The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-04-28

position 30 In regard 10 the surrender Of this very
territory. under the first article OF tho treaty o
Gheut. For three years she raised dfculties coin
ed objections, and postponed the execution OF POI
sitive treaty stipuaiion; but we were firm and i'm
Fortunate, and were reinstated in our possession
And il is only necessary for u.s. sir. in this case te
/ be firm, calm, and prudent, demanding nothing bu
what Is exactly right, and manfesting disposition
to do full justice, and there 10 no danger Of con
/ troveTsy.
But, sir, if we adopt timid policy If we betray
a weak and vaclllating purpose; if we hesitate-ws
run the hazard OF bringing upon US the very calami
ty we seek 10 avoid Great Britain understands this
| we'll She knows our history. She knows we are
| as firm and unyieldng as any nation can be, with
sisted In the assertion or maintenance OF wrong. All
we have TO do then, in this crisis is, TO maintain
this firm and decided position; and my life on il, she
will not involve her country and this IN the calaml-
| ties of war for Oregon. Sir, Great Britain is not
prepared for war with us. She never was in q
more precarious condition than she is at this mo.
ment not from internal decay, perhaps, sir, but
from the circumstances OF her postl0n and without
friend in any one Of the nations OF the earth She
10, too, at this moment embarking In bold, and to
her dangerous, experIment--nO less, SIR, than ra-
dical change ia policy to which she has adhered,
with such pertinaclty, since the revolution OF 1888
Her success, SIR, in this experiment. she must know
and feel, depends in very great degree upon the
maintenance Of amicable relations with this coun-
try We have been, and now are, her best custo-
mer, and it 10 not to be presumed she would attempt
Il
| against her. That would be fatal, suicidal.
| The controversy will never be prosecuted to q
| war BY Great Britain, under the circumstances in
which she is placed, unless we manifest timidiiy
and lndecsion; and if it should, sir cannot think
she could do US any very great injury. have re-
| Elected good deal upon the subject, and cannot
TOR my life, sir, see how she can infllct upon us
any permanent injury while she is exposed to that
hazard from US by the very nature OF her system
We might lose some merchant ships, and vessel
OF war or 30; but her own commerce would be more
| crippled than ours. We could carry on a war oil
| ten years with less injury to than to her. Our
condition is vastly different now from what il Was
when the war OF 1912 was declared Then our po-
puation was small, our internal commerce nothing
Now we have facilities OF approach from the sea-
board into every part OF the country near 70 600 600
OF people, and an internal commerce fifteen times as
great as our foreign, which could fall back upon
and verify the fact, that we can live and flourish
without any foreign commerce. These make our
position more favorable Tor war than that OF Great
Britain; besides, so far the great staple of her
manufactures, cotton, Is concerned, she Is almost
wholly dependent on us. She cannot procure from
India and Egypt enough to keep her spindles en-
poyed three months and unless she draws ner sup.
ply from through neutral ports, she must be bro
ken up. Taking this single consideration into the
account, the prospect OF inevitable ruin to her. keep
ing her condition other respects In view, Is alarm
ing indeed This great staple contributes SO much
to the support OF her popuaton and is important
an element Of her commercial and internal prospe-
-iy, that 1t will always operate, whilst we control
Its production, ss bond and security from her that
she will keep the peace. It is most manIfesty, sir,
her interest not to 60 to war, and she will make
great sacrifices to avoid it-every sacrifice short OF
national honor, which, so far she is concerned,
ls not Involved IN this question. Seeing, as she
does. this territory filing up by our own citizens;
that II s contiguous territory, and the only outlet
westward for the great valley of the Mississippi to
the markets Of Asia, and entirely detached from all
be to her but barren possession, the sacrifice in
yielding peaceaby her preensions to any part of It,
accompanied by those friendly arrangements to
which have alluded, will bear no comparison to
that we should encounter by an abandonment on
our part.
Aud, sir. it will not be England alone which will
be engaged in this war, should one befall us. the
people OF Europe have the spirit OF revolution and
strong arm Of power. II is the policy OF thrones and
.dynasties to prevent war with US. II war does
come it will be war of sysems-not for Oregon !;
and In scuh war, so sure as the red man fades
away before the advance OF civilization, will
those thrones and dynaslies fall before the advance
OF republican principles. No, sir; Europe will not
suffer England TO war for Oregon with u.s. The
great treetrade interest alone, now promising to b.
in the ascendant in England, will have power suffi-
cient to prevent war, and will prevent It at every
sacrifice.
have not been able to see, sir, how nation SO
polite as England Is can hazard war, in her pre-
sent condition, provided the matter IL managed by
rs, as It should be. 1--WE dong nothing calculated
rrltate. and manifrstng just and liberal spirit to-
wards HERO with becoming firmness II war doe.
grow out OF this question. Mr.. President it mast be
commenced by Engldnd-we will not take the inl
tiatlvc In that But, II Is said, sir, we must
cage the matter by negotiation, compromise, anc
icquiescence, In the demands OF Great Britain,
not 10 force her to this alternative Tor it is said, sir
oe visited by all Its accumulated horrors and Gala
mites, and that would be broken down in our
finances, as the Senator OF South Carolina Mr.. Cal.
aounl said few days since. Ii these are proper
RI de- and m he noPd pnfo
such topic, the duty OF maintaining national rights
would be at an end Such arguments persuade us
70 surrender them up quietly TO any arrogant de-
nand or baseless pretension, it made bv formds.
Die Power, lest, by resisting. we should be subjected
TO loss and injury Such reasoning, sir puts stop
1t once, to the assertion and maintenance of any
right, no matter how important. Much as detesl
war, Sit, and would earnestly seek 10 avoid it's
sequences, could it be done honorably; much as
should deprecate an increase Of the paper system
which might ensue,-l would greatly prefer them
ALL to surrender, under xisilng circumstances, oil
any portion OF the Oregon territory. There is no
thing that can grow out OF war that my State would
not be willing to endure, In preference 10 the
render of any part OF it-nothing, whatever, sir
For so tar as IRE are concerned the point OF honor
| IS involved. We have been told, sir, time and
again, if do assert title, and take measures
maintain it, war will follow and again and again
are we reminded of the magnitude Of England'e
power, and OF our own UMPIRE pared and deienceles.
condition. Sir, have said did not believe wal
could do US much mi ury-certainly not somuch al
| it would England. She has no internal commerce
to fall back upon to sustain her-no internal re.
sources-a is scattered over the face of the earth
With us, it is wholly different We possess all the
varieties of soil and climate well adapted to the
most profuse production of all necessary articles Of
consumption; population possessing every kind
and degree OF skill. enterprise, and pursuit; with an
internal commerce spreading over more than three
thousand miles OF terrltory-amounting annuallS tc
| many hundred millions Of dollars, with the mos
perfect facilities by railroads and canals to accom-
modae it, which would not only sustain, but enrich
the whole country, and verify the fact, as have be-
fore said, that we could live and prosper, independ
emf of all foreign nations. We would discover that
our prosperity does not depend on the accidents oil
| foreign commerce, or on the unruly politics oil
Europe. This commerce between the States, sir, is
without its restrictions, like that between so many
foreign and distinct nations Compare our situation
in this regard, with those European States having
but little foreign commerce. and INTERNAL esti-
mated by ours they seem to prosper, sir under bur-
dens and exactons far heavier and greater even in
/ time OF peace. than nurs could he in war Situated