Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-02-26
WATCHMAN g. JOURNAL
e. p. WALTON, JB EDITOR.
MONTPELIER, THURSDAY, FEB. 2e, ls4G
ME OREGON QUESTION AGAIN.


and an able review of the Oregon correspondence
toresting and important documents TO every person
who wishes for candid discussions of this question
AIR. Gallatin and Mr. Rives are both of then
able diplomatists; and the former has the advan.
tage of having been the pioneer in advocating the
claims of the United States to Oregon. lie began
the investigation and discussion--he has followed
that discussion, with the sharp and practiced eye
of an old dipomatst, down TO the present time
and now at the age of IS years he has given his
views to the country, in series of letters indcu-
ting that he retains all his intellectual powers in
extraordinary vgor.
These documents all concur in establishing the
title of the United States to the greater part Of Or
egon; and all concur, also, in the conclusion that
the United States have not a clear and unquostion-
able right to The ,rhole of Oregon. In fact, body
ever claimed such title until after the politicians
in the Baltimore Convention had assumed it-as-
sumed it doubtless without the trouble of eXamina-
ton, and careless whether right or wrong. No di-
plomatist ever argued such an exclusive title until
Mr.. Buchanan entered the field last summer. lie
defended this claim on the ground that SPANS an
ciont title was good up to the 6lst degree and
that the United States now possesses all that title
of Spain, save the six degrees which Russia has
taken with our consent This claim of absolute
sovereignty in the United States to the phoie Of
Oregon, in virtue of the ancient Spanish claim, Mr..
Galatn says SIS pholy untomaed;" and Mr.
Rivcs concurs with him in declaring that Mr.. Blu
chonan has really weakened the American side of
the question by advancing it. SPANS title to all
Oregon was derived solely from the bull of Pope
Alexander VI, which gave the whole American
continent to Spain and Portugal This title, say
both Of the writers in question, was never concur
red in by Great Britain nor even by the United
States previous TO the time the latter acquired the
Spanish title-the only two nations which now
have claims to Oregon To rely upon this Pope's
bull, therefore, after our own government has once
repudiatcd it. seems to be maniesty absurd. We
cannot claim alt Oregon on that ground: and the
question recurs, hoto much are VIC entitled top
Spain had claims to parts of Oregon by right
of first discovery the United States now Possesses
this title, and superadded she has title by right
Of first discovery of the Columbia, and by right al
so of having first occupied the territory thus dis
covered. This was Mr. Calhoun's ground, and
every body on this side of the water concurs in
saying that so much of Oregon as is covered by
the first discovery and occupation, either by Spain
or the United States, is clearly ours. Has
Great Britain the claim to any part of Oregon
If she has, the United States ought &c concede it
what is right for us is also right for Great Brit
ain. Well--these writer's all corcedo that Great
Britain did first discover Frazcr's river, which runs
through the Northern part of Oregon, and enters
fhp D,niG
follows that both the United States and Great Brit
ain have good titles to parts of Oregon--the for
mer to the country watered by the Columbia and
all south of it, and the latter to the parts watered
by Frazer's river Where shall the line be drawn
That is the true question; and that, all these wri
tiers urge, is properly question for negotiation Or
arbitration. War ought to be out of the Ques-
zion: our part to wrest from England Fra
zer's river, on EDglands part to wrest from US
the Columbia, would be an outrage upon the laws
Of nations, national honor, and religion. And war,
too, would in all probability be useless, since both
nations, when they shall come to negotiate for
peace, will be very apt to yield to each other all
that can be rightfuy claimed.
The foreign news, by the last steamer, pretty
much dsspates the present danger of war on the
Oregon question. England, at any rate, is not dis.
posed to fight about it. On the other hand this
news seems to US to encourage another sort Of dan
ger-the danger of admitting British manufacturers
and British merchants to Joint occupation" Tor
worse,) not Of Oregon merely, but Of our whole
country. In speaking Of our relations with Eng
land, Wilmer s. Smiths European Times says:
"The new policy of the United States, as indi-
Gated i'll the report of the American Secretary of
State, Walker of the Treasury, the Times means,
has commanded much attention in the British Par |
Lament. Sir Robert Peel spoke highly of the re-
port IN the great speech in which he introduced the
new Tariff; and, subsequently, at the request of !
Lord Monteagle, the Government consented to re-
print the document, and place it on the table of
both Houses Of Parliament-an honor which was
probably never awarded to any similar document
before. All these facts prove the desire which the
British Government has to make our future rea-
tons with the United States as amicablo and bust
ness-ikc as possible"
Sir Robert Peel himself quoted from Walkers
report with appreciation especially that part which
denounced restrictions trade" alias protection.
We do not object to settling the Oregon ques-
ton by negotiation--by treaty: that is the right
way. But this joining together lie Tariff and Or
egon, is unnatural and dangerous union The
settlement of boundary question clearly ought to
be by treaty-the supreme law, permanent, unal
terable and irrepealable; but what sane man will
believe for moment that all the products, capital
and commerce of the country should be subjected
TO an Executive act, such as treaty is-to an
act too, which cannot peaceably be altered with
out the consent of Great Britain What man,
with a single drop of revolutionary blood in his
VEINS, will consent thus to give the British Govern
ment a voice equal ,Oih our ocn in all that relates
to the paramount interests of the people, 1t IS yir
tually surrender of American Independence
sacrifice, compared with which all Oregon will be
but as dust in the balance.
This, however, seems to be urged on both sides
of the Atlantic as n noocefiII measure We doubt