The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1846-06-12
Nr. Fscntoil's speech.

II tie Senate. few dly iso, Mr. Ben.
ton delivered rnastetiecugc speech On the
Oregon Question. IL took stand ii a..
tor Of the 10Th degree, and 50 completely
did hc dcnpllsh ibc arguments Of The "a
80 mcn thul tha-, u9t lnap'ly, been styled
the Funeral dtscaafsar He made an on.
slaushl on Nessr, Polk, Buchanan, Green.
how, Alien, Cass, llannesan, Adams, Gid.
dngs Is c.. He shows their Is no such
limo as 81 10 Tie to'lowing account Of
his speech IS given by the Reporter Of the
New York lIcrall
Coll Benton rose 10 address the Srnnlr
and there was a general movement IN the
galleries - sec him as well as 10 hear him,
lie said ,blt the hdI before the Senate was
d proposition 10 extend our laws over the
territory we,, u thc Rocky Mountains,
without ylHg nli4i @a, the extent ut uur
limits. This was wrong proceeding. He
did not lhuk that this was tho way 10 pro.
coed either III the settlement Of the qucs.
ton, or ia the occupation Of the territory.
He thought, Il the business OF negotiation,
and not Of legislation, 10 settle The bounda
RES Of tie territory, and liHs VAS the fca.
son he had waited aud declined ans cN.
PRECISION Of hia views at length upon the
subject. Bat uow, while negotiations are
pending, that We are about 10 lcgt,iltc
Jurisdiction over an underlined cNtcn, Of Ter.
utory--a proceeding which would at once
iorcsiail al negoint.on--it altered the
state Of toe case. As events we're gong
on, We propose Ia establish Jurisdiction
over territory 1000 miles ola power,
the extent Of which NC cannot determine (;
lHd "a tins condition Of things hc wuu'd
torcgo all considerations Of propricty, pol.
ICY, or cNpcdicncy, III a review Of this
question Of the bouad4ry. lle proposed to
, DO il up5u tho principle Of asking moth.
ing bot what Is right, anl submitting to
nothing that is wrong" In undertaking
( this uu- racinu- task, his altcutinn would
. frs, be directed IT, the exposure Of several
great rrrots in existence errors at home
y p
OF all our late dllieuIcs. At the head OF
these errors was Tie assumption by the
Treaty with Rassll Of the line Of 81 10,
establishing, 50 Gf, thu territory as ours
up to That line on thu 6ug side and Il, the
territory Of Russia down to that line nn the
other THIS was the great error, There
was no such Inc established ia the world
There was no such line established be
tween the [ States aud Russia. Nonc
sir. So ftr rs that Inc was established, u
was made as the Northern linz, not for tho
United States, but fur Great Dfilaln. He
repeated the declaration, that, SO far rs
such boundary was proposed II was done
to make Il the Northern boundary Of ttca
Britain, and not Of the United states. Col
Benton then commenced his researches IN
10 the records to establish this point, II,
went buck TO the time Of Peter the Great
referred 10 the growing power Of Russia
and 10 the jealousy II England and the U
Slntes against the extension ot such powc
on the Northwest ceast lie ueNt CnGt
! the efforts Of Great Britain aud the tmtc'
=
. themselves aud the Emperor Alexander, II
, respect to JOINT occupation ct the terrific
! nv. But Alexander, like wise man, &c
= ting upon the principle that q" short settle
men,s make long friends" refused the co
/ partnership, and desired only to have hi
. own. Col. Benton then read from tn
b treaties respectively between Russia an
Great Britain, aud between the L. State
. aud Russia; both were substantially tn
e Same IN fxing the Southern Russian boun
+ dnrv nj the line Of 81 40 IN the sea, and u
n the Portland Canal, an arm OF the sea
J.. across TO the Mount st Elias, or the coa'
}. range of mountains, thence along said I'm
t Nor,hward toward Behring's Straits an
: the Frozen Ocean. Therc was no treat
Y with Russia by which our title to tilly.iou
q forty was claimed or acknowledged. IN
G claim was on the side Of another parry
The learned Senator, IN proof, read ogai
!. from The treaties upon the suhlcch lheT
Il were also some maps upon which this boul