The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-04

this SUBJECT, which Will necessarily lead 10 com
promise, and thus TO an amesble adjustment Of this
| serious and long-pending controversy.
or the fact itself, thus alleged, the senator fur
nishes no proof. Indeed, he attempts TO furnish
none. lie merely says "There is one point in
which We must all be agreed, that great change
has taken place since the commencement of this
discussion IN relation To notice, in its bearings upon
the question OF peace or war; "Public opinion
has had time 10 develop ITSELF not only on this
but on the other side of the Atlantic and that opn
ion has pronounced most audibly and clearly in "a
| yor Of mpromis-." ...r
''As things no stand, no longer regard il as a
question whether the controversy shall be oac6eaIIv
arranged or not, nor even IN what manner it shall
be arranged. regard the arrangement now sim
ply question Of time," &c ny =
Mr.. President, | cannot partake this confidence
The signs OF the times anything but auspieious
10 me. IL will be perceived that the annu neiston
thus certainly made Of the peaceful termination of
this matter rests upon tbs change in public opinion
and upon the conviction that both governments are
ready TO compromise, and both prepared TO come to
the same line; so much So indeed thar the senator
adds, she trusts that in concluding il there will be
| no unnecessary delay"
In all this, sir, under the impression there is
great Misrepresentation. As to the universally OF
the proposition that all agreed as 10 this change
Know there Is an error. For myself my conyie
lion Is as strong as human conviction can be- not
only that the change thus indicated has not taken
place, but thar great change has been going on in
contrary direction. ! believe that the Opposition
TO compounds upon the parallel Of lso has increas-
ed, Is increasing, and will go on 10 inerease and
that both here and in England public opinion ia
less and less confident In an amcabe settlement OF
this dispute. shall pursue this matter into its
details. will merely remark that the evidences OF
public opinion which reach u.s. whether borne here
by letters, by newspapers, by the declarations Of
conventions, or by the resolutions Of legislative
bodies, is decisive and indisputable. And ia proof
Of this look NJ the passage OF the resolutions in the
House OF Representatives by majority almost un.
known in free country upon great question like
this, and involving such momentous consequences;
and this too, when the says he thought their
passage would lead TO war And what say the ad.
vices from England They speak a language as
positive as il Is mlnst1ry. What says the "Stand.
ard" OF March ID, the great tory organ will tell
you: "But will the American Congress confirm the
insolent and unwarrantable tone adopted by this
braggadocioI" &c And the person thus denomnated
by these models Of all that il decorous SO often
recommended to US for our study, is the President
Of this great republic. "And dreadful as is the alter
native, IL will be with the utmost difficulty that any
British minister can escape from with honor "
The last London Times | have seen, says ''The
Joint navigation Of the Coumbia-the right Of har.
bors on the sescoast and the right OF traffic for the
Hudson Bay Company on one bank of the river
are, we think, demands neither unjust nor extrava'
CANT" The London Gazette OF March Sd says
"The from The United States ju,i6es The fears 20,
hare repeatedly expressed Of the deisntd spirit Of hos
htty whieh pervads' potosrful party in the United
States" The London Sun, a neutral paper, says:
"The news from this country has produced strong
feeling OF Indignation among our commercial circles
and those who have all along opposed the expedien-
ey Of war, on account Of mercantile connexions
now openly calm vindication Of the honor Of IN,
country at the hands of the Executive" The feel
ing everywhere is, that England having shown as
much forbearance as Is compatible with her station
in the scale Of nations, is called upon TO treat
the proceedings Of the American legislators with the
contempt they deserve" The Liverpool Courier
OF March 4th says "The consequences to which il
may lead 1.-THE refusal to arbitrate) may be most ca
amitous But the Americans will only have them
selves to blame, if war ensues; for England has done
all in her power TO bring matters to satisfactory
and peaceful issue" Such are the evidences of pub
lie opinion in England which the last packet brought
US; and Of the favorable change there which renders
a compromise certain, and aquestion only of time.
The honorable senator has referred, in this con-
nexon, to the declaration Of Sir Robert Peel made
some time since in the British House of Commons
that he regretted their minister had transmitted TO
his government the proposition Of compromise upon
the parallel Of 49o that if not satisfactory il might
have been made the basis Of modified Offer am rot
inclined to draw as favorable conclusion however
as the honorable senator, from this incidental re-
mark made, not to u.s. but in the course Of parlia-
mentary discussion. In fact il is so cautiously ex-
pressed to lead useful deduction respecting
his real views 1t is mere barren remark Had
the premier intended it should produce any practical
consequences, he would have communicated to our
| government the views of the British cabinet and
would have accepted the offer, or returned il with
the proposed modification. But we hear nothing Of
| this disapprobaton; no, not Interpretations but Of
soft regret at the hosty decision Of the British min
lister here, till six months after it took place, and
then we learn it in the public debates, and that is
the last of il. 1t is to me curious chapter in the
history of British diplomacy, that minister would
venture TO take the grave responsibility of rejecting
such proposition, without referring it to his gov
eminent; and he is not even censured for it, If he
had been recalled, or a successor sent out with in
| structons to accept the propositions made by our
| government for compromise, should then have
had proof of sincerity better than barren deca-
ration, and which might have led to a better state of
| feeling.
| The senator from South Carolina has entered a,
some length into defence of his views respccing
the acquisition of Oregon, by what is called the pro.
cess of mastery inactivity. And if he has not made
converts to his opinion, he has gained many admi-
of his talents by his mastery vindication Of it,
Certainly, sir, 1t Is often the part Of true wisdom
in this world to stand sl-to wait for time and
circumstances. There is great deal Of wisdom in
old proverbs, and one of them says, "Let ,ceH
enough alone" Time has wrought many wonders
our country, anu IL ueStlHeu 10 Work many
more. The practical difficulty is to determine
when inaction should cease and action commence,
and how the operations Of time can be best aided
by enterprise and industry. The honorable senator
says that circumstances have got ahead Of his sys-
lem and that he adverts to the subject not to apply
it, but to defend i. 1t seems to me, sir it never
could have produced the results the senator antci-
pated, and produced them peacefully
Here was an open question which, for almost
forty years had occupied the attention Of the two
countries, which had been kept at arms length
by an improvident arrangement, instead of being
grappled with and adjusted, as it could have been,
and should have been, long ago, and which had at
length increased to fearful magnitude; and, what
is still more, had begun to enlist passions, and feel
ngs, and interests that threatened to take the con-
troversy from the pen, and to commit it to the
sword. The claims Of two great countries to q dis
tant territory unsettled, and in a condition UNI
precedened in the history Of national inter-
course. Each with rghtto occupy the whole Of
the territory but each liable to have this right de-
feated by the previous action Of the other party.
Each holding remote possession, beginning TO I'll
up by emigration with their respective citizens
la~l. .aI