Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1846-02-05

NJ
Il sou,. Ne can no longer support you. y,
q ~ contmry, Tie administrator snena rs,se.
rrck rrnrosfion. public Dissatisfaction would &c
,..s.1 1arst s.olen, and more 10 BE dreaded Tor
Il uSn.,la Is aid that thev had wart0nly plunged
u into = var. when they might have avoided = ~
compS6misc. WIN gentlemen eondsseend %
give this view Of TIE question Their eonsioeIa
ana answer i frankly and fairly, u tney can
Nov, tale The other view q this snelesr 1uP
Pose Great Drlains AFTER having received our NO
lie. k,1l mako ne 40 proposition, ana refuse e
eomur5mire7 The only question which can then /
at.ts i this, WIN 1he, q the expiration q .he
fvrIve iuurths. abandon what she considers nef
rights il Oregon, Or VIII she prepare % MAINTAIN
49,, - armsf / fhink, Sir, no one can oe iouna
40 sSfioosiv enieftains Tie opnion that sne VII
quietly pan % her lakes chain her hons Ioge.n-
- an3 remove % Canada, caFing us ~ po.ses,,on
affke territory for Hbict the has peee eoI.sla.ns
thirty ytars IL she viii nct 40 III, - NJ,
6~hf: and II she does igli. ] ask gentlemen what
viii s. tie consequences Of the contest speak
NV not ofthe consequences 10 the North, or South
81 Eass, o. West, but 70 Oregon itself andl call
mon gentlemen 70 INFORM me BY what possible
means. Ia case or war, that territory can be pre-
eery.d 10 dis Union YegsRtlemen Of The West,
eall mon YOU 70 answer me this question. Bold
and daring patriotic, and generous, and fearless
q YOU are, 6y what means shall you rescue Ore
con in case 81 war You have The WINS, you have
The hearts, you hare the patriotism more than SUI
ficient, but trust me. gentlemen, you have not me
: mower. You cannot doit--lteIl you you cannot DO
Il. You may cunquerC anada; you may whip Great
Britain On land and sea-yon may astonish the
world by the success OF your armsbut the hrsfre-S
cut Of the war will be the loss Of Oregon and Ut
is ever recovered It will only be aler the hercest
and most bloody contest. eyer recorded IN your
coun,ry's history You mast lose Oregon, because,
before any army which you can possibly SEND 20
protect Il. the steamers Of Great Britain viii al
ready have arriYedthere The Hudson Bay Com.
pany, with tie thousands Of Indian scalpng knives
at lis command, are there already. The mouth
Of the Columbia and the whole Pacific would be
guarded by British vessels, from whence supplies
could easily be furnished 10 British armies in the
territory. Whit or army, even il it should ar
rive in time, would fiid no possible means of sub
sistcnce and must either speedily return Or perish.
And having once gotten possession Of the territory;
you would find that years Of desperate fighting
would not expel Great Britain from il, though few
years Of peace will inevitably do1it.
But again, sir, We have some seven thousand
7 eitizens-nien, women, and children-noyfn that
territory; and while, with one breath, gentlemen
are calling Us 10 come 10 their rescue, to guard
and protect our brave emigrants in Oregon, they,
with the very next, are advocating measure
knileewhich is to shed their blood.
Sir, while the eloquent gentleman from Indiana
LAIR. HESsEpYl was speaking and convulsing the
committee with his wita and humor, could not
help thinking how discordAntly those sounds Of
erriment would fall upon the ears Of our citizens
in Oregon, ii it were possible they should reach
them.
Sit, Iappealto ths gentleman now, i appeal to
him In behalf Of the women and children now in
Oregon--in behalf Of those companions OF his boy
hood, of whom ne spoke--ihose connexions Of kin
dfed blood, reared at the fame hearth, and taught
IN the same school. house with himself. For them
] appeal to him, and ask him how he can expose
them, thus cut off as they are from the protection
Of their country, 10 such cruel dangersa Sir, |
say 10 thai gentleman in the words OF one Of Amer
ica's most distinguished statesman, the voice OF
humanity issuesiroIa the shades Of the wilderness
itexclaims that while ono hand is lifted up to dis
solvo this convention, the other grasps the toma-
hawk II summons our ilnaginations to scenes
that will OPEN. Its no great effort Of the magi-
nation 10 conceive that events, so near, have al
ready begun. lean faney,that listen 70 the yells
OF savage vengeance, and tothe shrieks Of torture
Afeaaysthey seem 10 sigh on the western wind;
already they minglo with every echo from the
mountains" Sir, Is all this idle declamation2-
il there m reality in the pieiure7 Are notour
brave emigrsnts there wholly without defence,
without protection They are there with their
wives and their little ones cntivating the soil in
peace, cansing the wilderness to bloom as gar
den But il war shall be declared, long before any
protection can reach them from us, their blacken-
eddwellings will stand as smouldering monuments
Of our neglect, while their scattered bones will
whiten the prairies. They will either be taken
prisoners and foreibly converted into British sub
ieets, or elseJhey win be given over to the toma-
hawk and scalping-knife. lknow they have strong
arms, and stout and fearless hearts butshey cam
not cope, unaided, with the military power of
Great Britain and her savage allies. And when
tsy cry TO us for help, is X by such policy as this
thai gentlemen are prepared to help them.
And now, sir, would respectfully ask nv
weslor1 friends to place a little more confidence
in The pledges oil their southern brethren. II is
not right nor generous in them to accuse the
South Of tho selfish dispostiqnto avoid this con-
test on her Own account, and in consideration Of
her own interests only. We pledge them seuth-
ern integrity and southern honor that we will
stand BY them in the hour Of need. We differ
with them as to TIC policy proper to be pursued !;
we do not think the time has arrived for termina-
ting tho present convention. But If gentlemen
do it--athey choose to assume the responsibility
then, whom the deed is done--when the die is
cast-when the Ruhicon is crossed-turn your
eye to the Soath, and if you find one recreant boz
som there, call me no prophet. Meanwhile, all
that ask Of the gentlcman from Indiana, Mr.
kEsEpY,] who declared that, in the action upon
the Texas question, "the West went il blind -
all that ask Of him is that he viii not " 60 il
6.fadP upon Oregon Letlgentlemen study well
the steps they are about to take, and when they are
takenthe South viii not finch Wewill lend our
best exertious, and pour out our best blood, to
snatch Oregon from the grasp Of the foe. But il
10 not kind Or generous 70 taunt US now. The
South breads not this contest on her own account
more than other portions Of this Union, and possi-
bly, not half so much as some. And il is foul as
persion upon her character TO say that she trem-
bles because she IS sweak and helpless defence
less and slaveholding." And | viii say TO the
person Mr.. GrppISGs, Of 0hio] who threw out
tie hase.suggcstion, that the South is able to de-
fend her rights, not only on her own sunny plsins
against the bloody efforts Of reckless ncendiarics
but on this floor and elsewhere, against the federal
cneroachments Of him and bis party upon the Con
stitntion OF the connsry And Isay 10 him further,
that there are bondsmcn ms the South negro
slaves there, who have ever been more true and
more faithful to their mas.ers-to the hands which
feed and cherish them--than he has ever been to
his country or its constitution. And should be.
and his cherished allies and friends, the lack
regiments from tha West midas, ettempt an IN
xasion Of southern soil, there are negro slaves