Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-04-16

t9AtiN. W tllt Efept4Ss
Butt conclude. | have made no speech mp
on Oregon, and VIII make none at this time.
And here | viii answer publicly question
which is often put 10 me privately, "UhV dmif
yuf speak ~ Answer: profess 10 be friend
to this Administration, and mean to keep my
self in position to act according 10 nv pro
tessions do not mean to run ahead OF the
Administration in It's appropriate sphere de-
not mean TO take negotiation out Of us hands .
do no, mean to undertake TO lead it, or drive
il, to come in conflict with il, or TO denounce
il. with or without hypothesis, or before or al
ter the fact The Presidents position is ardu
Gus: his responsibilities To his God and his
country are great believe he is dong his
best TO reconcile and accomplish together the
great objects of the peace, the honor and the
rights OF the country aud. believing tins, !
shall hold myself IN a position to view his acts
with perfect candor, and with the strongest
disposition to support HIM in what he may find
II necessary TO do
Mr.. fANNEGAN said he should not have
asked the attention Of the Senate for a mo
mcnt, (haying already occupied the floor on
the general question bat for the suggestion Of
the Senator from Missouri. accompanied by a
manner and a leok which gave il peculiar
force and meaning. That Senator was the
last, the very last man living, from whom he
ever expected to receive such a look. fle has
been Exclaimed Mr. H. my political teach
eT. ] learned from INN almost al! the views
hold respecting this matter Of OREGON
Whatever position hold on that subject, |
learned from that Senator speech on the Ash
burton treaty--a treaty which, together with
those who negotiated it. has been the unceas-
ing theme OF his denuzciati0n from the day II
its ratification to this hour. From that speech
il was learned that the American tile 10 the
northwest coast as high as $50 north was
good, not only as respected any counter-claim
by Great Britain, but good against the world
That speech was delivered here. in this cham
Der, some four or five years ago. IL was he
who taught me- | know he is al -poweriul
here. but he cannot unlean me--tAat IS be-
yond his power. | learned my creed at the
feet Of Gamalel since then | have left my
humble posture at the feet Of the great teach
er: he may, before the world and IN the face
Of this Senate and the country abandon the
doctrine he then held, and taught to me but
shall not, therefore, abandon il. | will SLY.
as the honest, and patriotic, and true Amerl-
can who filed that seat yesterday (A1r CAss)
said, in his noble speech, when il can be
shown TO me that. bY the treaty Of Utrecht, il
cross the Rocky Mountains and extend 10 the
Pacific Ocean, viii not only close my mouth
in claiming the territory north Of that line. but
will abandon all Oregon. | cannot consent to
the Senator'S position that he holds the Aga
memnon Of our little band fast bound by his
own admission. Not at all. Not a word Of
all he read to the Senate refers to the country
west Of the mountains. No, not one word Of
il. What right had England TO divide a re-
gion Of country belonging to Spain The
Senator himself is fully aware that such a
thing never was the intention Of the treaty he
must know. as we all know, that tina; bound
airy line never was intended TO cross the Rocky
Mountains and run to the Pacific Ocean, This
was the condition of the pledge given by the
honorable Senator from Michigan, (Mr. CAss:)
he is bound by that pledge; and hold myself
bound with hun. |, too, am bound, when
this fact shall be proved TO me. Whenever 1t
shall be shown that, by the treaty Of Utrecht, it
was provided that the boundary Of 400 should
cross the SUBMITS Of the Stony Mountains
and run westward 10 the ocean. will thence
forth close my lips on the subject of Oregon
Spain was party to that treaty she came in
to il after it had been negotiated between
France and England she came into the agree
ment as one of the parties TO it; but she came
protesting that she thereby surrendered no
rights on the northwest coast; thar she abInd-
oned none Of her rights on this continent
France and England divided Oregon Why,
France never asserted, in l7l3. the remotest
claim 70 one foot of land west of the Rocky
Mountains. No, nor ON the entire Pacific
coast Of the continent Of North America, from
the Isthmus Of Darien 10 the pole. Yet, ac-
cording 10 the Senator's version of the treaty,
France and England by agreeing to that TEA
ty, parcelled out Oregon Down tothat mo
ment, and indeed to the date Of the Nootka
Sound treaty, Spain had, in the face Of ali Eu-
rope, asserted and defended her title to the
whole northwest coast.
But am not gong into the argument to
prove this. II is 4 notorious fact and none
will or can conroyert It.
But must be permitted to congratulate one
who very kindly and eondescendingly noticed
my humble self and did me the honor to call
me his friend and. III may be allowed to re-
turn the epithet, viii congratulate my friend
from South Carolina (Mr. CALHoCN,) that al
last, anupodes have met that he has AT length
made convert Of the honorable Senator from
Missouri, who stoops from his lofty place 10
play the humble subaltern. \ laugh. This
Is certainly Inc highest achievement he (Mr.
CALHOUN has yet accomplished; the greatest
intellectual triumph ever won the very pTOu-
dest boast he can exhibit.
The Senator spoke Of the Agamemnon Of
our little band-of its Ajax lebanon, and its
lesser or little Ajax. lfby this title he referred
10 me, disclaim it; have no title to be called
an Ajax, great or little. ] am but poor pri
yate soldier, content TO serve in the ranks. |
ask no favor; seek no reward for my humble
services, save the triumph Of the great cause,
ask nothing beyond it, and would spun it il
offered, | should despise, should hate my
self, if could, on such a subject, cherish one
feeling Of selhshness. But, humble as ! am,
had rather be the Little Ajax, the humbest,
the poorest soldier in this glorious band, than
hold my head so high that ! could moi see any
thing that was below me than with my proud
foot to press the earth as il 1t was not worthy
to receive the impress Yes; had rather be
a poor private soldier than live and walk about,
carrying on my front the inscription, " am
ruler claim to rule all, for all are below me
and rule will, or RUIN--it is a matter Of III
difference TO me which" Be be who he may.
there is no man in this land so high that he can
elevate and depress the public sentiment at his
will be he who lie may, and as high as he
will. he must find, with all his fellow citizens,
one common level. Ajax let me be, If the !
Senator chooses but let him remember that
others fought at Troy besides the Ajaxes and |