The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-04

rnshness or bsUSgadoeio, AZ il We were disposed 10
bring upon ourssIyss al the evils and hazards Of
war, but he would give II peAeeably and calmly
Hc would take such groahd as befhre God and
man, We believed We could maintain. as well by ar
gumeni as W battle and ihs sword. As 10 @hslhsr
this measure was war or peace measure, ne DC
lieyed II depended much on the tone and temper In
which the notice MAS glssni for, precisely in the
spirit In which II was gwen, whsthsr OF peace or ~
defiance, he believed Il would be received. IL was
with view 70 make Il measure Of peace, and lol
OF war, that he would go for Il. He had no partics
uar objection 10 the resolution Of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, except from the tone In which the
notice proposed TO be given. IL was, at all
events, he thought, questionable in iis character
and the very fact that II lad been the subject OF con-
troyersy here, should be reason for a modification
in some form or other. There were propositions
enough before the committee in the shape oil amends
menis which would terminate this convention with
out the manifestation of hostile spirit, liability
TO such charge, and he would like 10 see one OF
those propositions adopted
This speech will appear hereafter
Mr.. CHASE addressed the commiuee at some
length in favor Of the resolution Of notice to Great
Britain.
Expressing the reluctance which he felt at this
stage Of the debate to occupy the time Of the com
mittee, giving ~ the reasons which had induced
him to attempt to obtain the floor, the position in
which he stood TO his constituents, and the attacks
made UPON the South in the progress Of the debate
and promising, that in case we were TO be plunged
into a war, the South and the North would, as he
trusted be found untedly coming up 10 the vindea-
ton Of our national rights and honor he proceeded to
give passing notice TO the remarks Of Mr.. HoLaEs
and of Mr.. YAseEY--in the course OF which he
yielded for explanation to the latter gentleman
and more particularly TO refer to the position taken
by his colleague, Mr.. EwiSG, reading and causing
10 be read from that gentlemans speech several ex
tracts, covering several points taken by him in the
argument, that our title to Oregon is doubtful, -
and commenting upon the striking similarity Of that
geatemans position and those taken by Mr. Pa
kenham in his correspondence with MIR. Buchan-
an.
He then passed TO the question Of title, and to a
brief review Of the history Of the negotiations and
treaties the subject Of the territory the north
west coast Of America, on the part of England,
France, SPAIN Russia, and the United States, show.
ing that, by our purchase in 1903 Of the right of
France, in 1919 Of that Of Spain, and our conyen-
ton Of 1924 with Russia, had acquired, and now
retained the sole and indisputable right from 40 to
$40 4U-a right acknowledged by England in va
rous acts OF her own, and by her acquiescence in
other Of the aforesaid treaties IN which the right was
claimed by other OF those powers than herself.
The title then being in US, and having been declared
by the Executive TO be "clear and unquestionabe "
he opposed to the surrender ofony portion Of the
territory up TO $40 4U and the acce ptance were il
now TO be offered by Grea, Britain, Of the line of
i9o; and without knowing, or protesting to know,
the views Of the President, he expressed the belief
that that high funetionary would not accept it, He
secuted the idea Of giving up under any eireum.
stances any portion Of the sol! clearly OUR; and re-
fered To the history Of Frederick the Great and Of
ancient Rome, in illustration Of the fact that such
surrender the part Of any nation, was the signal
for its downfall and an invitation to all he nations of
the earth TO commence their expressions upon her.
II the whole territory up TO $40 4V could be Sc.
cured and that speedily, by negotiation, he should
be willing 10 have negotiations again opened; but
he was opposed To compromise or arbitration and
rather than surrender one inch south of $40 49, he
declared that he would vote for declaration Of
war.
In the course Of his remarks-a report Of which
il deferred at his request-Mr. C.. touched upon
many other incidental points OF the discussion.
Mr. SEAB0RN JONES next obtained the floor;
and having ascertained from the chairman that
further amendment not now in order, he sent
up the following, which he gave notice he should
move when in order as an addition to the resolution
reported by the chairman Of the Committee on For
eign Affairs
Re,osd That the people Of the United State. have full
reliance the discretion the patriotism and the wisdom
Of the President and those advisers whom the
has placed around him; and feel willing should negotiation
be ed 10 submit the rights Of the United
ding confidence that those rights the honor inter
ests OF the United States win be sustained defended and
protected
- pIUcccueu 10 give inc TcdSOnS why ne
should vote for the resolution Of the committee and
should ask this amendment TO be appended to il.
Spain entitled by discovery TO the whole of
Oregon. II was not a question in the mind Of any
man that she did first discover the northwest coast
of the American continent, and by that discovery
gave to herself the right Of settlement. II that right
was not exercised in reasonable time, any other
nation might make settlements there, and deprive
her of the right acquired by discovery. Had any
other nation gone there and made settlements so az
to deprive Spain Of that right He wot not He
did not believe any gentleman could tell when any
other nation had acquired right which would take
away from Spain that right acquired by discovery.
He referred particularly to that part above 400 for
he should contend that the United States was the
only nation that had interfered with this right of dis
covery, by the exploration and settlement of the
Oregon valley. Spain, then, having acquired this
right by the convention of 1919 transferred all her
right to the United States. But we were told by
the British commissioners that the Nootka Sound
convention gave England the right. In refutation
Of this position, Mr. J. referred to the treaty of
Great Britain with France, in 1853, by which she
acknowledged and rrevocabIy gave up to France all
the territory west of the Mississippi; and to the
treaty by which, in 1903, we purchased all this
right of France; examining minu,ely the provisions
and effects OF these treaties, and contendng that
England, having thus surrendered all her rights,
could not now set up claim to any portion of that
territory He also alluded to the discovery of Captain
Gray Of the mouth of the Columbia in i792 and to
the exploration of Lewis and Clark, under the
direction of the President, of that river, from s
mouth to many Of its sources; and he argued that
we had the entire right to the valley of the Column
bia, from all these foundations of claim He urged
also that under the Nootka Sound convention, il
being only a convention giving her the right of
trade and settlement, she could acquire no iurisdic.
ton over the territory but was Of necessity bound
by the terms Of that convention. He mentioned in
further confirmation Of our claim that our govern
ment having these to this territory, our citizens
within the last few years had gone there not by
scores, or by hundreds, but by thousands, and now
numbered eight ten to of all the inhabitants of
that country. " wsf ".E "".. aH.
Having demonstrated clear and unquestiona-
bic right to the whole Of Oregon, he proceeded to
meet gentlemen on their own ground that perhaps
there might be little doubt on one or another
part ofour title. But he asked il there was any man in
this House prepared deny that we had not the bet
ter title 10 the whole territory so then other ma
ton could set up a claim to that territory, unless
Engand-in the language of his coeague-was the
residuary legatee from Adam to all the earth, to
which no other nation could show the best possible