The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-11-27
POLITICAL.
THE OREGON ouRsTIoN-No.a

The proceedings Of Congress upon he recommendation
~ me Prssided 10 gtve me YEARS. notice required Z
atyegais me eonsention Of August 8, 1927
True policy required that Congress should pas
the notice 10 abTogate the convention OF lc2I IN ~
simplest form, and with the least possibls> delay
This notice ought TO have been sent from The Unite
States 10 Great Britain by the sieam-paeket OF Jan
usry i, 1886, and the negotiation with all Its re
sponsibiity ought then 10 have been left In th
hands Of the President, unless in is progress, th
necessity should occur for consulting the Senate
Never was there more propitiOus moment for ob
tanning justice from the British government than tina
which was lost by the tsrdy action Of Congress
The British dominion in India was then in create
danger from the Sikh war than IL had encounters
for many years; and Great Britain eonyulsed a
home by the struggle Of contending parties, and b,
the dread Of famine and civil war IN Ireland. A
this crisis had Congress promptly passed the notice
in a firm but respectful tone--s right which haC
been expressly reserved 10 either party by the con
venton--the British government wonld most prob
sby have been willing 10 settle the Oregon question
on any terms not Inconsistent with their national
honor. All the commercial and manufacturing inter
esls 80 powerful and influential in that country,
opposed TO a rupture with the United States. To
them Oregon was an object Of very small impor-
taRce, when compared with the loss they would
sustain by any interruption OF their trade with this
country. $40 Great Britain las Mr. Buchanan OBJ
serves in his letter TO Mr.. Pakenham OF the 4h o
tam colonial possession, Of doubtful value, and
which, from the natural progress Of human events
she would not probably long enough enjoy 10 derive
from il essential benefits; whilst TO the United States
il would become an integral and essential portion Of
the republic. The gain TO Great Britain she wonld
never sensibly feel, whilst the loss TO the United
States would be irreparsble."
Every indication in Great Britain, at the moment
was favorable 10 a settlement of the question upon
terms which would recognise the just rights Of the
United States. The Presidents message in relation
TO oregon-and the correspondence which accom-
panied it-had been received with enthusiastic APP
plause throughout the Union, and had made
strong impression in favor Of title all Eo-
rope, not excepting Great Britain itself The line
Of the Columbia river to which the British govern.
ment had so long adhered, was abandoned; and
they at receded from It, as the President had
anticipated, TO the parallel Of fory-nine degrees.
great variety Of British publications at the time,
in reviews, magazines, and newspapers, indicated
this change. Even the Times" the journal OF
the most extensive circulation and the greatest in
fuence in Europe, the 81 jan, 1876, had strong
ly urged that the British minister in Washington
ION whom now devolves the duty of making fresh
proposals TO the government Of the United States, =
should "renew ON his part, the offer (of the Ash
parsllel) made TO England by Mr.. GaIlatin, in the
presidency and under the direction Of Mr.. Adams"
Nothing more favorable than the proposal here
suggested coming from Great Britain the first step
in new negotiation, could have been anticipated.
Ii was something wholly without parallel in the
history OF Great Britain, to propose TO foreign
government the very terms which she had previous
Iy rejected herself in the most emphatic manner,
when offered TO herby that government and TO make
il her own basis Of negotiation. The "Times," In
the same article affords yet more striking indica
ton OF the temper of the British mind at that june
ture, by saying that if this offer should be refused
by the American government, then II did mot SEE
how auch n thew (thf limited States
could refuse to submit the question Of miles, still t
in dispute, to the arbitration Of some neutra
power"
The queens speech to parliament, on the 22c
January, 1886, was in accordance with all these ia
vorable symptoms. Hrr majesty expressed he
regret that the conflicting claims Of Great Britain
and the United States, in respect to the northwest
ern coast Of America remained unsettled; and sh,
gave parliament the assurance that no effort con.
sistent with national honor should DO wanting OF
her part to bring this question to an early and peace
fI termination. .H.
The debate in both houses Of parliament, in an
swer to the queens speech, augured most favorably
Sir Robert Peel, In the House Of Commons, ex
pressed his regret n It Mr.. Pakenham, instead Of
rejecting our prop. ION, had not transmitted il Il
the home governm,ut for their consideration; al
though he spoke with doubt "whether or not i
ought to have been accepted"
This, coming from the prime minister Of Eng
land was a most significant indication, especially
when slider that he did not assert or intimate
that Mr.. Pakenham had violated his Instructions in
rejecting our proposition. No such assertion could
have been made, it would have been in direct OPP
position to the statement of that gentleman himself
made in despatch to Lord Aberdeen, which wa,
read to Mr.. McLane, that she (Mr. Pakenham)
thought his treatment of the Presidents proposition
justifabe, on the ground of his Instructions, which
in his opinion forbade the expectation that such
proposition could un Ter any circumstances, receive
the appreciation Of his government. He also ex-
pressed his belief that reference Of the proposition
to his government, merely, as he supposed, to be
rejected, would not have avoided the embarrassment
in which the subject has been, by that step, in
volved." Vide Mr.. McLane's letter to Mr.. Blu
chanan. of the LIST December, l845
The means Of negotiation were far from being ex-
haused. The passage Of the notice, and the conse-
quent certainty that the convention must terminate.
within year, would have made the question 90
grave, that every effort Of diplomacy would have
been exerted for its adjustment
The national honor OF Great Britain whilst sur
rendering the whole territory to the United States,
might have been satisfied BY a continuance to the
Hudson Bay Company for a term Of years, Of the
privileges which they had enjoyed under the con
vention Of 1927, and the grant Of fair indemnity
for their osses--such as Mr.. flanagan subsequent
ly proposed in the Senate as an amendment to the
existing Convention IL this bad not proved salts
factory, the President might with the previous adj
WIG W H1c k1piofts fufe eDnbcUtcu " uCrtPt
couvcrs island, in addition TO the territory on the
continent south of the 18Th parallel Of latitude; or
the last resort, he might, with such previous advice
after having secured the territory south Of this par
sliel, have conrented, suggested by the "Times
70 an arbitration for the remainder. ,,
Great Britain bad never made any settlement on
Vanconver's island; and she could not have enter
tanned the objections to s surrender as existed
against yielding up the possession Of the valley OF
Frazer's river, in which her settlements were nu-
rnerous n. .ugygs. III Gla.sF
In our opinion, il was the clear policy Of Con-
gress promptly to have passed the notice, and re-
fahed from taking the negotiation out Of the hands
of the President, to whom it belonged under the
constitution. All the fair hopes, however, which
might have been Justly cherished, wore soon blasted
by the course which Congress pursued. s NIT.
During the fret fortnight Of the session it gem
orally believed that Congress- would, without unne-
cessary delay, have adopted the measures recon-.
fpented by the President. Mr.. Calhoun arrived
about the Goth December to take his seat in the SEN
ate; and il Immediately became known Throughout,
the city Of Washington that he was opposed TO
these measures, and especially the notice required to