The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-03-14
,TWENTY"NINTH CONGRESS.

L w Elm l. l"NIN LII UUNURESS,
SENATE. MONDAY, March 2. Mr. Day
ton submitted resolution callingon the Pres
ident TO inform the Senate whether the state
of the affairs between the United States and
foreign powers require in his opinion an in
crease ofour army and navy-which lies ov-
erull tomorrow. The Oregon resolutions
were then taken up.
Mr. Breese occupied the session in his ar
gument i'll support of our claim TO 81 40 of
the Oregon territory.
HOUSE. The New jersey contested G.
lection occupied the House all day.
SENATE. Mr. Clayton offered resolu-
ton calling on the President for all correspon
dence on our foreign relations since the 4th
of February. Lies over.
The resolution offered yesterday by Mr.
Dayton, relative TO the necessity of increas-
ing the military and marine force of the
country, was taken up, and, on motion of Mr.
Sewer was postponed for the present.
The Oregon resolutions were then taken
up, and Mr. Dayton took the floor and dev-
cred a iorcible speech on 'the notice."
HOUSE. The New Jersey case was TAX
en- up again and consumed the day.
SENATE. WEDNESDAY,, March 4. The
Oregon question was taken up, and Mr. Hay
wood, or North Carolina, made most inter
esting speech on The state Of The question.
Mr. Haywood in the course ofhis remarks,
said he would not lend his aid to a faction
FOR the purpose of making great officers of
little men; (whereupon one or two men near
him looked blank.
He commented with keen severity, upon
the perpetual clamor against the Ashhurton
treaty, and the factious motives that prompt
ed it. He also rebuked those Senators who
had attempted TO raise an cutlery h5re against
all the nations of the earth, and brought into
this body for popular excitement subjects that
properly belonged to the Executive. 1t was
unnecessary for him TO say that he was a
friend of the administration. lie held the
President responsible for giving lis such i'll
formation as may be proper for the discharge
ofour duties: but held that it would be entire
ly improper for us to ask or for him TO an
swer what he-woult do ifhis offer to Great
Britain should be returned upon him. But
the President has offered 40, and before that
he had refused the British offer as wholly in
admissible; and he had refused arbitration,
right or wrong. We could not help it if we
would; and he would not help it il he could.
1t was a fact, and we could not alter it. The
President had no where said, however, that
the offer of 40 was inadmissble. He cha-
lenged any one TO show him where the Presi-
dent had spoken of 81 degs. 40 minutes. If
he intended not TO take 40, it was his duty to
say so; but he had no said so. What was
the inference from all these facts? Arbitra-
lion was refused; the British offer was reject
ed; and he now asked us, while negotiation
was still open for the powerto give the notice,
as a moral weapon. Could we believe that
the President intended thus to trap us into a
war? He met this with denial. lie had
never heard ofanything to show that negota-
lion was abandoned and terminated. This
inference was that the President intended to
accept 40.
In speaking of49 he wished to be nnder-
stood that he did not speak ofinches-his pat
riotism was not restricted by inches--but he
meant somewhere about 40. He was prepar-
ed to stand with the Administration on 49,
without regard to inches, and he would not
concedc substantially anything more There
fore, he would give the notice. If he meant
to concede anything more he would not vote
for it. He would give the notice, and say to
the President, stand your ground ON the 10Th,
ana we will support you in it. In the mean
Tune, the President was not to commit us by
going one inch beyond 40. The country
was not prepared to take any thing less than
40. Ifthis Senate intended to concede any,
thing more, let them not go through the mock
cry of giving the ce,and place the Govern
ment in an attitude of contempt before the
world. fgentlemen thought that the Presi-
dent would ever yield any thing more than
49 in substance, they were mistaken; and if
'ey uld not DelleVe tnat Great Britain would
settle the matter upon that basis, they might
as well 20 to work and prepare for war at
once. Mr. ii. indicated the President for
Offering the 10th, and showed that this Gov
eminent was committed to that offer by pre-
Vlous negotiations, but was committed to
nothing more. IfGreat Britain would not
give us the 10th, then we might as well, five
We're obliged to fght,go for the whole. Those
VINO now cried out that the offer of 40 was an
ofence to national honor, and exclaimed a
gainst any concession of our territory of Ore
gon to any foreign power, were rebuked by
.lle tact that our predecessors in this body,
Who had as nice sense of national honor as
any Gifts present members, agreed to those
conventions unanimously, in which we made
concessions to England and Russia. The
treaty with Russia, by which we agreed not
20 settle North f54 40, Enough we had as
good right to go to 81 as to 81 40) was as
sehted to by the Senatc--Yeas 40, nays IL
go there was but one true American in the