Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-02-20


9th and 2Sth verses of the LIST chapter of
("And God said let US make man
in our own likeness, and let him have domin-
&C.,
That, (said Mr.. Az in my judgment is the
foundation of our title to Oregon, and of all
the title we have to any of the territory VIC
possess. 1t is the foundation of the title by
which you, sir, occupy that clair, and by
which w are now called on to occupy Ore
gon, and cannot do it without the termination
of the convention in which we have agreed
that we will not occupy it.
Here Mr.. \. begged to correct a misap-
prehension. The. Convention Of 1927 was
not one of join, but non-occupation, prohibit.
ing either power from occupying without a
years notice, and preventing us from carry
ing out that law of God, which the clerk had
just read. Mr.. A. said he quoted the Bible
because this was a controversy between
Christian nations. As between such, that
command of the Creator lays the foundation
Of all titles to land; of titles to territory; OF
titles to jurisdiction; of titles to the eminent
domain; of titles to individual property. All
these, it is true, follow from other sources
subsequent to that, but that is the foundation
of them all.
Mr.. Adams asked the Clerk to read tho
Psalms lst and 9Th. ("Ask of me, and |
shall give thee the heather for thine inheri-
tance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for
thy possession" ~ That verse he slid is I'M
dcrstood to refer to our Saviour Jesus Christ.
He who was to have 'thc uttermost parts of
the earth for his possession" All christcn-
dom before the time of Luther, so understood
the passage; and it WAS then held by all
christian nations, (NIr. A. said he was now
speaking Ct the law OF ndtions,) that the
Pope WIS the representative of Christ upon
earth. From this verse in the Psalms and
another in Matthew CAN power is given I'M
to me- &c..) the Pope asserted and for ~
ges all christenlon admitted that he had tho
power to give TO any King, authority to sub
due barbirous nations and possess themselves
of their territory, and convert them unto
Christianity. This was the law Of nations
when this continent WAS discovered. The
Pope gave this whole continent 10 Ferdinand
and Isabella, and through them, in short, tho
territory in dispute came to us. And tho
Government Of Great Britain at this day
holds Ireland by no other title. Three hun
dred years before the grant to Ferdinand and
Isabella. Pope Adrian gave Ireland to Henry
H.. of England: and England holds the ISL
and under that title now, said Mr.. Adams.
lcmnot say absolutely (rem1rkeI Mr.. Az
that our title under the grant 10 Fcrdinani
and Isabella is a good titlc-I should rather
say it is Itself invalid. Our title is founded
on that general authority granted to mn by
his Creator, 10 'rep!enish the earth and sub
due It," 1t WAS a gran: Of the Creator to
man as m IN, AMI t. every in livillIl in his
individual capacity so much as should be
portioncd ont u him; but that WAS a question
for the whole race to accommodate a.
mong themselves; that is, for communities
II say what chonIl bo tl,oir rncno,,iy, =, "a -,
and bounds; and, when they were formed, it
became IA matter Of legislation to determine
particular territori.l rights Of property.
Between nations this must be regulated by
common consent. In tlmt way the laws OF
nations (Which consist Of nothing but the
customs of nations AMI the treaties they
mutually enter into) have regulated how eve
ry spot and inch Of the entire territory of tho
globe shall be occupied. 1t is by virtue Of
such conventional agreements that you, sir,
hold the seat you occupy, and that | do not;
and that no other individual can take it from
you.
Oar title to Oregon hls the slme founI,-
ton. When the discovery of Columbus
came to be realized as a matter Of great i'm
portlncr, other nations took it into their heads
to plant colonies on this continent; and then
arose questions and controversies Of rights
pet"ccn lleIh Wh!cH nave never been settled
to this day. Our title to Oregon is one of
these questions. Tile to territory is drlwn
from various sources.
Mr.. A. tXaminnd these sources, bat con.
sideTed them insufficient. Occupation, how
err, he contended, would give us a valid title,
and therefore he went for the notice. Nj. A..
was cut off, apparently, in the midst of his
speech by the expiration Of his hour.
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