
there Is nothing in these assertions which estsb
lIsh the prOprleiy Of entering into, containing,
an agreement the only effect Of which has BEEN and
will continue TO be, 10 involve the parties in re la.
tons more complex and difficult Of settlement than
before.
Neyetheleas, sir, | must acknowledge that, II
England persists In Attempting TO hold all the terri
toy north Of the Columbia river OF any portion of
south Of the 49lh parallel Of latitude war must
cessary come But this will be not on account Of
noIleei war will ensue under these circumstan-
stances, with or without notice. We never sub
n ah aIa IL. r
war which she may wage in asserting that elAiB,
will be war Of aggression and invasion-a war
which We must meet, we would sternly meet tho
invader OF this Capitol. say il would be a war Of
invasion, And 10 show my exact meaning, must
be permitted TO d'gress here for while, 10 make
some statements IN reference TO the title. | hold
that Eng and has no just title to any portion Of Or
egon. But her most plausible ground Of preten-
sion would be by that of contiguity, extending her
possessions In North America by the 49th parallel
10 the Pacific. Now, IL the Csnsdas actually ex.
tended on the line Of 49o To the Rocky mountains,
| and the English government were actually pres
ent with its people and its power on the moth
OF that line, aud the two nations stood upon
equal footing in regard to other sources OF tte then
England might justly claim to extend her territory
on that line TO the But none Of these condi-
| tons actually exist. The Canadas do not extend
on that line TO the Rocky mountains-England is
not present with her people and her government on
this continent and she does stand upon an equal
footing as TO other grounds Of title The country
contiguous TO that part Of Oregon, north Of 49o, Is
the possession Of the Hudson Bay Company, and
cannot be extended by this principle OF contiguity.
The argument in this respect has lately been placed
in strong light. That company is a mere ineorpo-
ration, and Is subject to the limits prescribed hy It's
charter which is the law Of its creation. That char
tar originally confined the company TO Hudson's
bay and its tributaries; and these limits cannot by
any torture Of construction be extended TO those wa
Ter fan he nflar "A. 81. Pol
mountains into the Pacific ocean. An artificial per-
son, corporation, cannot oyerleap its prescribed
powers II cannot therefore extend its territories by
the principle Of contiguity. This is a well-settled
principle Of English common law it is principle
which may well be adopted-indeed must be admit
ted, into the law OF nations
But assume higher ground; | maintain, if this
principle did not stand in the way-if the charter oil
the company originally granted did not circum-
scribe its limits within that vast basin in the upper
part of North America of which Hudson's bay is
the CENTRE still il is not JUST never can be admit
ted, that nation on another continent shall extend
| its possessions on this by conlguity IL the Cana.
das themselves bordered on this disputed country
| and the circumstances of the two countries were
otherwise equal, should earnestly dispute the APP
rlicabillty Of this principle. In the very nature OF
things IL is wrong. Sir, the magnetic wires cannot
be extended across the Atlantic ocean-the all per-
vadlng influence Of electricity is stopped there, and
its steTious voice is drowned in the noise of the
surge that beats shore. Is the invisible power
of England more penetrating and pervading than the
agent have nan,ed Or rather do the silent
emanations OF her power circulate around the whole
globe, like those mighty currents which give po-
larity to the earth and direct the medley causing
every interest, in every land 10 turn trembling upon
It's centre, and point to London as its polei Are
there no barrersi Do its intangible links extend
through all oceans, over all lands enabling her to
grasp new countries, and divide them with contigu-
GUS powers, because she has foothold by their
sde' The law which makes the ocean a barrier to
| instantaneous communication between natons-the
law of nature, which has separated continents by
interposing vastabysses, forbids that nations on
continent shall have rights on another by impli-
cation, extension, contguity, or by any other in
visible, intangible, metaphysical principle whatever.
England has attempted to carry out on this con-
tlnent, by diplomacy, the principles which she has
| established by the sword in her East India az
gression II remains to he seen whether, when d.
plomacy fails, she will attempt 10 use the same
means here. The United States owe it to them
selyesthey owe it to this continent and the world
TO resist the application of those principles. The
powers of the Old World upon the discovery of this
continent, adopted principles for its division among
| them selves; they may have been bound to each
| other for the maintenance of those principles Nay,
| those principles may have been just and wise in
their application to such nations. distant as they
were from the wild and uncultivated countries
which they sought to appropriate. Yet il does not
follow that we are to be bound by these conven-
tional arrangements. Our relations to this continent
are widely different. We have arisen here, mighty
nation, fas, approaching, and destined soon to sur
pass, the greatness Of any European power. We
have undsputed rishtful possession Of large por-
ton Of this continent and neither reason nor autho-
riiy will admit that the government of any unap-
propriated portion of it should be transferred to
distant nation.
hope ! shall be understood. l do not mean
to adopt that ground of title which has been as
sumed here by some gentlemen, under the imposing
name of manifest destiny II was the manifest des-
tiny of England to spread her empire over large
portion of this continent, and Of Asia But that des-
tiny, made manifest by complete fuIhlment and per-
feet realization, neither commends itself to our
minds as right, nor does it justify the arbitrary and
oppressive measures by which Il has been achieved
believe it is our destiny to possess the VIII ole Of
Oregon; but this destiny does not make it right it is
our destiny, because it is right. II necessary
to name the principle have attempted to state, nor
does il require any course of reasoning to establish
it. 1t is one ofthose propositions of which the bare
statement carries conviction TO the mind. II is an