The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-23
CoNGRE sSIoN AL.
SPEECH OF Mr.. billiard,
OF ALABAMA,


The SFsAkER announced, as the unfinished bu,
sness, the following joint resolution, reported by
Mr. J: lsoERsoil, from The Comhnittee on For
eign Affairs
k,eis.d ty ne s.,u,. and House q u a,
Onusd States Of .fsrea ia C0nsJsss aSsbisd That the
essden OF the United States forthwith notice 70 he
given 70 the government Of Great Britain that the conven
on between the United States and Great Britain
Ing the territory Of Oregon Of the 9th Of August sa
signed LOndon shall be annuled and sbrogatsd
soniorsby the .ssosd article Of the said convention q
the 9Th Of August, 1897.
Mr.. HILhIAfD, being entitled to the door, rose
and said:
Mr.. srrAxra In entering upon the discussion o.
the great question al present before the House, u
will be proper for moment to reeur to the history
OF the relations Of the government Of the United
States with that of Great Btrin IN regard TO the
territcry Of Oregon. Il is well known that, after
several fruitless attempts had been made to adjust
the difference between them In relation 10 the soye.
regnty OF that district Of country, both powers had
at length agreed to adjourn the question over, and
they he'd mutually entered into the convention Of
1878 by which Treaty il understood that the
two parties were TO enjoy certain privileges in regard
TO the territory, which were clearly specified and
defined. In the summer Of 1927, when this eonyen-
lion was about 10 expire by its own limitation,
provision was made TO perpeIuale this mutual UNI
Outstanding, simply with the pufpose OF preserving
peace Between the parties, and without yielding any
portion Of the original claims which had been re-
spectiyely put forth. IL is now proposed in this
House to terminate that convention, conformaby
to provisional article embodied IN the instrument
itself
Should that termination be brought about as pro-
posed, what will be the relative positions Of this
country and Of Great Britain in regard TO the Ore
gon territory For answer to this question we
referred back 10 the relation subsisuns between
them before the convention was entered into. That
relation must, then, be renewed, aDdthe two nations
will stand as conflicting claimants before the civil
ized world for the entire control over the whole ter
ritory. Here then, comes In the question as TO our
ltite-whether founded on discovery exploration,
and settlement, by our own citizens or resting on
the claims OF SpeinI for shall Being both Our
title end he title OF Spain To forify our position,
when we meet competitor in the presence Of the
civilized world. shall not enter on this question
OF title IL has recently been exhibited with great
ability, and should only render myself tedious by
repeating arguments which have already been placed
in the elearest light simply desire TO say that,
the question Of our title 10 Oregon, rely mainly
on the previous title of Spain, although an, far
from undertaking the merits or discoveries aud sell
tleiets In that region by OUR own entetpriong cu-
zens. admit these, and duly appreciate them; but,
as have already said, my main reliance is placed
on the Spanish tte--a title which we did not pos
sess at the time our dispute with England arose;
for is my belief that had Tins title then been ours,
the convention Of 1878 would never have had an
existence. So long this title remained in the
hands OF Spain, Great Britain treated Il with the
contempt which marked all her conduct towards
that power. Pitts rooted avetsion TO Spain ID well
known; he inheried 1t from his father, and il made
itself manifest IN ell his public conduct; when the
occasion provoked IL; indeed il was but the sentii
ment of the British nation. So that, although the
moral power of that title was great as ii is now,
it was not regarded with the respect which was due
TO it. That titc has been recently convincingy,
may say so riumphantly, pleaded by our present
STATE hiatt hnv~ al arftia
dismay into the British cabinet, and il has certainly
placed our own claim to the country upon more
elevated and commanding ground than 1t ever stood
on before. Il is now american title; and, with
whatever contempt Great Britain might have felt
herself warranted in treating it when in the possess
sion of Spain, she will not so treat It when II is put
forth before the world as the claim Of the United
States. do not speak this boasifully, but desire
that Great Britain shall know that we comprehend
our rights; and thank God we are able to maintain
them, ......
| do not desire, sir, to be understood as putting
out of the question our own American title
A late Secretary Of State, (Mr CALHouS,) whose
fame is commensurate with the extent of civiliza-
ton, has placed the American claim on Captain
Gray's discovery OF the mouth Of the Columbia
river, and that admitted principle of international
law, that, by whatsoever nation the mouth OF river
is discovered, to that nation belongs the whole Of the
valley which is drained by it's waters. feel this
claim TO be of great consequence; and must con-
fess that felt the greatest amazement, when, in the
debate of Saturday, distinguished gentleman from
Massachusetts Mr.. WNTHRopl disclamed all reli-
ance upon it. Rich as Massachusetts is---and ac-
knowledge her rich in all that can give elevation TO
a S,ate-1 do not think her, however, in crcum-
stances to abandon such honor as this discove-
ry. The gentleman came to this House, as have
understood, with rich inheritance Of ancestral
fame, to which he has largely added in welkmerited
reputation Of his own; but if he thinks himself
cd lair h,,
Captain Gray, will take it up. If Massachusetts
casts him of, will claim him for the United States
The gentleman has said that Captain Gray, as a
navigator in the waters Of the Pacific, had no thought
of making discoveries on behalf of his country, or
Of adding anything to her territorial claims, but had
simply been prosecuting little harmless trade in
fish and petry. This may be so; but still he coast
ed those shores in vessel of his own, with our ma
tional flag waving over his head; in vessel which,
according to the doctrine of an eminent statesman,
whose fame belongs alike to Massachusetts, and to
his whole country was part and parcel of the Amer
lean SOIL D.. -H @ ~ 2.a
Mr. Webster, in his correspondence with Lord
Ashburton, states the doctrine with great cearness
and force: ""s Z"
But nevertheless the law Of nations as have stated
and the 70 o. nn sa ,onnd.a on that
modern times do clearly hold that the Jurisdiction and laws
Of nation ,ceomssny her ships no, only over the high
may be for the general purpose Of governing
and regulating the rights duties, and obligations OF those
board thereof; and that to the extent Of the exercise Of
this jurisdiction they considered parts Of the terrific
ry Of the nation herself"
This principle, thus laid down, is not likely to he
disputed hereafter among civilized nations; and il
results from it, that while the Jurisdiction of the
ton silently accompanies the vessel in all its course
extending over il aleepess and efficient protection,
all the discoveries which that vessel makes are for
the nation. II in this spirit that Captain Gray
when in that distant region he entered the mouth Of
that great stream which had never before been
tered by any navigator, gave to it The name Of his
ship--CoLuMsIA-thus identifying with il through
all time memories Of his country and his home.
Mr.. WINTHROP rose TO explain, and the floor
being yielded to him for that purpose he went on
TO say, that the honorable gentleman from Alabama
seemed entirely to have misunderstood him. SO far
from discaiming casting away this discovery Of
Captain Gray, he had, on the contrary, expressly
said that he considered ii, after all as our bes, re-
sort, and containing in itself the best claim we
could show to the possession Of Oregon; and he
had added, that Massachusetts, and especially the
peorle of Boston, felt proud Of Gray fellow
citizen, and OF his discovery as shedding ustre
upon the city Of his birth and the Stale OF which he
was n citiZen.1 KS.