The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-13


myself wish TO avoid il, and believe this MAJ
easily be done by means which most probabl,
would secure US the whole territory in peace AMI
honor. Let US refuse TO give the notice; leay,
NC negotiations TO stand where they are; for W.
nave now done all that IL becomes us 10 do in IN,
. line OF negotiation. We have offered a compromis,
upon liberal terms which has been refused, and We
nave manifested proper desire for peace. Let us
: now rely upon our superior means Of colonization
ofea' Britain has elected TO leave the ultimate pos
OF the territory 10 depend relative ca
Pacites for settling it, In this contest the adyan-
ages are on our side, and il must end in putting I'd
IN possession OF all that We claim We thus avoid
the chance OF losing the territory altogether There
are gentlemen, know, who are disposed TO smile at
this; but let me remind them that In comparing our
selves with Great Britain they must renieunb,r thai
there are some theatres where we are her superior
| there are others where we are her equal and
there are others, again, upon which peculiar and
sometimes transient circumstances give her the su.
periority. In war for Oregon, at this time she
possesses superior advantages IN her long establish.
ed and seduously cultiyated influence over the In
dian tribes, IN the command Of the forces uf the
Hudson Bay Company which are at hand, and m
the facility with which she could transport troops
from her various stations on the Pacific, But II We
wal a few years the balance OF power change.
Circumstances will east il side as they now
DO ON hers; and IN a contest-if contest there must
be Tor Oregon-we shall be found the stronger party
In that territory. Bot IL has been said that IL we
refuse 10 gave tins hohee, We shall violate our
uonal honor. Howl Has our sensibility on I'm,
point been Just now awakened From 1915 to this
day We have never felt uis join, occupation to be
stain upon our national honor. Has il ever been
pretended until recently that IL was a disgrace 20
continue the convention Ii there anything dishoh-
orabie IN adjourning dispute, without the least sur
render OF our rights, and upon terms which give "a
every chance OF acquiring peaceablY al tha, We
claim The other party Will her ewes opNn has
insisted upon placing the determination Of the con-
troversy upon this issue in which the advantages ale
all on one side. Is IL not a wiser as well as a more
moderate mode Of disposng Of the matter to abide
by these terms' Let things remain, then, as they
are, and let US pass such measures may encour-
age our settlements in the disputed territory without
eontrsyening any treaty stipnations. Thousands
or even hundreds OF thousands, expended in iudi.
eious measures for colonization would do far more
for our ultimate possession Of the territory and he
lar better appropriated than millions ayisitd on tho
uncertainties Of an unnecessary war put il, sir,
10 confederate western meB-to those who desire
Oregon more than war-if such course Of policy 10
not the wlsest which can pursue with reference
even to the single end ofacqurng the territory which
they 40 much desire. | know that the gentleman
from Indiana, Mr.. OWEN has said that the HuJ.
son Bay Company would interpose obstacles TO our
settlement north Of the Columbia river, by buying
out those Of our citizens who attempted to plant
themselves on that side He has mentioned one
case IN which he has known that to be done. Pos
slbly there may have been more but is not that dis
tinguIshed gentleman too well aware OF the great
laws Of trade TO suppose that they would long keen
up that gamer Besides, this is game at hich NOR,
than one might play. Does he or any other man,
believe that II our settlements once firmly planted
south of the Columbia the crack of our meriran
rifles, and the sound of the Of our western pio-
neer will not IN due Time be heard not only nor.h
Of that river, but north Of the 49th parallel
But II is said that England will not allow this and
that II this course Of policy be attempted, she wilt
ere long give notice herself, and declare war TN.
on US. Let her If she chooses let her if she darca
She then would become the aggressor and IN such
should be sustained not only by our own
conviction Of right, but by the general sympa,hirs
Of mankind. IL would unite our people Instantly
and effectually; and with one heart and with one
mind, they would rally to the rescue Of national
rights and national honor with all the advantages OF
previous preparation, and with the spirit which has
heretofore distinguished them. But il it probable
that she would do this? Is she in a position TO do
IL with her own expressed views of the grounds of
her utie' She claims right TO joint occupaton IN
Oregon under the convention made i'm Isle and in
definitely continued in 1927. Whilst this conyen-
ton continues, she enjoys the Joint occupancy bv
title to which we assent. Suppose she were to
put an end to this convention, she would but revert
to her title under that OF Nootka Sound, by which
she herself claims only right of jun, occupancy,
and under which her own commissio .ers have dis
claimed title to exclusive sovereignty in any por-
ton of the territory. IL she were TO give the notice
to terminate our convention, under these circum-
stances she would stand in the attitude of abandon
ing right which she held by title to which we
assented, to claim it again by another which we re-
fused to acknowledge. She would thus place her
self before the world seeking war for wars sake
and assume the position of an unprovoked and wan
ton aggressor. In this attitude Of affairs how could
she hold up her head in the face of Chrstendom, or
invoke the blessings Of the God of battles in con-
test which she had so insolenty and wantonIv pro
voked! But could she have any adequate motive
for so wanton an outrage? She can have no in
terest in the permanent possession of this north
west coast. She finds far more eligible sites
OF colonization in New Holland, New Zealand the
Cape Of Good Hope, and in the Canadas. These
colonies would contribute to the consolidation and
strength of her empire. They lie too in the path
way of her commerce. She has here territory
enough to absorb all her immediate and prospective
means of colonization for a century perbaps for
centuries to come. 1t may be important to her to
hold there for time certain subordinate rights of
occupation short of the sovereignty of the country
in Oregon. But Of what can it be to her to set
tie her citizens on the north Pacific coast? tits
not in the pathway of her commerce, although il
is invaluable to us for ours. She has no back coun-
try to supply through the little strip of settlement
which she might attempt upon the coast but we
have, and its products seek an outlet by our COM
merce on the western ocean. But grant that she
desires II ever much; must she not know per-
fectly well that the thing is hopeless, She nav
desire it as the means of keeping us out but with
what probability Of SUGGEST The mighty wave of
our population is yearly advancing westward at the
rate of half adegree of longitude on line Of more
than three hundred leagues. Could she expect her
feeble settlements the western coast TO resist the
vast increasing, and resstless pressure when with
the mighty weight of our populaonlfrom the Allan
tic to the Rocky mountains, this wave shall pour
down the Pacific slope' Her statesmen are too
wise to expect it; and it is not likely that for the
sake of the little advantage which she might have in
that quarter, she would expose herself to the con-
slant hazard of a war with Our mutual means
Of annoyance are too great; mutual interests in
reciprocal commerce too vast for her to be will
ling to risk the consequences ola war for an object
so petty to her, however important it might be to
us.
But II has been said by some gentlemen tina, Great
Britain possesses as great facilities for colonization
in Oregon as we do; and it has been apprchended
that she might give this direction TO the tide of
her emigration. have no fears upon this subject
reason from the past to the future. IL she has not
done II heretofore, 1t is not likely that she will do it
hereafter. She have mr. atrn ipIn