Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-01-16

"TheNextraordinary and wholly inadmiss-
BILE demands Of the British government. and
the rejection Of the proposition made in defer
ence alone to what had been done by my pre-
decessors, and the implied obligation which
their acts seemed TO impose. afford satisfactory
evidence that no compromise which the Uni
ted States ought to accept. can he effecteo.-
With this conviction. the proposition of COM
promise which had been made and rejected.
was,hy my direction. subsequently wthdr wn,
and Our title to The whole Oregon territory as
serted, and, as is believed, maintained by IT.
refrasable facts and arguments
Presidents Message.
AS the Oregon question is par excellence, If
we may be permitted the expression, the great
question Of the day, We trust our readers will
not think it amiss in us that we devote a large
share Of our remarks to it in this weeks Jour-
nal. The above sentence would seem pretty
clearly to convey to the reader the idea that
England will not settle the dispute in any way
which the United States having just regard
to her honor and her interests, can agree TO.
This conviction upon the mind of Mr.. Polk,
as he says himself, induced him to withdraw
the proposition which he had made of the
49th, and to assert our title to the whole Of the
territory. The question is what is the real mean
ing of this passage in the Presidents mes
sage? Does the President, by the language
which we have just quoted, mean to convey
the idea that negotiations are at an end With
all due Difference TO those who differ with US
in opinion, we cannot constIue this lam
guage Of Mr.. Polk in any other way, than that
its plain meaning is, that 80 for as any action
on the part Of our government is concerned,
negotiation is at an end. That is, and We
want to be distinctly understood by our read
ers, the United States will not and cannot re-
open the negotiation. She has not said, it is
true, in express terms, that her last PROPOSE
ton is her uNimatum. But the fact that Mr..
Polk withdrew that proposition and asserted
our title to the whole Of the territory, and that
he did This, as he says, from the conviction
''that no proposition which the United States
ought to accept, can be effected" induces ir-
resistibly upon our mind, the conviction that.
so far as our government is concerned, we
will make 40 more propositions !; Or, in other
words, that we will not, on our part, re- opan
the negotiation. We will 60 further, and say
that. in our estimation, after what has been
done, the present administration could not
honorably assume the initiatory in any future
negotiation. By this, We do not mean to say
that the matter may not yet be settled by
peaceabe measures. In our opinion, howev-
er, it entirely depends upon whether England
will recede from the ground which Mr.. Paken~
ham assumed. That her governn. ent will re
cede,w earnestly hoPe,& Notwithstanding MIR.
Folks opinion 10 the contrary, we still adhere
/ to the belief that, upon weighing the whole
matter and considering the Consequences, she
will be glad TO accept the 49th, rather than IN
cur all the responsibilities Of war, by which
from her present position on this continent
she has sagacity enough to know that she
would have every thing TO lose and nothing t.
gain. True it is, that many Of the most dis
tinguished statesmen Of the country think tina
England will not recede. True it is, that Mr.
Polk, in the sentence quoted above, states i
as his belief also, but notwithstanding all th
we are inclined to think that she will. If sh
does not, we sea no chance to avoid war. For
from the tone of every speech which has bee
made in Congress, since the commencement G
the session, on the Oregon question, we gath
er that there is but one opinion as to the 49s
being the utmost length which this countr
will 60. in the way Of compromise. Our opin
ion. expressed some time ago, is, neverthe
less. that we will not have war. May Heave
grant that we may be correct. rit is dread
full alternative, even when necessary.