Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-03-28

his message that they involve The President were il true in
guilt too deep for decent utterance IAN nexcusabe cac
erous, cowardy criminal conceament of counrys dan
ger when, if in reality there is TO be further negotiation
part, there be reason-no preex
for silence But the construction is false President Polk
would not betay his country thus Depend upon he would
have told you plainly and directly of it. if he had abandoned
negotiation his parts not daring thus to bring you an
inevitable war" alternative, for all of Oregon
none against your consent and without notice prepare
for it, That he has not warned and informed you
plainly is to my mind, conclusive.
Nor is this ALL The President knows well as he knows
the faces OF Senator'S that very large proportion, will not
say how many of those who expect TO vote this notice into
his hands, favorable to negotiation for compromise at
400 and that would not do il, AN INSTANT
WOULD 1T, if we believed the construction
that has been placed upon his message by The Senators OF
Ohio, (Mr ALLEN Indiana, (Mr HASsEeAs,) and Hi
nois mr. BREEsE y and perhaps, alsol am not certain
by the Senator from Michigan mr. CAss. He must know
he does knowha would not vote fori II, on the con-
trary, did not confidently believe, from his past conduct
and the absence of plain recanaon IN the message that
this notice will be used OF pursuing the pending
negotiation upon the basis compromise, moral nstu
help, and to hinder it, has been heretofore
himself and his predecessors And yet is there
Senator here to speak to and say that he Is authorized
to undeceire if indeed, have been thus deceived
No Then there is Then the President has
authorized nobody speak for him. and confirm this senatorial
Interpretation OF his made by the hue friends Of
Oregon" do believe he would have done that, and more
than that rather than deceive and beay many of this
Senate. am therefore friend enough 10 the President to
doubt and deny this false construction, and hfuness my
Senator compels to do it, from my heart do
this day. openly before the American Senate. If any
here be authorized speak for him. let him speak
| TO other act of OMISSION which l mention
without the slightest intentional discouresy to the honorable
Senator from Ohio (Mr ALLEN but the facts are well
known the Senate and the omission to which audc bears
strongly upon the point before be altogether prefer
mited Mr. President my subject important for to
sacrifice truth and argument TO any false delcacy II is no
question of dollars and cents but is, as regard it and
dishonor my country. The chairman of the Committee
Foreign Relations them has always been regarded the
ce Of Legislative bodies deposary of the Executive pur-
and opinions, pruafe well public in far they
connected with foreign relations do not say he is
required expected to tell the Senate any thing coden-
tally entrusted 10 him. BY means not at ALE But here
ofore it has suced if he met mprudent inquiries by
pressipe silence BY his simple unexplained waiver of unsafe
nterogatories could know what about How Is
in this matter The honorable chairman, with most alarm
ing emphasis than once when he stimulated by
question from Others but of his own head and Imagination
grant you OF his clear and unquesoncd right-has
assumed the message for U.S. record by which
h0Presiden had both pledged himself and notified the Sen
ate that there would be further negotiation for compo
mise. hoped he was Mistaken and always believed ne
This has been eratcd and reiterated in the Senate by
the honorable chairman and other Senators and it has gone
the world, where it will hastily be taken up by thousands,
though had been AUTHORIZED exposition of the
views and intentions of the Administration. More recently,
the honorable chairman proclaimed that the Presidents OPT
Mons and views had undergone emo ShadOW OF turning
but in to direct inquiry put TO him on the floor OF
the Senate by the honorable Senator from Maryland (Mr
JoHNsoS) distinctly admitted by himself that the Sc
Cords and the records ALONE the from which
he derived any authority thus to commit the President against
negotiation In wor that the honorable chaians speeches
but differences of the Senatornot authorized inerpe-
atons by the chairman. From the " records ALONE"
Mark that
The honorable chairman of Foreign Affairs then, APP
pears has obtained and does possess codentiay
the and purposes of the President and what he has
oiv
Of his Office. After his declaration in the Senate, ii
would be doing him great injustice to nsinuae or to suspect
otherwise, that he meant any thing else
Here, them a Committee Foreign Affairs in the
Senate for than months in possession of great
subject and with these identical records referred to them
for cnnsicrnfinnearly notice asked fora resolution
ported and speeches deivcred-but communication has
been made to the chairman ntnang that his senatorial
srucon of the Presidents meaning is false If the
construction be not true, for the Presidents
silence However painful TO him personally he owed it to
all the prophecies of his public station and to the
vice of the Republic not to speak beforehand of his future
purposes in negotiation, through the chairman any body
ese the construction, however, be true, the duty Of the
President would DO plain TO HIMSELF the Senate and
to the nation. He should have authorized that committee
set the country right once, by confirming the Senator's in
depreciation to the letter, and bringing the Senate to mind
about what it he means, and what he wants with
ce after having determined TO go for all of Oregon -
g no compromise Emo negotiation :" To my mind it APP
pears, therefore, that this omission TO make the customary
confidential disclosures to the chairman Foreign flair
IS pregnant with inerences More especially know
that Senator TO be the personal and political friend Of the Pre-
sdent but who has committed himself, and would seem
inclined, must say, to carry the Administration with him.
either before behind, against all compromise, and,
queny against all negotiation do say that these mis-
constructions are wiul never harborcd thought that
they
But again, Mr.. President II the Administration wished
to stop all negotiation their pa nothing easier than for
the President Of the United States to do all that without
Congress all By the general law Of nations and Of
common know that this convention of 1927 might
have been abrogaed by the mutual consent Of the parties
it. That is precisely the mode in which treaty annuls
existing convention Beyond all controversy, the Pres
dent in virtue Of his constitutional power propose negoa
ton and TO make treaties with foreign Governments had
hoty, without the knowledge consent of Congress- to
make proposition the British Minister annu the
venon of 1927 by the mutual of both Governments
and there STOP think highly probable that this popo-
sion might have been accepted. But what if had not
Is there Senator who doubts that such proposition whe-
Their agreed by Great Britain, would have terminated
and Of itself have put end the pending negotiation
compromise and that the British Minister IL he had taken
OF the country would have been obliged to take short
leave Of this subject Of Oregon
Why then, it not done Why it not attempted
I" in that manner ;" Why that ready and direct
manner Of terminating the negotiation for compromise and
abrogatng the convention Of 1927 omitted altogether There
is consistent with the republican integrity and
manly patriotism of President, except that which have
already insisted upon That he did wish put stop
negotiation his part That he stands upon the line Of 49o
conDroise by the side of the nations honor he
dersands it, That he stands there to-day, he did last De-
cembc with the of peace upon his head and he has
not asked to be clothed in tho panopy of That be wants
peace, honorable peace-not war, dishonorable war
Mr.. President very 10th cspass upon the patience
of the Senate and perhaps might safely stop here. But
your indugent attention encourages to proceed and
proposed this point invite you look and whether