Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-02-28

tries too. He dethroned soversigns. laid their
kingdoms under an interdict. and excommuni-
Gated them; and NIL this was submitted to-
And The government If Great Bri,sin 1t this
day holds Ireland by no other title. Three
hundred years before the giant TO Ferdinand
and Isabella. Pope Adrian give Ireland TO
Henry n. OF England; and England odd the
island under that title now. unless indeed she
sets up anotber title by conquest: bait Ireland,
ifin ioria conquered. has been IN almost per-
petnsl ret~lliou ever sinre. England has been
obliged to sc-couqucr her some halt DOZEN
timcs, and IL She meuis To DO ii agsin now,
she must begin ssoa. ca huxh.) The qucs-
,ion hss been mj~ed whether Ireland shall be
independent. and II we get into a war with
England VI will b. a pretty serious matter iof
her TO maintein her title.
l cannot ssy absolutely that our title under
the grant to Ferdinand and Isabella isa good
TITLE should rather say il is in itself invalid
Our title il founded on that general authority
granted to man by his Cica,or To "cplenish
ihe earth and subluc it. IL was a grant oil
the Creator to man az man., and To every m
dividual in his individual capacity, ~ much
as should be poriioned out To hun; but tha'
was q question for the whole race To accom-
modate among themselves; that -, Tor rom
muuiti-s to ~ay what should b. their respec-
tive metcs and bounds; and. when they were
formed, il became u matter Ui legislaticn tode-
tenninc particular territorial rights ot proper
~.
Between nations this must be regulated by
common consent. Ii that Way the laws oi
nations (which consist oi nothing but the CTS
toms of nations and the treaties they mutual
" enter into) have regulated how every spot
and inch of he entire territory of the globe
shall be occupied. LII by virtue of such CON
III .A. -. IsIl fhI
. nj YOU occupy, and that | do not: and that
no other indi iiual eau take IL from ysu.
Our t~itleito Oregon has the same foundation.
When the discovery al Columbus came 10 be
realized as a matter OF great importance. other
nations took il into their heads to plant colo
nics on this continent; and then arose qncs-
tions and controversies of tights etween them
which have never been settled To this day
Our title 10 Oregon j. one OF thcs questions.
Title To territory isdnwn from various sour
oes.
We have been told that title to a river, and
To all the territory drained by that nver aud
oil its branches. is derived from discovery and
leNploraiiou Of the river. And this had been
partially agreed 10. IL II generally allowed ~
comforting a right-snd ou this IL has bcen
said we can maintain our authority To the val
ley oi the Columbia.
But this is not the foundation Of our titles
here. Ii gentlemen will turn 10 the lst vol
ume Of Hazards State PsPcr-, they will find
a charter given by Charles ]. 10 tho colony OF
Massachusetts, Bay, in which that monarch
gives her oil this continent lying between the
parallels OF 40 dogs. aud - dogs, from sea
TO sra. This was the first charter granted TO
any one ON this continent. The same sort
OF charter was given To Virginia. The par
,iculsr parallels oflatitude ! forget, but IL ex-
tended from sea To sra. Other American
Charters derived FROM kings OF England also
extend, like these, from ia Ia scr. But what
right had these British sovereigis 10 give a
way this continent in portions lying b tween
certain designated parallels OF latitude any
more than the Pope had To give away the
whole continent from pole Ia polef What
better right had a king al Englsnd TO do this
than the Pope OF Romei Yet the very gen.
ilemen who sit here and divide the Spanish
title, hold their own state territory by grants
and charters from British kings. and they must
rely upon them Ia sustain their righ, to their
own territory. IL the territory OF Virginia.
for instance, was To bc disputed. ! ssk those
gentlemen TO tell m. whether their right in
The territory on which Richmond stands. or
Norfolk. does no; res, on just such grants Ii
they say these convey no right. where will
they 90 for their tiilef They win immedi-
sicly 60 to the charter OF James the First:
they mus, go there; they can 60 10 where else
unless they pretend 10 q right by conquest
under the Declaration Of Independence. We
oil rely on such charters. In this building.
at his very hour, there is a contest going on
between hy own beloved Massachusetts, aud
the siaie Of Rhode Island, which, love almost
a. much, which turns entirely on a charter
from William aud Mary: who, BY the by, wcr
usnrpers, what right had they TO give away
this continent | was reading the other day
the history of @ contest between Spanish ar
b~itrs,ors and the wise Queen Elizabcth-in
which the Qnccn says that the Pope had no
right TO make grants Of u~noccupied and barba
rons territory; she could dlSrem no right he
had. and his grants created no valid titles
Elizabeth was very wise ia this: but ! ash
what right had she TO make such grants any
more than the Popci
! rome Town TO the pretended principle
that discovery of the mouth of the river gives
Il le 10 all the territory dmined by that river,
(which is the ground an which we claim the
valley al the Mississippi is parcel OF the
right by which YOU bold your title. On this
point ] 60, again, to the charters grsnted by
the kings OF England. They had no regard
to rivers. The charter of Massachusetts Is Ia
10 much Of the continent a. lies between 30
and Is dogs, and between the Atlantic and
Parihc Oo@ans, without any regard TO the
mouths OF rver or To any thing else. The
kings OF EoOpe, following the example OF
the Pope, made grants on this continent and
elsewhere upon such principlesas ihey thought
proper. When they found that The discovery
OF the mouth ola river would b. Tor their adj
vantage, they claimed that all the territory
drained by such river was theft own. and they
granted IL 10 whom they would, and on such
terms a. suited themselves. In this way
Louis NV. granted TO Cfgart power TO trade
with the Mississippi-he granted him holland
but gave him power TO trade IN the Missis
sIppi valley; yet we hold by hat very charter
The river had been discovered, however, be
fore, by British subjects.
All ihese titles are imperfect. The mep
discovery ola river or OF an island confers nc
title Ia itself. Exploration comes next: thii
gives something more oi a title. Then con
tinuiiy and co~ntiguity. both. in giving nom,
l .L.n.o. ~ Ill h..t .annr nl ihnnl ali nirc