The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-15

large majority on our side OF the chamber surely
such eyideRce Is full and complete, and establishes
my proposition too fully TO be endangered py inc
shaking Of heads on the other side, or the force Of
argument itseif | deny that il Is Jacobinical ana
how It's Introduction here can be called Jacooinleal
measure quite passes my comprehension. i ADMIT
its introduction was not called for in this dlseussIon
and should not have introduced ~ but introduced
il has been and will now, therefore, tell you whst
do claim under the authority OF that conyennon'
Whistler the resolutions there adopted bind the
whole democratic party or not, Il IL not necessary
10 investigate or determine, but am quite sure, and
believe the senators on the other side OF the cham
Der even will agree with me that toe resolutions or
that convention bound the President and Vice Pres-
dent Of the United States, actually elected under
nominations made by IL, accompanied by Their dec
aration Of principles-"ther confession Of th"--
Long anterior to the Baltimore convention, Mr..
Polk, as was we'll knowp, had given TO the world
similar views on the Oregon question, which was
presented in the resolution, land similar views pre-
sented by the whole series Of resolutions adopted
by that eonyention,) and he was selected by the
convention for the high Office he holds, az the expo
nent Of these great principles promulgates TO the
American psople and known TO have been in accord
ance with those entertained by him previous 70 the
meeting Of the convention. repeat, sir the president
and vice president were bound 10 carry out those
principles by having accepted the nomination OF
the convention that had at the time declared them
bound, sir, as much as an eleetor for President
and Vice President is TO cast his vote IN
favor of the person whom he bad pledged himself
10 support when he offered himself to the people as
candidate for their sufrage6.
The resolution then does but embody doctrines
and sentiments which Mr.. Polk put forth publicly
ong before The convention was held and which, in
deed, ne had always avowed, He claimed the
whole of Oregon as strongly as even the senator
from Missouri [Mr BEsrosl did in 1925 and 1912,
~ Il. al IL sd nd h
Ilshed il to the whole United States. When the
convention was called they proclaimed the same
principles and as representing the democracy Of this
Union, they called upon him as their nominee To
carry their principles into action. IL he after that
accepted their nomination, he Is most assuredly
bound by their resolutions, He gave his bond to
the American people. Hope the gentlemen OH the
other side will all agree with me, that whoever else
may or may not be bound by the acts of that con-
vention, those whom the convention nominated as
andidates and whom the people afterwards elected,
were undenably bound ust as much as they would
have been if they had issued manifesto containing
their political creed. In all this, il there is Jacobn-
ism, then it makes large majority ofthe American
people amenable to the charge; and for one, Mr.
President, glory in being such Jacobe.
There is another topic introduced by the gentle
man from Virginia, Mr.. ARCHER It's, know,
a rather delicate matter, but | fee myself bound
AS western representative, to vndicate the people
OF the West and not suffer the uni Just imputation on
them To pass urrotcfd or uncontradicted. The
gentleman from Virginia had thought proper to de-
nv the Intelligence Of the western peope-he had
accused them OF recklessness Of temperament
hut chartaby EXPIRE sed The hope that the blessings
Of a more dGised education among us, would IN
time correctt the evil fleets Of that temperament But
sir, lest should not properly state the sentiments
of the gentleman, beg leave TO read an extract
from his published speech:
IL. -
Oregon had been adduced expisn the propensity 10
IRENE manifested in that quarter OF the country
The The yehemence Of this to the influence
any such selfish consideration Bthe did ascribe TO
peculiarly of western me incident perhsp
Of their stage Of soeis coalition The people were noto
ously bsve hut this bravery ran toto 'eck~ssnes' Of al
consequences in eonrovery with foreign PoSer The!
often found in .iiance with spirit and generosity fpa
ence Of resistance their views and the disposition to
4ominser over II He IT A. admitted his Indulgence o.
an extreme anxiety the subject Of this western teuper
mrnt not in relation 70 the present instance only Of s e.
olay hut large future which before the polls
-s DO yer Of the country being de tined probably pas
10 that rrgon before this temperament passed away IRON
under the influence Of its only corrective dfiiti %
Illumination on this topic he had 10 confess haI 10
some time kept him in terror
Put jn,n n ain English this means neither more
nor less than that the whole people Of the Yves
are so ignorant that they could not be expected r.
be right either on this Oregon question or any
other This 10 certainly a most sweeping charge
leeaniesI Nov, I ask that gentleman, and The Sen
ate 10 look the political character Of these people
to look at what they have done, and omitted To do
and in what this western temperament has mani
tested itself in their conduct and history; and aver
that there no people in these United States who
have manifested so strong an attachment TO their
government or such jealous devotion to the Union
Of these States. Why, sir, if the honorable sena.
tor had described all the linea descendants Of pa
tent Job and had summed up our character by saying
we were all the children of meekness and patience,
he would have been far more correct What have
we ever done as q people to show our reckessnesr
and our proneness to run into extremes? Look al
our past history and see whether claim too much
for the meekness, forbearance, and patience of the
people Of the West. On the formation of the con.
federation the old thirteen became sovereign and in
dependent, and in the adoption of the constitution,
Of the general government, made provision for the
admiss on Of new States, and subsequently entered
into a compact with Virginia, and a treaty with
France that certain new States should be admitted
ION an equal footing with the orig nal States;" and
them forsooh, although the original States were the
absolute owners Of the soil within their limits, they
in violation Of their own compacts, refused to the
new States that right Of soil inherent to sovereignty
and which each original State possessed itself, bu'
held on to it, and pedded it out for the sole advan
tage Of the general government. What did the
West do9 Rebel Get up civil war; Nullify
the laws Of Congress, thus violating our sover-
eighty No, sir, We have from time 10 time
complained and protested only. What did the peo-
pie of Arkansas do, when forty miles in width Of the
whole western portion of her recognised territory
was taken from her, and by which hundreds OF
her citizens were removed from their FARMS opened
and improved by the labor of their own hands,
| and given to the Indians, to induce them to re-
move west Of the Mississippi, out Of the States
where they were born, and their ancestors had
lived, from time immemoriai Did we resist No, sir.
We have shown ourselves law abiding people, and
have never in any instance gone against or re-
sisted its authority. Take, further Illustration,
the tariff Of lS42. | am not going into its merits,
but ask what is the public sentiment in the whole
West in regard to III 1t is perfectly well known
that large majority of western consider it as
a system of 'egazed robbery" and yet
how have we deported ourselves under IN Have
we held public meetings, and adopted resolutions
to resist the law No, sir, we have resorted to
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS have made an appeal to reason
and to Justice, and this reckless western tempers-
ament has contented itself with resortng to the bal
lot box alone to correct the evil. That is our dis
| position for drumming to extremes No, SIR, we
never had in our part Of the country any Hart
ford conventions-we have never put arms into the
hands Of our militia to resist their own government.