The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-03-07
Highly Interesting Debate in the U
nited States Senate,

Interesting debate occurred in the U. States
SeEte. The great minds of that body are
now graphing with the subject, and what
they say is viewed wia, great interest by the
country:
At one o'clock the Senate proceeded TO
the discussion of the special order, being the
joint resolution of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, proposing to give notice to Great
Britain ofthe intention ofthis government to
anHul the treaty FOR the joint occupation of
the OfegoH territory, and the resolutions of
Mcssrs. flanagan, Calhoun, and Crittenden
having relation to the same subject. The
question Immediately pending was Mr. Crit
teuden's proposition which is as follows
b. it Resolved by the Sente and House of
Representatives, &c. That the President of
The Uhited States b. aud hereby IL authorized,
at his discretion, to give TO the British Gov
crnm mt the notice required by its I'd article
fr the abro CATION OF the said Convention of
the 9th OF Aug. 1927: Provided, however,
That in order to afford ampler time and OPP
po.tiinity for the nmicable settlement aud adj
iustm snt fall their differences aud disputes
Ia respect 10 said territory, nd notice ought
not to y, given till after the close otthc pres
cni session OF Congress.
For the foregoing proposition, MIR Col
auilt de sired, when in Order 10 Offer a sub
stiutc, as follows:
That notice be given, in the terms of the
treaty, for abrogatiug the convention made
between Gfcnt Britain and the United States
on the twentieth ofOctober, eighteen hun
drcd and eighteen, and continued by the con-
vantion Of eighteen hundred aud twenty sew
ga, inmedia'eN after the close ofthc present
sscssl0n OfCong,esS, unless tho President, IN
his discretion, shall consider it eXpedient TO
defer il 10 a later period.
- - AL .,. tl,...D Pc, haV
il is earnestly desired that the long standing
controversy, respecting limits in the Oregon
territory, he speedily settled by negotiation
aud compromise, in order 10 tranquliZe the
public mind, aud to preserve the friendly re-
lations oithc two countries.
Mr. Breese moved that the further consider
iuion of this subject be postponed to Monday
next. In tile meanwhile, he would send TO
ahe Secretary's table, to be read for the in
formation ofthe Senate,an amendment which
M the proper time, he wished to offer as n
substitute for the resolution reported by the
Committee on Foreign Relations:
Resolved, further, That on the expiration
oftweve months from the day of giving the
same notice. the said convention shall be
considered ms annulled and abrognted.
Mr. Webster, among other remarks, SAID:
He confessed, that in his apprehension, the
time was approaching,wh theSenate ought
fv an opinion, on the measure reported from
the House declaring whether it concurrcd or
uon-coacurred in the proposed resolution OF
notice Mr. W. had not been DESTROYS of en-
pressing any opinion of his own at this mo-
Inant, but he must say that he felt painfully
the eXtrcmc public Inconvenience ofthe pres
cit posture ofthis affair. lie did not think
that was too strong n word to express the fact:
tho Inconvenience endured by the public
Al, al ,ff l,ta
extreme; and he could not but think, that if
the Senate was ever TO express any opinion
ain the m utter, it should be done as soon as
,Dractcabc. Meantime he wished the hon
,orable Senator from Kentucky, (Mr Critten-
dan,) to say whether the subject presented
for discussion first in order, should he the
Senator's own amendment as he had himself
proposed it, or whether he would consent
THAT it should be the resolution suggested by
Nhc Senator from Georgia, (Nlr Colquitt.)
Mr. Crtcndan, said that he had examined
carefully the amendment suggested by the
honorable Senator from Georgia over the
wIy, (Mr Coquitt) with the most anxious
desire to consult and to concentrate the o.
pinions of that gentleman in his own reso-
luton. He felt no particular attachment to
the form in which his own amendment had
been moved, and he found that that which
had been proposed by the gentleman from
not the slightest objection to adopt it in the
place ofhis own. But he discovered that
besides the modification thus proposed by
.sthe gentleman's first resolution, there was
another member of it, containing in itself a
distinct and substantive proposition; and IN
this he could not so entirely concur as to a.
dopt it together with the first part. 1t was in
fact and effect different and distinct propo-
sition, not so intimately connected with or
dependent upon the Senator's first PROPOSE
ton but that he might move it alone, and on
its own merits, at any time he chose so to do
With regard to the other which MIR Z. had
adopted, he hoped the Senator would allow q
light modification in it; with which altera-
ton he should consider it as his own.
1t was supposed necessary by the Senator
from Massachusetts Mr. Webster) to get, as
soon as possible, some vote ofthe Senate that
might indicate the mind ola majority OF its
members in time to be sent by the next steam
er to England. For his own part, MIR O., did
not think itlikely that such a vote would exert
much influence on either site of the WATER
Mr. G. feared that Senators were becoming
too much like the Athenians, in the days OF
Demosthenes, who, instead OF consulting anc
deciding on measures for their own inde
-pendence and safety, were continually in
quring "What is Philip doing" He hoped
we should treat this whole question in a spir
it becoming that body, and the nation which
it CONGRATULATIONS haste, without walnut
ing, without prejudice, without passion; tina
they should treat it as n great question, II
which the peace ofthe world was concerned
in which we had right to take part, and II
which we were resolved to act such part al
the whole word should admit to be at once
inst and patriotic This, in his Judgment