The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-01-23
vote for tiff it were brought forward

| W en- "Ohip, ihsci PosHS
move that the rules be suspended, in
order to introduce the notice.
The SPEAKER reminded tina gen.
tleman that the gentleman from Mas
sachusetts had not yielded the
floor.
MIR. ADAMS proceeded further to
say that he scarcely felt himself au-
thorized, with any prospect of sue
cess, to make any motion to this
house. If it had not been so, he
should on the very first day of the
session have moved that this notice
be given, because he had SO profound
a sense of the duty of adherance to
treaties, that he was opposed to any
measure of hostility, or showing a
disposition for hostility, until this
step was first taken. So long as the
convention exists, so long as the no.
tice is not given, so long he could
vote for no increase of the army or
navy, for all these other measures
depended on this notice. Now if
this bill was to be made the special
order of the day for Tuesday next,
he hoped it would so be arranged by
those who managed the affairs of this
house, that this question of the no.
tice to be given to Great Britain
should also be the special order of
that day, and be taken up first be-
fore any thing else. Let it be made
the special order of the day; for, in
his opinion, they were wasting time
in legislating or talking any thing
about the increase of the defences
of the country until we give this no.
tice.
1t did not follow that there would
be war; 1t did not even follow ne
cessarily that we should take possess
sion of the country. We would only
say to Great Britain, after negocia-
ting twenty odd years under that
convention, made and repeated, we
do not choose to negotiate any lon
ger this way. We choose to take
possession of our own. If we have
to settle what is our ogn, or wheth-
er any portion belongs to you,. we
may negotiate. We might ncgoci-
ate after taking possession. That
was the military way of doing bust
ness.
1t was the way in which Freder-
lex ii. of Prussia had negotiated
with the emperor of Austria for ST.
lesia. Mr.. A. gave an account OF
the interview of Frederick the Gree at
with the Austrian minister, and OF
the fact of Frederick having sent
his troops to take possession Of that
province the very day he had sent
his minister to Vienna to negotiate
for it.
He said he hoped the first step ia
ken would be to give, in the most
solemn manner, notice to Great
Britain. Then we should have our
elbows clear, and could do as we
pleased. 1t did not follow as a ne
cessary consequence that we should
then take possession, but he hoped
it would follow as a consequence,
and a very immediate one. But
whether we give the notice or not, il
did not necessarily draw after il
hostility or war. If Great Britain
chooses to take it as an indication Of
hostility, and then to commence hos
tilities, why, we had been told that
there would be but one heart in this
country; and God Almighty gran,
that it might be so.
But if this should be so, we should
hear no more of these extraordinary
terrors of war on the part ofthe gen
tleman from South Carolina, whose
course on the Texas question has
been contrasted with his position or
this question. How gallant the gen
tleman was at the time that Texas
was in question, was not for him to
say. He did not wish to draw any
comparison between the disposition
of members of this house for the ac-
QUESTION of Texas, and the-not
question, but-taking our own, Of
Oregon. He said if this war came
which God forbid :! and of which, by
the way, he had no apprehension
whatever-he hoped the whole coun.
try would go into it with one heart
and one mighty hand; and if that
were done, he presumed the ques-
ton between us and Great Britain
would not last long--neither Origon
nor any country north of this lati-
tude would long remain to Grea,
Britain.
Strong as was his moral aversion
to modern war and military cstab-
lisbments, then, if he should have
the breath of life at the time when
the war commences, he hoped he
should be able and willing to 90 as
far in any sacrifices to make the wal
successful as any member of this
4 4