The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-20
SPEECH OF Mr.. DOBBIN,
OF NORTH CAROLINA,

In The House Of Representatives January Is, l846-On
the resolution authorizing the President to give
the notice for the termination Of the joint occu-
} pancy Of the Oregon territory. ... ....
The House being in Committee Of the Whole on
the state of the Union, Mr.. DoBBlN addressed the
committee as followsi .....r.. ......
Mr.. CuAIRnAs: do not arise with the design Of
INJECTING hours speech UPON the committed and
while have not the vanity 10 indulge the hope Of
entertaining the committee with the charms Of splen
did defamation, or Of illustrating this vexed ques-
ton more elegantly clearly than other gen.
tlemen, yet, sir, such is its magnitude such the
solemn responsibility It's decision imposes eyrry
representatiye-such the deep and intense interest
with which our CountTymen all watching our
deliberations here--that feel excused and justified
IN procaiming with undsgusod fTankness and can
dor, and as Succnctly as possible, al least por-
lion OF the numerous reasons which animate me
in the course feel constrained TO Pdtsue Sir, l
believe the present rs interesting crisis in ma
tionaI history when Legislation should be the OH.
spring Of calm, dspassiolaie, unexcited patriotic
aud staesmanlks deliberaton; when the Liberal
and contracted suggestions Of sectional prejudice
should be stemly discarded; when party luminosity
should be sacrificed and forgotten, and this grave
American question, involving American honor and
American rights be settled by the suggestions only
of American patriotism Mr. ChaiTnah, had
stranger entered this hail. and listened 10 the thrill
ling and beautiful dissertations the loneliness Of
pcace-the fightfu descriptions Of the horrors OF
with the opinion that we were really discussing the
question OF declaring against England For
myself, ] ayow my determination TO vote for the
! resolution Of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to
give notice To Great Britain 10 terminate the Joint
occupancy Of Oregon, IN pursuance Of the treaty of
1925. l repudate the charge that this Is a war
measure. Hing back the war cry. If there be
war party and peace party, belong To the
peace party, But sir, this incessant alarm
shout OF war, war, war, shall not deter me
r. IN 0tV k... I -.
the sincere conviction that national honor demands
it-good policy detndtds lt-hdelity TO treaty slip.
ulaton demands it justice 10 our adventurous vi.
oneerg in Oregon demands it, and in my humble
opinion the public peace UiA Be surely promoted
| byu. Mr.. Chairman, gentlemen who have inge-
nIously sought TO make this a war measure, may
express surprise at the declaration. But here in
my place, before this House and the country, |
declare my solemn belief that gentlemen who
oppose this measure openly advocating
and proposing a course Of policy far, far
more calculated to plunge our happy coun-
try into an carly war with Englsnd-nore eva
sVe and vIoatye Of the spirit Of treaty stipua-
tIons-mote surely to multiply difficulties IN the ad.
juStnen Of this already too lbng protraced contro.
yersy, and more inconsistent with tie candid and
honorable bearing Of this great and proud te,ablic
What sir, Is the relative position Of parties on this
question: All, all believe country's 1tle to Ore
gon, If not perfect, is at least the best All concur in
the opinion thai the emigration Of citizens and
OF subjects terrilCry, snd dlfhCul-
ties and confusion necessarily produced by conflict
ing jurisdiction and laws loudly call for a ternna.
ton Of the present convention between the two coun-
tries. All noW reject the formerly avowed policy Of
mastery inactivity and propos. oeiion. But, SIR
invoke the attention of the House the character
Of the p5licy of gentlemen who discourse 80 vche-
menll7 : AGAINST this notice ais a war measure.
The distinguished gentleman from Virginia fMr
HuSTER,] whose eloquence atd pstrfotiSm ali ad-
NIT proposes, not inactivity" but the passing Of
"such measures as may encourage our settlements
in the disputed territory without contravening any
treaty supulstions. He thinks that thousands Of
dollars may be judciously expended for colopizng
he territory; ana than n our settiemsnts are once
firmly planted south of the Columbus the crack Of
cur American rifles, ard the sound Of the axe
OF our western pioneer will in due .imc be heard,
not only north Of that river, but north of the .9th
parallel! Another gentleman, opposed to the notice,
ventures the hope that soon a hundred thousand
Aniefeen smgrants could be encouraged to settle
there and among Them twenty thousand good rife
nieH Other gentlemen " no concur IN this catied pa
c6c policy Concur siso IN the opinion that this is the
wisest policy to SECURE the territory not only 70 the
feth degree, but 'the whole OF Oregon''-sotne,
even, in their srdor, stoutly scouting the idea Of
ever allowing TO Great Britain pound Of its earth,
a rock a tree, or shrub! And this, Mr.. Chair
man, is gravely urged by gentlemen the psastfh
mode of securing the 'wh"le Of Oregon" For what
are emgrants to be encouraged to 60 to Oregon: To
seize possession of it? What are the implements
they bear with thsmi The axe and the rife, too.
WHAT is to be heard after they reach there' The
sound 81 the axe, but the crack Of the rife, also.
What part they TO occupy First, they are to
settle south of the Columbia but In due tirps they
are 10 press on north of the Columbia and north
of the 49th parallel! | ask, what means this
Of peaee, bat the l1strumen. of war; Does this
I the aspect of peace, dsSo1ns. p the sehsme
while respect its orignators. 1t doubtless WIS
suggested by desire for peace; but is deceptive,
and must lead to war Reject this resolution, and
refuse 10 give the notice in accordance with the
treaty, and adopt the other policy, and what will the
British government says What the Hudson Bay
Company What the other POWERS of the world
say Would not the British minister here inform
his government that although the Congress mad re-
fused to give notice, not to be lued into apathy;
that the American Congress had discussed the poll
cy Of giving the notice. but that some distinguished
gentleman, being alarmed lest it might produce wal,
had persuaded the adoption Of Another policy, called
the peace policy, by which emigrants under the
guise of settling the country, were to go armed With
riAes that they were first to plant themselves south
of the Columbia, but that, Gin due season." the
crack of the American rifle was to be heard even
north of 400 And that by this plan "the whole
of Oregon" was to be secured " ........
Think you, sir that the British cabinet ever SEN
sitive to British interest," would hear all this and DO
dIe' Would they not promptly and energcticaly
adopt counteractipg policy startled at the Develop
ment of this new scheme OF ours? Would they not
encourage British emigrants, and send British sol
diers too to settle in Oregon it from falling
into the hands of Americana Would they not feel
aroused, even to excitement, on learning that, in
stead Of giving notice, we had resolved on resort
ing to a scheme protesting peace, but ultimately
designed for the exclusive seizure of "the whole Of
Oregoni"
And, MIR. Chairman, when the American emf.
grants and the British emgrants reached there, what
would follow The cross Of st. George, and the
stars and stripes, would be floating in danger.
Gus proximity. Under the one would be seen raj
lying the Hudson Bay Company, with their savage |
allies and British soldiers; under the other the hardy
and adventurous Americans, attached to their soil,
and bent on its exclusive possession. How long, sir,
could such jealous adversaries eye each other con-
tending rivals for sovereignty in Oregon and remain
unexcted and PEACEFUL Is il not TO be expected,
SIR under such circumstances, that soon there
would be collisions, skrmshes, and violent out
breaks'' Would moi the report of the first gun be
the signal for general conflict Would not the news