The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1846-04-18
EIEINGS lN GlNNNBAILo
MR.. HANNEGAN'S REPLY.


We present to-day the reply of Mr.. Han
negan U. s. Senator FROM Indiana TO Mr..
Benton, on the ubject Of giving lhe notice
10 Great Britain 10 terminate the joint oc-
cupancy Of the Oregon territory. |. will
be recohecled ,hs, Mr.. Benton lad assaied
the position taken by Mr.. Cass, in relation
10 this question during that Senators tempo
rary absence from his seat. Mr.. Cass
however found an able, as well as an slo-
quen, champion in the person of Mr. Ham
negan. as will be seen BY the extract from
his speech. which we append below.
Mr. HANNEoAN then rose and said: Mr.
President, have few words to say |
would not have made single observation
on this occasion had il not been for par
ucular expression, accompanied by very
Significant look towards this quarter which
fell from the Senator from Missouri. Ger
Ilanly he was the last man here from whom
expected an unkind look or an unkind
al luslon, AS said before upon a certain
occasion here, he has been TO great ex~
te- my political teacher, and, sir, IJarned
from him on this Oregon question more
Than learned from any other living man
| learned II from his speech on the Asbbur
ton treaty, which from hat hour has been
10 him the constant theme of deadly and
unmiiigalod hostility sgsins, the negotiaior
who made that treaty and The Senators who
vOted for il. learned mainly from that
speech my principles and relation 10 the
Oregon question. From that speech Of
,he Senator from Missouri, | learned that
The American title to Oregon up 10 latitude
SO degrees was good not only against Great
BriIsin but the whole world. That speech
was made here only four or five years ago
and in II The Senator taught me lhpss prin
cipes which, powerful as he is he never
will be able 10 eridicalo from my mind.
he planted them lhere, but he cannot now
pluck them up al his will. learned al the
feet Of my Gamaiel, have passed from
thence | have proclaimed the principles
which found there. He may do as he
Iisls.--He may, before his country and the
world, abandon these principles. will
not. make The same pledge made BY the
distinguished, patriotic, and honest Ameri-
can who occupied that seat yesterday,
HMr. CAss, ,ha. whenever it is shown that
Ihe line Of 40 degrees was extended to the
Pacific ocean, will not only close my
mouth and seal my lips against the utter
snce Of any claim TO The country north OF
40 degrees, but 10 any palI of Oregon. But
s6lf-confdent as she Senator is that he holds
the Agamemnon of our lille band pris-
oner he may find himself mistaken, Not
one single document 10 which ke referred
not one paragraph which he read has refer
ence 10 foot of land, with the exception
of his allusien 10 Lewis and Clarke, wes,
of ,he Rocky mountains. What right had
England and the Uniied States 10 sehe a
line devidlng county belonging TO Spain!
The Senator from Missouri is perfectly a.
ware that such was never in the cohiempla-
ZION of England and the United States
But this was the pledge made.b the Sena-
tor from Michigan. BY this he is bound
and by This, after all that he has said, ex
press myself also bound. Whenever il can
be shown that the treaty Of Utrecht contem,
plated the establishment Of the parallel of
40 degrees west Of the Rocky mountains, /
close my mouth as 10 Oregon. Spain was
a party 10 that treaty, illl some lime after
wards, speak from recollection, and do
not make this statement with perfect con-
|idsnce Of lis accuracy, but such is my ims
preston. Spain came into il afterwards,
protesting that she did not yield any rights
on lhe norIhwes coast, and only when that
protest was concurred in did she become a
party, As 10 France, prior to 1918, she
never asserted title 10 one foot Of territory
from the Islhmus Of Darien 10 the Arctic
circle, on the Pacific coast And yet Eng
land and France, according to the version
which he NJ. BENTON gives, ard with
the impression which he would produce
upon the Senate and upon The country, par
called out what we cali Oregon.-Yel up
10 shs, momenl-up 10 the signing of the
usa,y o! Ureoht. and long afIerward, and
down 10 The signing of lhe NooIka Sound
convention, before all Europe, with the as
sent of all Christendom, Spain asserted snt
maintained, and defended her tile 10 the
whole of that coast.
1t would be folly for me TO 60, even fo
an instant, into The argu nenls by which al
this has been sustained 1t isa noloriou,
fact which no man, senator or Otherwise
can conlroyer. Let me now eonpratulau
one, who most kindly did me the homo
some tine since, in most hansIing Ian
guage, which al once found lis way 10 m
heart, TO call me friend an epilhet whic
y will now return to him with his permis
sion'-lel me congratulate my friend, lh
;sh 81