Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-04-03


Scr TO DO, even the People cannot release the
Obligation by any thing short Of revolution, if they
could by s,1ch an extreme measure a that. The
question, then. is not, and was not, "new one to
fhis Administration" The sovereignty Of nation
The people themselves, have not right to DO,
much less to COMMAND another to do diskOnOrG-
ble act-I mean an act dishonorable to the nation
g., her Intercourse with other nations. All power
r.zts with the sovereign authority but in consi.
futiona Government like ours, even the people may
bind themselves against dong wrong. II they
would set about taking of that shackle, they must
n.volutionize and s,rick at the Constitution. Al
ter Inst Il thew choose but even the people have
no RIGHT to do wrong to other nations, and leave
the Cousfitution as 1t Is. honor that statesman
who can 20 whittier the homer Of his country
carries him, forge:ful Of himself and bis personal
convenience, or the consistency Of his mere opin-
Ion. Had Mr.. Polk repeated his opinion Of our
"clear and unouestionable" title for an Amen to
his daily prayers for years and years together it
would still have been the duty Of the PREsIDENr
20 90 to the line Of Ago as a compromise, if ne be-
heved, as he says he did, that his country was
committed" and the honor and faith OF the ma
ton hade him 90 there. It is still his duty TO do
Il. he sincerely believes what he says. Talk
what YOU may of the people-fatter them as you
please-yet in spite Of all the onesided arguments
upon our title to Oregon, and the unfairness of pre-
Gliding debate upon 1t here Ivy the clamor of
British against every one that doubts 1t Tor an
ieh-only let this question 60 to the people Of the
United States, whether the honor of the nation is
not dearer than "every inch" of oregon on the
other side of 4s-let the people hear and under
stand the motives and the policy and the honora-
bic necessity under which the President has acted.
end from the mountain valleys Of the West to the
a r a. 49, hat hn
President has done nght-the honor ofo country
before every thing else! If honesty and patriotism
did no, sustain the President. prudence and peace
would lend their aid and all the world would see
that war for the whole of Oregon, when we are
Ourselves divided in opinion upon the question OF
right to the whole of it, and the Chief Magistrate
himself believed that it was not honorable to go
for our extreme right, would be madness. How
could we pray God TO bless us and t. aid our arms
in such q conflict !
But Senators who are relying upon the Presi-
dents message TO Congress declaration OF hos
tiy to further negotiation, and the pledge of de-
termination on his part not to settle this controver-
sy at all by pacific compromise, even if his own
offer should be returned upon him. may find them
selves disappointed. I warn them that they have
been deceiveing themselves by their own misinter'
probation. Even if there could be found in the
messaRe) line or a sentence to stimulate the
hopes Of some Senator's or to excite the suspicious
Of others, hope to dissipate them all by review
of mis- acts and omissions. and the rords of that
Presidential "record." For undertake to say,
that II there be truth in logic faith in the integrity
and ViTture Of public agents, and meaning in Eng
liGh words it can be demonstrated from the course
of theAdministration from its acts Of commission
and acts of omission, and the language Of this SIRE
cord" that the President will not. as he ought
not to- repel and refuse to entertain offer from
the British Minister for a compromise substantial
II the same that he himself has heretofore pTopo
sed and that whilst the Senate are in session he
could not think of such a thing 'Oithout their ad
Uite. For he must know-we do know that g
constitutional majority of that body would prefer
q compromise at the line Of 49o to an "inevitablt
war" for the line of54o 40.
Upon this subject Of ,oGr. suffer me to say
word before proceed to this demonstration.
To deprccate war, as q calamity, by any labor
ed remarks in the nineteenth century, and in ar
American Senate, would be trespass upon YOU
time, and fear an insult to your understanding
But it has been thought that Great Britain will no
6ght for Oregon; and the Senator from Illinois
mir. BreeSe.) speaking for tic "true friends q
Oregon" would almost seem to think that tn
only use Of any negotiation abOnt this matter (ans
that he does allow of is. to let her get time t
quit 30 as to avoid being kicked out of the posses
sion all the way up to $40 40. These are no
bis words, but this is hardly caricature Of tn,
impression they made upon the minds Of his hSa
TeTs Now, without going at all into the question
ofwhich country has the best title above the line
Of aye, let me ask the Senate to look at the maj
Of Oregon printed by your order. To cast you
eyes it above the 49th paralIeto see Freezer
river occupied and fortified from its mouth to it
source, all English forts to recollect that Grea
Britain has held possession there for forty year
and more to bear in mind that an American set
tiers foot ESQ far az know never trod that soil
not 70 forget that we have been negotiating 70
forty years, and always offering to Great Britain L
compromise for all below Frazers river then Il
turn to the sixth protocol Of the negotiation thi
day pending and undetermined, and there reaC
what the British Minister said, to wit, on the 24tl
Of September, lS44-"he ,rGs for the presen
obliged tOdeelare that he did not feel authorized
ENTLR ISTO ADIscUssIoN respecting the territor,
north Of the 49h pdrdLkL of Lotitude"-ay no
FrazeF'S river and then tell me if national pride
national honor, and every consideration that caI
stimulate 3 nation to war, would not compel Grea
Britain to resist, should our Government under
take 10 dislodge her settlements there, after frs
Tudely terminating the negotiation, and boldly dc
clEEing that compromise is inadmissible-ye.
even our own Offer for two generations, out of tn
question--"all or none," 1.-The whole or a fight
In such case Great Britain must fight; she ough
70 fight; and she ,UOUld Eight. IF the Senator wi
permit me to suppose him an Engshman, to hiu
put the question, then: Were you an English
man. would you not resist; would you not figh
And If you would fight. were you an EngRsl
man, what, being an American statesmen. hav
you done with the gOldenruIe--what with tn
Jackson Eule-whlIst you are thus demandin
what is not right !"
IPEOpose now to callth attention of the Senat
20 the ACTS Of the President having an iumetial
connection with the inquiry of what is bis position
His acts Of commission: What arc they +
Look 70 the UrecorJls" and See Therein van fin