The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-07


! what public sentiment was AT that day, and he vel
u knew that there not any opinion entertained on
the part CT the Amenean people, that war would
nave been the result OF refusal 10 enter upon that
JOINT occupancy. For the termination Of that oc-
! cnpaney, the convention itself had stipulated al the
wall Of either party, twelve months notice
: gwen How, then, could gentlemen say that war
must necessarily follow the giving Of the notice
, We had been told that Gneat Britain was a great
c and magnanmous nation. How, then, could We
expect that war would be declared by her because
D We did that which We had right TO do, and which
the principles OF truth and justice sanctioned in
, DONG suppose treat Britain were 10 give us the
notice. would any gentleman say that he would de-
clare war against her on that account Surely not.
IL was little remarkable, bat IL was nevertheless
True, that the Arguments Of some gentlemen who
had gone against the notice, had had the effect 70
sausiy his mind That IL ought 10 be given. One Of
his colleagues had spoken OF the territory being Of
: no value, When he Mr.. A. wished Witnesses on
: whose testimony lac could rely ON TIA. point, he
would look not 10 bis colleague from Virginia, who
had hs~s speadsag his ns ON the banks q The Po,e-
mac but TO those western men whose sons brothers
: and friends bad made Oregon their home and who
called on now The American Congress 10 protect them
! ~ their nights. III
gentlemen changing each other with inconsistency,
TO hear gentlemen charged with having done one
ming al one session. and another thing at another He
al least dad not stand IN that position. Whether
right or wrong he had voted for the notice at the
last session. For that vote his ats had new
er condemned him. He had had no instructions upon
that point except from one Of them, whose notions
were rather lattndinous-sn old man--who had
written To hun that the people 40 his region wanted
Oregon up TO $40 40, California, Mexico, and Can
ada. ne (Mr. Al wished to be understood hay-
ing no disposition 20 invade the rights OF Great
Britain, or as following out the wishes Of the con-
sIiiueni TO whom he had referred. II ever the time
came when the people OF those countries should ask
az Texas had, TO be admitted into our Union, he
would be willing TO receive them.
Mr.. A then proceeded to refer to the speech Of
Mr. WRTHRoP at the last session against the notice
IN which he had assumed the ground that the Amer
lean title was perfect, and in which he had given as
his reason for voting against the notice the fact that
negotiations were pending, and to contrast II with
speech ofthe same gentleman at the present session
IN which he expressed his conviction that the ute
was not good. And Mr.. A. read extracts from the
two speeches.
He then paid his respects TO Mr. Isaac +. HoLMrs
to whom he addressed the compliment, saying that
he had made better argument for the British gov
eminent than Sir Richard Pakenham had done; and
10 administer some ghosty admonitions to Mr.. III.
on the necessity Of repentance.
| lie (Mr. A. believed that we owed il rs duty
To those who had gone to settle in Oregon, to pass
this notice. lie believed we owed il TO the
people Of the United States to do so. Were
the settlers there gamblers or spectators
Were they not men who had gone there To make
the country their home to turn up the soil for the
use of the ploughshare, to make their living by the
sweat of their brow They were hardy adventu.
rers, not trading politicians. IL they were he would
not give fs for them there or elsewhere II. con-
demned the further continuance Of the 'masterly-n
activity" principle. We NEEDED masterly aefrify
We should never put off until to- morrow that which
We should do to-day. Let them give this notice
on Monday. and they would satisfy the people In
Oregon, and the American nation. He would like
the proposition Of his colleague, fMr. DRoMcoolEl
u he could get II; If not, he would 60 for some
other.
Mr.. A. concluded by some amusing Illustrations
connected with the recent complete solution of the
problem, who Games X Polk' was. [rhis speech
| will appear hereafter.
| Mr. FRIES obtained the floor and addressed the
committee in favor Of the resolution before IT, He
took view Of the question Of our title to Oregon
II he was correctly informed, the British claim to
rights in Oregon rested wholly on the Nootka
Sound treaty, and their whole right was placed on
the construction Of one word in that treaty-the
word settlement" The expression was too equiv
ocal to give them any right to the soil 1t convey
ed only the rights to fish, and hunt and trade Did
it give any right to the soili He could show, from
the very best British authorities that it was never
supposed to do On behalf his constituents he
claimed title to the whole of Oregon, not only to |
ago but to $40 40. flour claim was just and right
why should We falter' He held il as our right and
duty to give the notice nstanter Ifit was not found
ed upon justice, he would shrink fromit.
MIR. +. proceeded to answer some Of the o,ctons
urged to the notice. The gentleman from Virginia |
had urged that 1t was measure and that il |
would cost a great deal of money Mr.. F.
repealed the idea that dollars and cents should be
considered in regard to such question. He cared |
not what It might cost for the assertion of our rights
and the West was not accustomed to estimate honor
| either by dollars by blood
Mr.. F. adverted to some reasons for the opinion /
that with Great Britain would not as the gen.
tleman from Virginia supposed, combine all the |
powers Of Europe against us. He adverted to the /
situation of the people of Ireland and to the politi-
cal reasons which Belgium, Holland, France, and |
Russia had to oppose the power of Great Britain. |
and to the feeling existing among the people of |
some OF these nations in favor Of liberal principles
which would prevent them from giving any aid to a |
war waged against the institutions of the United |
States In regard to Canada, he claimed to have |
particular knowledge, and he knew that there was
strong feeling there not on the part of those who
took part in the revolution Of 1899, but of more |
cool and calculating men, who thought that move
ment premature, IN favor ofthrowng Off the shackles
Of foreign government This feeling was not con-
fined to the people of Canada alone; but, strange
as it might seem, had reached even the watch /
dogs Of foreign power. Mr.. F. adverted TO the SUBJ
sttute for the direct and unequvocal notice which |
was fist brought forward in the Senate [under- /
stood to be Mr.. CRIrTENDEN] and repeated here |
The phraseology aud purpor of that substitute was
very different from what he would have expected |
from such a source He could not suspect the gal
liant State of Kentucky Of disposition to skulk on
such an occasion as this. The proposition was one |
for shifting the responsibility of the measure from
this House and throwing it the President: and |
| this was made by those who for years had been |
| contending against the one-man power; and yet |
they would now take all power from this House |
and bestow it upon the Executive. But it was not |
only proposed to shift the responsibility upon |
the President Of giving the notice. but it begged of
him for God sake not to give it till we had got out
of this Capitol What was the object of this coursei
Was it not to enable them to claim the credit and
glory of the ultimate success of the Presidents
pocy-and in case it resulted disasrously, to ena-
bic them to say it was the Presidents fault, for he
gave the notice little too soon or a little too atep
Mr.. F. knew that the President stood ready to |
give the notice, and that he would not shrink from
| any responsibility or duty. He went on to argue
that 1t was the duty Of this House to give the no
tee.
| [At this point the Presidents message was re.
ceived and read
Mr. F., in continuation, adverted to the CORE