The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-17

| mayor and common council OF hieAa"' bs
printed; which was agreed to-
rosr OFFICE IN TEXAS
| Mr.. NILES moved to postpone the prior orders
nj Inc dsv. and that the Senate take up the JOINT
| resolution providing for "A temporary maiservce IN
4 Texas; which motion was agreed TO-
Tho ioint resolution then read second time,
! considered as in committee Of the whole, reported
hack 10 the Senate without amendment, and ordered
| 10 third reading. BY unanimous consent, the |
Joint resolution had third reading, aud was passed
/ Mr.. JOHNSON, Of Louisiana, from the Com
niltee on Pensions, asked that said committee be
discharged from the further consideration OF the pc
ton of Carey IL, Ssely, and that It be referred to
TO.
Mr.. SPEIGHT moved that the Senate resume the
| consideration of the special orders which was
agreed to.
Mr. COLQUlTT, who held the floor from yes
terday, then proceeded address the Senate, and
said | do not pro!ess TO have myself any knowl-
edge Of the views which the President has not gwen
| TO the world which 20 to support his recommenda-
tons the subject OF Oregon. Relying WIN me
utmost confidence on his honesty, integrity, ana
| frmneas | am quite ready upon these recon-
mendations. Ithas been very properly said that no
message that ever emansted from President OF the
United States has met with more general aPProba-
ton the part Of the people than that one TO
which | now alude. IL Is able, dgnihed, and
done, and all that he has offered to do, has met a
favorable response from the public. IL would be q
libel upon his character TO say that now he consd
ers what he has done, or what he has offered to do
AS not the best that might or could have been done
for the best interests and happiness OF the people
am not willing that his political adyersaIes should
assert or his political friends insnuate that he Is
secretly endeayorng TO plunge this country into
/ war whilst all his public communications breathe
the language Of peace. | am not Wiling that the
/ kill hat
halls of Congress that have the private car OF the
President and are his especial mouIh-pieees, whilst
| he possesses daily means Of communication with
| both houses OF Congress. IL war comes, the
fault will not be on his head. In what he has
already DONE and in what he has offered TO do,
we have a public guarantee Of what he il still
willing do, and the sacrifices he is still prepared TO
make in order TO preserve at once the peace and
honor Of the nation. The bloody laurel, were
he capable Of winning IL, would sit but lily on his
brow The oliye-branch sits more gracefully upon
il. He has not been waited TO his present high po-
stion upon the groans and signs Of widows and or
phans, rendering IL necessary for him to finish his
race Of glory in carnage and blood. l know that
there have been misgvings here and elsewhere, that
while his communications and his recommendations
to Congress are all peaceful, there is secret
hostility TO any negotiation the part OF the Ex-
ecutive; and the nhammatory speeches made in the
halls of Congress by some gentlemen have strength
| ened the conviction, and given some alarm; but in
vindication of the President permit me to say that
whenever the people shal find that his public and
. private acts conflicting with each other-tha he
acts with disguise and Observation-Disclosures he is
weak and yacilating, and to be driven from his Dig
, nifed and peaceful purpose by inhammstory
! speeches made in Congress, it will then be time
enough to convert public applause into public repro
baton. The spirit, feeling, and character Of the
! message have been all well calculated to make us
> all consider not only the question itself, but the
probable result ofour final action upon it. The ardent
ed Inv
age and national pride, have drawn theatrical picture
y OF the fuure-they have brought us TO gaze upon
our laureled warriors, planting the standard Of free
dom on the verge Of the continent laved by
the waters of the Pacifc--tmmppg under their
feet in proud contempt the foul pretensions Of an
ambitious nation The prudent and the cautious,
actuated by the laudable purpose Of abating these
kndling fires Of war, lit up by such fattering de-
scrpons Of the future, have reversed the picture,
and called on TO contemplate scenes Of desolaton
a. and wo--ravaged coasts-pundered cities-an ex-
. hausted treasury-and country sinking deeper and
h deeper into misfortune and ruin. Permit me, with
\ out being urged on by the heated ardor Of the one
,e or fetered by the fears and approximations Of the
Of other to consider this question in the spirit Of
calmness and prudence. Is Oregon, in truth on
principles of Justice, a territory of the United
l. States Is title to the Saith parallel Of latitude
unquestionable and unincumberedi Is there any
n difficulty about p If you answer there is none,
g then there is left for us but course the maine-
y nance of those rights peaceaby If may, forcbly
" if We must. II has been the business Of TO
give us very glowing descriptions Of the CONNER.
, cia and agricultural advantages Of Oregon, whilst
~ others have in all these respects deprecated its
value-represented it az territory unproductive and
steri l do not conceive that its value enters legit.
mately into discussion of the question of right. IL
every acre were gardenfevery river were stream
of wealth-if every harbor the safe depository
a and mart for the worlds mighty conmorce-t the
= whole coast were indented with commodlous and
l, safe retreats fr naval ornaments of the world,
yet were claims not founded in truth, justice
! would demand the instant abandonment of all our
preensons. But if title be clear unquestiona-
BILE, unincumbered to the whole territory, then if it
were bleak and rocky DESERT scarcely habitabe by
r the mountain goat, honor would require that we
should make no surrender until first the title had
been cancelled by the last will and testament Of the
republic. | propose to divide the issues presented
on this question. There is but one question--that
is Of the notice. But with this question of notice
has been blended the assertion of uncompromsing
right to the whole territory; and in consequence of
/ this blending Of issues improperly united, con-
ceive that many gentlemen have been placed in an
improper position before the country. Take the
!: issues together-the notice to Great Britain to quit,
and the determined assertion without any negotia
ton compromise of the right to the whole terrific
RI ry-what is the RESULT There ia but one alterna-
tive, and that is war, unconditional surrender
RI on the part Of the British government for fear of
war. And who can believe for moment that that
government will relinqush the advantages which i,
has enjoyed there without being permitted The
right to negotiate? But divide these issues, and we
can all go for the notice unquesonabe right
right that is necessary right that be peace
fully exercised-a right sanctioned by the stipula-
tons Of the treaty itself Then what do we do :
We leave then but one question open, and that is
our title to the whole Of Oregon-whcther that title
is unquestionabc and so ndisruable, and so free
from doubt and difficulty, that could not without
a sacrifice Of our national honor make compromise
of the boundary with Great Britain And |
apprehcnd that when this last issue comes
to be presented-if gentlemen should allow
it to be presented to the American people i,
will be found that the great body of that people is
in favor Of just, honorable, and peaceful arrange
ment | know that il has been said here and else
where that we must go to war and fight before we
give up one inch of Oregon. | appreciate very
highly that patriotic ardor which mpels certain of
our orators to proud assertions of national rights
though their limits should run into the misty re-