The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-19

performed with the utmost candor and sincerity
Being addressed To coordinate department Of TN
government, it ought TO express plainly and ex
picitly his reasons and motives for recommending
the measure, emitting mona which he regards a.
material, and inserting none but such as he believes
ought 70 have an influence upon the deliberations o.
Congress IL ought 70 be free from the suspicion
of being Diplomatic. To admit the contrary, would
des,rty all confidence between the Legislative and
executive Departments TO the great detrlment o.
| the government. With these impressions, u wouid
be 10 dsparage the character Of the President fol
| me 10 concur in the construction.
The next ground taken by the portion Of the Sen
ate referred 10 Is, thai notice Is recommended q
be given by the message, not with the view oil
giving power to the President TO assert rights to
the whole territory, but as moral weapon, 70 en-
force compounds. #r Ell -.e.
asserting as to the preceding There is nothing
in the language OF the recommendation TO authorize
l. On the contrary, every word Il contains looks
expressly as has been stated 10 the enforcement OF
our rights 20 the territory the expiration OF the
notice. To give contrary Interpretation would be
TO give diplomatic character 10 the message, and
be subject 70 MI the objections which have been
Inst saxxcslsd But adaitting that was inlsnded,
as alleged, as a moral weapon TO effect compro-
mise, fwould ask, how could that be effected, but
by using it as the means 10 intimdate Great Brit
an--io intimidate, by telling her, that she must
quit the territory within the year. or be expelled al
lis expiration by force And what would that be,
but an appeal 10 her fear with the hope Of extortng
concessions which her reason had refused TO yield
Such an appeal in case Of feeble nation would be
hazardous; but with one great and powerful as
England, instead Of a weapon TO enforce a compro-
mise, il would be one calculated to defeat IL.
The remaining reason for voting notice on the
mart of the senators referred 10, is Of very different
character Il objects TO the convention ITSELF and
condemns the policy Of entering into either that Of
1918 or 1927, on the ground that instead Of being
the means Of securing and perpetuatng our rights
in the territory, they have had the very reverse ef
feet TO weaken instead Of strengthening title 10
the territory. MY opinion, must say, is precisely
the opposite. Il would indeed, have been desirable
TO have settled il then by compromise on the 4sth
parallel Of latitude but that, as is well known was
impossible at the time. The offer, In fact, was
made on our side but rejected on the part Of Great
Britain. The rejection let no other alternative but
an appeal to arms or surrender Of our rights TO the
territory, or To enter into the convention. To do
nothing would have been to aequiesce In the claims
of Great Britain whose subjects were then IN actual
possession. Her possession being adverse TO ours,
would have been gradually maturing, through the
long intervening period, into too perfect title to be
opposed by ours. To avoid that, we were COM
PEELED to resort to force, enter into convention
70 preserye our rights. We wisely preferred the
latter and the conventions Of 1918 and 1897 were
the consequence Of that preference. They were en-
tered into for the two-fod Objects substitutes for
war, and the means Of preserving our rights to the
territory, as they then stood, unimPaired. 10 APP
precia,e the wisdom Of the policy, II must be borne
in mind that At that time our means Of asserting our
rights TO the territory ofacquirng possession we're
q exceedingly limited, compared TO those of Great
Britain, but that they were steadily and rapidly in
Those who had the management Of af-
fairs at tina, period wisely relied upon time and the
rapid spread of population in western direction, as
the means ultimately of acquiring possession Of the
territory. and entered into the convention with q
view Of preserving our rights unimpaired until they
could operate with full effect 70 10 E-t9 ' On '-4'
II Is but too csmmon Of late to condemn the acts
Of our predecessors and to pronounce them unjust,
unwise, or unpatriotic, from not adverting to the
circumstances under which they acted Thus 10
Judge Il to do great injustice TO the wise and pa.
riotc men who prsceded US. In this case, II Is TO
condsmn such men as Monroe, hush, Clay, ana
Gallatn-sll of whom have had an agency in d.
recting or conducting the negotiations which termi-
mated in the adoption ofthesc conventions. IL would
be hard to pronounce men like them to have been
unwise or unpatriotc in what they did, or TO have
been 30 because President Jackson, and others at
ter him. acquiesced for many years under the opera.
ton of the convention Of 1927, when they could
have terminated it at any time by giving years
notice. have not named the most prominent indi-
vdual concerned in directing these negotiations, be-
cause his course on this occasion has, in my opin-
ion, cancelled any previous credit in that connection
to which he would have been otherwise entitled.
Such was the state OF things at the commence.
ment Of the session, when the President recon-
rnended notice be given to terminate the joint oc
cupancy; and such the position and geounds as
sumed by the several portions Of the Senate in ref
erence to the notice. Since then, has been stated
there has been great change, which has materially
affected the question Of notice. and the position ia.
ken by the different portions Of the body in refer
ence to it, as shall next explain.
Public opinion has had time to develop itself, not
only on this, but the other side of the Atlantic;
and that opinion has pronounced most audlbly and
clearly in favor Of compromise. The development
has been going on not only in the community, but
also in this Body; and now feel that hazard
nothing in saying, that large majority Of
the Senate is in favor Of terminating the
controversy by negotiation, and an honorable
compromise. And what very material, the opinion
Of the British government on the subject of COM
promise has been more clearly and specifically de-
veloped than when the message was transmitted to
Congress; so much so that there is ground to hope
that it is prepared to adjust the difference in refer
ence to the territory substantially on the basis
which was offered by the President II seems to
me impossible that any other construction can be
given to what Sir r. Peel said in reply to the ques
ton put to him by Lord John Russell. His decla-
ration was made under circumstances calculated to
give it great weight. The object Of making it was
clearly not to censure the able and very faithful
representative Of Great Britain in this country, but
to use the occasion give assurance that he is ready
tomakea compromise substantially on the basis of the
rejected offer. trust sincerely that such ia the in
depreciation which our government has put upon it;
and that, regarding it direct step towards COM
promise, 1t has met it with step on our part, by
suitable instructions our minister IN that country.
1t is to be hoped that communication has already
been transmitted to that effect, which may have the
effect of removing what would seem to be the only
material difficulty in the way of an Adjustment that
is which shall make the first step towards resum'ng
the negotiation.
As things now stand, | no longer consider il as a
question, whether the controversy shall be Practically
arranged or not nor even in what manner IL shall be
arranged regard the arrangement now simply a
question of time and do trust that, in concluding
il, there will be no unnecessary delay. The BUSH
ness of boil countries, and ofcommerce generally
ouires that il should be concluded as promptly az
possible There il still another and higher reason
why il should be speedily settled. The question is
one of a momentous and delicate character, and
like all such. should be settled in order TO avoid ad-
verse contingencies with the least practicable delay.
A further inducement for despatch in settling the
I, la.Nn da he aatfI an,