Litchfield enquirer., 1846-02-26

. Min fiud that helarger portion gf them fall
: within NOrthern California; and should II
D Ibc proposed, In the spirit OF the Baltimore
1 ResolutiOns TO Fs-OccIPy that country, all
q that we Of Connecticut will have TO do, will
1 be to repUdiGfe the cesSi0n of lIS6, and enter
3 and take possession So much for the doc
= trine of continuity, as comprised in the an
, cient charters of Connecticut. In addition
to this, il will be recOected, that great force
was given to the principle of continuity in
, the war of 1850 between Great Britain and |
France, usually called the old French war,
; by which continuity was made to override |
both discovery, exploration, and settlements, |
and to carry the British possessions over the |
AllegharieS to the Mississippi river. 1t is |
} certain, that Mr.. Calhoun attaches very con- |
( siderable importance to our claim to all that |
part of Oregon situated south of the parallel |
: of AZ, on the principle under consideration +; |
for, in treating of the claim which France |
had to Oregon, by virtue of her possession of
Louisiana, in the statement marked A, he |
says:
" Certain it is, that France had the same
right Of continuity. in virtue Of her possessions
Of Louisiana and the cXtinguishment If the right |
Of England. by the treaty Of 1863. to the whole |
country west Of the Rocky mountains, and living
west of Louisiana, as against Spain, which Eng !
and had to the country westward Of the Allie |
ghanv mountain" as against France-with this !
difference, that Spain had nothing to oppose TO
the claim of France at the time, but the right of
discovery, and even that England has since de-
MED while France had opposed to the right of |
5 England in her case, that ofdiscoverv, cxpora-
ton, and settlement II is, therefore, not at all
surprising that France should claim tie country
west Of the Rocky mountains, Gas may be inierr d
, from her maps.) on the same principle that
Great Britain had claimed and dspossessed her
, of the regions west of the Allegheny or that
: the United States, as soon as they had acquired
: the rights oil France, should assert the same
! claim, and take measures Immediately after to
: explore it, with view TO occupation and set
Element" r....-
$ In this form Mr.. Calhoun has, with suf-
fcient distinctness, expressed the opinion
that the claim by continuity is superior to a
y claim by mere discovery, especially when the
latter is not consummated in the proper man
Il ner and within a reasonable time. there
i fore arrive at the conclusion, that upon this
. ground we can properly claim all that part
II of the territory which is situated south of the
u 40 degree but the same principle will give
> the British Government all north of the same
y parallel. Indeed, the claims of both Govern
! men,s-that of the American Government,
7 to the Columbia, by discovery, exploration,
u !, and settlement, and that of the British Gov
u eminent, to the valley Of Frazer'S river, by
the same ingredients of title-are greatly
: strengthened by this doctrine of continuity
e I cannot discover any plausible excuse for
). the extravaganza OF this Administration in
u pushing our claim up to 81 degFeest40 min
: utes. Thistle have done in face of four
: distinct offers by our Government to divide
: the territory by the parallel of the 18th de-
!. gree conceding, in two instances, privileges
y impor tant to Great Britain in addition
7 How can we. under such circumstances,
, claim the whole territory? Is it wise, is it
} just? Does this policy conform to our great
y maxim Of diplomacy, not to claim, in our in
I tercourse with foreign powers, any thing ex-
y cept what is clearly right? / am fully con-
> WINGED tina, the 18th parallel is all that the
= true interests Of the American people require.
Have gentlemen forgotten I'll st Northern CAL
: ifornia is open to US, and that we can and
;, shall acquire it without committing another
= outrage on the rights of Mexico?
> Having examined the question of title, /
. am now prepared to assign the reasons why
: / cannot vote for the unqualified proposition
of notice now before the committee. The
Il President, in his message, takes distinctly
: the ground that there is an end of all nc ,oti-
). henceforth claim the whole of Oregon lie
!. characterizes the demands of Great Britain
II as extraordinary, and wholly inadmiSsable
. Adding, that he sees in the conduct Of that
y power satisfactory evidence that no compro-
: mise which the United States ought to ac-
IL ccpt can be effected" He then informs us
= q that the proposition which he had caused to
u be made on our part, and which Great Britain
:, had rejected, had, by instructions been with
i drawn. And, finally, he concludes in the US
ualstyle of bellicose docum ents:
CA the end of the years notice, should
Congress think 1t proper to make pro.
vision for giving that notice, we shall have
reached period when the national rights in
n Oregon must either be abandoned or firmly
II maintained. That they cannot be abandoned
;, without sacrifice OF national honor and in
a terest is too clear TO admit of doubt"
If So it is, in effect, proposed that we should
e direct the notice to be given, to enable the
Vt President to grasp the whole of Oregon-or
II in other words, that We should cooperate
e with the Executive in involving this kepub-
e lie, at the end oftwelye months, if not SOON
: or. in desolating war with Great Britain
!, MI Chairman, cannot so cooperate
0 can have nc agency in producing collision
between the Two powers in the existing pos
+ ture of the subject. If the Administration
Y would say to us, that we desire to resume the
negotiation on the basis ofcompromise, and
1 to pursue it in the spirit of peace, would
vote the notice. But on the record the Presi-
dent, in substance, stands committed to a
war with Great Britain. Ipurposely refer to
S the record, as shall directly insis, that the
1 conduct of the Executive has been so extraor-
binary and so equivocal, that no one can tell
e precisely what his policy is, or will be- But
o 1 choose to take him, for the present, as he
1 presents himself to the country and the world
in his message. The ideas there grouped
e are. emo compromise which the United
States ought to accept can be ef1ccted-I
have withdrawn the proposition which l
c made in Difference to my predecessorS-In now
$ go for the whole territory, it is ours by clear