Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-04-24
THE ENQUIRER.
RICHMOND, VA.
Thursday Morning, April %, 1916.
THE OREGON POLICY.


Thursday Morning, April %, 1916.
THE OREGON POLICY.
Yesterdays Times takes exception TO our re-
marks, which were designed 10 show that the
Wings in Congress, by passing the Oregon No
ice Resolutions, had vindicaled the policy Of the
President II is unnecessary to go into detail
ID statement OF the circumstances which have
attended the agitation Of this question. The dis
;ussion TO US seems 10 be narrowed down 10
he proprie,y or impolicy OF giving the notice OF
he abrosation OF the joint occupancy. The
Wings have invariably resisted the measure in
any form, as clearly indicative of war. We
have always regarded the course Of Mr.. Polk as
firm, ye, moderate and emineu,ly calculated to
bring about speedy and pacific adjustment of
the difficulty.
In spirit of peace, the President, though con-
WINGED that our It'll. ia The whole OF Oregon was
beyond dispute, offered 10 Great Britain The 49th
degree of latitude. 1t was promptly rejected BY
the British Minister, and al once the President
directed it TO be Withdrawn. But in doing so, TO
quote the language Of Mr.. Buchanan's last let
ter 10 Mr. Pakenham, ''the President still che
rishes the hope that this long pending controversy
may yet be finally adjusted in such manner as
NOT to disturb the peace or interrupt the harmony
now so happily subsistng between The two ma
TONS" There is certainly no intention here dis
played on the part Of the President to involve the
nation in war, as the Wings have uniformly
charged The President, for the sake OF peace,
had offered liberal compromise. !. was REJECT
ed; and could he then have done otherwise than
fall back upon The title 10 the whole country 7
Such course is invariably pursued by individu-
ais engaged in a contest for property, when an
offer OF compromise BY one is rejected BY the
other. We see no difference, under similar cir
cumslances, between The mutual conduct Of indi-
yiduals and nations. But by Withdrawing the
the offer, the President clearly did not shut the
door to all negotiation forever. While at the
time he saw NO Just ground Tor aproPer compro-
mise under The circumstances then existing, there
is nothing TO show that he had sci his face against
every plan for bringing about suitable adjust
men, of the controversy, though new state Of
facts should arise.
Mr.. Polk felt satisfied, that as long as The Ten
tauglins alliance" ofthe joint occupancy con-
tinued, Great Britain would have no inducemert
to look seriously 10 settlement OF the difficulty
For this purpose he recommended The notice OF
The termination ofthe joint occupancy TO be given
not, as the Wings contend, with The design Of in
sistipg upon the whole of Oregon up to the Rus
sian line as sine qua non OF a settlement, but as
a clear indication OF the determined wish OF this
nation 10 have settlement upon just and honor
able grounds. The friends Of the notice, with
few exceptions, havs advocated it as The surest
means Of preserving The peace Of the country, BY
o adjustment ot,he difiuly upon such
terms, as would save The rights ard honor ofthe
nation. |, is for these reasons that we have warm
|: urged he adoption Of the noiicc-iiis Tor This
!ha, we have cordially assented to The resolutions
OF The House-which expressly embraced The
principle Of negotiation. Others may coDstrue
the Presidents course differently, but we have
n.ver shifted from the impression, originally Ia
Ken up, that the same views acluated The Pfesi-
dent 10 recommending the notice. Hc saw It's
vital importance in Fastening settlement and
preventing embarrassment, and, probably,a con-
Hict between the two countries.
We thought, and still think, that the House Re-
solution was pacific enough in its character. We
preferred il, too, because it divided the response
biity Of the important measure between Con-
gress and The President. But at tie same time,
rather than see the notice fail, We were anxious
10 see it pass in the form as il passed in
the Senate. We saw in the one, as in the
other, sufficient indications Of pacific inten-
lions. But. above all, we saw that the no.
lice itself, which had been repudiated by the
Wing press, was recommended by the strongest
reasons Of policy. 1t twas for this that we desired
the resolutions to pass by an united vote, SO as 10
inform Great Britain, that however the notice had
been denounced by the Wing press OF this coun-
try il had received the sanction Of both parties in
Congress; and, while it was couched in courte-
Gus and pacific terms, it spoke clearly the sen,i-
ments OF The nation, as demanding speedy ad-
jus,ment Of the question.
Had the Wings in Congress followed the sus-
ges,ons of their party presses, The notice in any
form would have been defeated, If they had
been strong enough. But in sanciening the
conclusive reasons for termination Of the
Joint occupancy, as embraced in the Sc
mates resolutions, they have shown their coma
dence in the wisdom Of the President in recon-
mending the measure, and in his ability 10 guard
the rights The honor and the peace Of the nation.
Individuals may differ as 10 the form proper 10 be
given 10 the notice. We haA commended that
even in its naked form, The notice would be in
consonance with the treaty, and would conduce
pacific adjustment. So thought Lord Claren-
don in the late debate in Parliament and il
is tar from logical argument, as advanced
by the Wings, that, because the Presiden-
was for the notice, he wa. therefore for war.
As the New York Commercial (Whig) said
some weeks since, "a very large proportion, pro-
baby grea, majority Of those Americans who
go for the notice, do so under the conviction that
in The present stale the Oregon controversy, an
Indefinite joint occupation Teens with danger;
that there is .aie,y only in bringing such occuPa-
ton 10 a close"
However others may regard it, we cared not
so much for The form as for the substance. The
notice itself is one of the prominent recommen-
ialions of the President. Though denounced by
nearly the whole Wing press Of the country, ii
mas been sanctioned by the Wings Of Congress,
and we think that we were not far wrong when
re Asserted that the policy of the President had
,een indicated by bis opponents.
The intelligence by the Steamer will probably
shed much ieh. upon The critical position Of Bril-
ish affairs in India. The manly End efficiens
,earing ofthe Silks at Moodkes and Ferozeshah,
disabled the British generals to such degree,
hat they could not drive the enemy across the
su,lej. The Sikhs remained week between
be British army and The river without molesta-
ion.
To show the difieuliiss which the British are
likely to encounter. before they pct down The en-