Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-04-04

: "Otierlng, al the same time, 10 make
/; free to Great Britain any po.t or ports
4 on Vancouver's Island, south OF this par.
F, 'allel. which the British government may
desire"
Can there (said Mr. g. be more lib.
eral proposition than that which our gov
eminent thus submitted?
Why, sir, if one were unacquainted
with the history of Great Britain, he
would be struck with amazement that
such a proposition should be rejected.
But when we trace her history from the
day that the Norman conquerer planted
his iron heel upon that sea-girt isle, down
the stream of time until the day that she
chained her honor 10 the rock at 81. Hele-
na with his royal captive, when has Great
Britain ever abandoned any claim Of ter.
rltory she has made, except she has OBJ.
tanned the lions share by treaty, or has
tried the wager Of battle? What is her
proposition now? What has it always
been? "Give me the north Of the Colum-
bia river. Give me two lhrds of this
territory in which have never claimed
the sovereignty Of the soil" Now, sir,
however we may differ upon the offer, or
acceptance OF the parallel of AZ degrees,
| do not believe that, from Nova Scotia toI
Texas-trom the Atlantic TO the Pacific :;
there breathes single man even this day
who will ever permit Great Britain to
, come south Of the 49th parallel.
Mr.. Chairman, Great Britain is perfect
ly content with the Joint occupancy. IT.
effects all her objects; and she is willing
to trust to time 10 give her all she wants.
1t gives her, Mr.. Chairman, all she ever
asked or contendcd for, as shall show.
The joint occupancy is all she ever asked
or contended for. Now, what is the basis
OF her tille9 Why, sir, in the negotiation
at London between Mr. Gallatin and the
British plenipotentaries, in 1927, what
was the claim then advanced by Great
Britain? Did she dream that day of
claiming any sovereignty of title to any
part Of the soil of Oregon? Let US hear
her own PIenipolentlary. In his protocol,
he holds this LANGUAGE
"Great Britain claims no exclusive 500
'ereignty ouer any portion Of that territory,
Her present claim, not in respect 10 any
u part, but to the whole, is limited to u
right of joint occupancy, in common with
the other States, leaving the right of ex-
elusive dominion in obeyance.'
There is where she wants TO leave it
now. Why, sir? Why. Because she
has no tile beyond that She never asked
for any thing but the joint occupancy.
Well, upon what has she founded her
claim? Why, at the close Of this protocol,
she holds this language
"Such being the result Of the recent
negotiation, it only remains for Great
Britain TO maintain and uphold the quail
fled rights which she now possesses over
rhe whole of :he territory in question.
These rights are recorded and defined
'in the convention OF Nootka. They EN-
brace the right to navigate the waters of
rhose counties, the right to settle in and
'oyer any part of them, and the right free
sIy to trade with the inhabitants and &C.
'cupers Of the same"
She claimed, then, no sovereignty, no
title 10 the soil, but rightin that terrific
ny merely for the usual purposes o! com
merce; right there to pursue her com
merclal operations, founded upon the
treaty of Nootka Sound.
Well now, sir, that was her claim in
1897. That was the opinion Of her Min
lister Of her claim. Was it correct. or
was it not? Can any man beIieve--if at
that day she believed herself to possess
any title TO the soil Of Oregon-it would
not have been embraced in the protocol
of her Plenipotentiary? She founded her
claim upon the Nootka Sound treaty.
Nowthis protocol gives you the opinion
OF her Minister in 1897, that that treaty
gave her no right TO the soil--ihat it
gave her but ''quaified" right. Was il
in existence in 1927? Out Of what did it
grow? There is something about the
history Of that treaty which speaks a
lesson as to the foreign policy of Great
Britain. Why, sir, in 1890, the King OF
Great Britain made communication TO
his Parliament, that two British vessels
had been seized by the Spanish Cover
nor upon the northwestern coast OF Amer
lea. Now, | ask gentlemen 10 look at
the communication made to the Parla-
ment of Great Britain upon the 9th o.
May, 1890, and which was the commence
ment OF the Nooika Sound difficulty. I
Does any gentleman believe, II Great
Britain at that day believed she had any T.
claim to the soil, that when her King
was speaking to his own Parliament he|c
would not have alluded to 1t! That
when he was calling down attention TO an
outrage committed on portion OF theIy
citizens Of his kingdom, he would not have I
spoken OF it as being committed IN
country over which he claimed the sovo u