Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-03-07
Oregon and the No otka . Contention.
SPEECH OF
Nix. RoBT. ID. OWEN, OF INDIANA
DELIVERED

DELIVERED
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
OF THE U. s., JAN. %, 1916,
In Vindicatiom ofthe course pursued By the
Government of the U. s., IN retafio" TO The
Territory Of Oregon.
Mr.. OWEN said: EDMUND BURKE, when
q member of the British Parliament, was
once asked, why ministers, when, in any
case, they had we'll ascerlained majority,
did not press the question at once, without
the trouble Of discussing the merits.
"That has been tried" was his reply
"5ut it would not do. The minister who
should persevere in ii would soon have
to 60 out" 49,.
And yet, there is no direct responsible
" of the British premier to the people
whom he governs. Powerful he is; abso-
lutte, almost, while he retains a controlling
majority a; his back; but still he must de-
fer to public opinion; or, if he neglect
such defence, loss Of power and degra,
daton from place, is the speedy penalty
And thus, we of these u. States, while
we are responsible for our acts as ma,
ton 10 no human power, must yet defer
TO the public opinion Of mankind: II we
would retain our station and influence
among tho nations Of the earth, not only
must our public acts be justltabIe, but be
fore we consummate, we must take Inc
trouble to Justify them -,
Nv motive in rising now is TO furnish
such small contribution as ! may TO me
mass of evidence and argument so ably
supplied from our Department oil State
in yindcation, to the world, or the course
pursued by our government, on the grea
question Of the day.
Accusations Of grave character are
brought in respectable quarters, Impug
ming the Justice OF the measures recon-
mended by the President and now unde
consideration by the House, In regard Il
the territory of Oregon. | do not speal
of charges coming from foreign and IN
terested sources; but Of language uset
by the press here at home, and by mem
bers on this very floor. We of the ma
iority may feel exceedingly well satisfied
that our course is just, and these char
ges unfounded; but it is not the less an i'm
pera,ive duty to defend the one and repe
the other.
Iseect, as a specimen of the groun
assumed by portion ofthe press, a para
graph from New York paper of goo
Standing Speaking of our title to Ore
gon, the Journal o! Commerce, in an ed
.a.;rl IF naoep,har Or saws.
"The evidence, even as far south a
Columbia river, is not all on one side, b.
a great deal. And when we come to lat
tude 40, the English claim is better thai
our own"
If this be true, then the President los
sight of right aud justice, when he ad
hered TO the offer OF 49 as az 1ltImatum
and Mr.. Pakenham was justified in expect
ing from our government some "lurthe
pr osal more consistent with ialrnes
and equity" ,.
And, when some 9gdon journalist tr'
umphantly quotes against US such para
graph as that, drawn from the pages
one among the leading periodicals OF tn
Union, he will find, in further aid OF a
argument hbou! the reckless and grasPlni
ambition ofGtheso States, certain reso'u
tons touching war and Oregon, offered
your table, not by some young, rash no
headed partisan, but by member iron
Massachusetts, Mr.. WINTHROP, both abb
and experienced, gentleman whose Ia
ent and standing no one disputes In
seconded these resolutions declares
THAT it u buld be dishonoT to the az