Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-03-19
CONGRESSIONAL.

Having failed 10 receive the letter OF our reg
ular " Washington Correspondent in time for
cur paper this week, we avail ourselves of the
report of the Baltimore Patriot" from which
it will be seen, that Mr.. Calhoun has made a
most powerful speech upon the Oregon ques
tion--decidedly in our humble opinion "the
greatest effort" of the session. This we say
with all due respect to the talents of the many
able men who have addressed the Senate up
ON the exciting and interesting subject before
il. Personally we admire Mr. Cahoun--but
politically we are as far from him as we well
can be, but still that does not prevent US from
admiring his talents in high degree. His pc
sition before the country gives great weight to
his opinions upon this great .Notional question,
and therefore we shall lay his speech in full
before our readers next week. Mr. Berrien
the distinguished Wing Senator from Georgia
followed Mr.. Calhoun upon the same side of
the question. Mr.. Archer Of Va, is to speak
next We suppose the country is now salts
fed there win be no acar.
On Motion of Mr. Speight, the order of the
Mr. Calhoun rose and addressed the Senate
with his accustomed energy and ability, against
giving the twelve months notice to England,
and in favour OF adopting the policy of ''wise
and mastery inactivity" He illustrated how
rapidly things and circumstances change, and
the necessity of Legislators keeping pace with
change. He brought up MIR. Folks message
and recommendations in this matter, and gave
his own views in reply. He rested almost every
thing upon time, ndkeeplng peace, upon hon
orable terms, with England.
He got MIR. Polk out Of his dilemma of offer
ing 400 and then claiming $40 40, as well as
any one could, BY saying that when Mr.. Polk
claimed 10 $40 40 there was no hope of COM
promise-no hope that England would offer
any terms that we could accept with honour
But that circumstances have changed-that the
whole aspect of the question is now different,
and there is hope and reason TO believe that En-
gland is willing TO compromise upon equitable
terms. Mr.. Polk, would therefore be justified
in recedmg from $40 40, and he trusted and
he believed that a friendly proposition to that
effect was already on its way to England.
lie pictured the horrors of a war and its re-
suits, and showed where Mexico would be in
such state of things. He hoped that we
should not be overbearing towards Mexico
ne SlONCu lilc d1N tilltd2t VI IhIS PtdNt,
and told how vastly our population would
multiply and what possessions we could natu-
rally and eventually require. He spoke Of the
wonderful discovery of the Magnetic Tele-
graph, which in due course of time would be
extended all round the Globe, so that whatev-
or effected one part of theworld would be inev
iably felt and known in every other part.
He defined ''masterly inactivity" to be to-
tally and utterly different from mere inactivity
The latter was the offspring of ignorance and
incidence, while the former was the result of
wisdom. energy and watchfulness, the man
who could not perceive the difference between
the two had not yetemerged from his horn-book
in politics.
lie defended himself from the charge that
he was for Texas and against Oregon, and de-
cared that he saw and pointed out the only
way BY which botn could be obtained The
one was an acknowledged Independent power
the other was not. Ofcourse we must be
governed by circumstances in our endeavours
10 obtain both.
He said that he was not fully committed
against giving any sort notice to England
Possibly he might vote for qualified notice,
but left that at present, in order to actwhen the
question should come up upon the circumstan-
ces of the case.