The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-01-24

Oregon question more consistent with fairness and
equity, and with the reasonable expectations of thu
British Government" The proposition thus offered
and rejected repeated the offer OF the parallel of
forty-nine degrees OF north latitude, which had
been made by two proceeding adminlstra-
lions, but without proposing to surrender to Great
Britain as they had done the tree navigation OF the
Columbia river. "The right OF any foreign Power
to the free navigation OF any Of our rivers, through
the heart OF our country, was one which was I'M
willing TO concede"
In making this proposal already twice refused the
President thinks it necessary to apologize to his de-
mocratc supporters. He pleads with all the humi-
llatlon OF one bound by prescripnye compliances.
compromise and asks the public PARDON tor that IN
der this bondage he had ofierhd what II was known
by repeated trials, would not BE- accepted; To make
amends for this eflmposed lndignlty, ne declares
that the day OF compromise Is now over
Had this been new question, coming under
discussion tor the first time, THE proposition would
not have been made. The extraordinary and wholly
inadmissible demands OF the British government and
the rejection OF the proposition made IN difference
alone TO what had been done by my predecessors,
and the implied obligation which their acts seemed
TO impose, afford satisfactory evidence that no COM
promise which the y: Srates ought to acceP', can
be effected. With this conviction, the proposition
of compromise, which had been made and rejected,
was, BY my direction subsequently Withdrawn, and
our title 10 the whole Oregon TERRITORY asserted, and,
as is believed, maintained by rrefragable facts and
dISuLcuto. nc ClVuIZtu WOIiQ VIII sec III tucsc
proceeding spirit Of liberal concession on the part
OF the y. States; End this Government will be re-
heved from all responsibility which may follow the
failure TO settle the controversy"
''AN attempt at compromise having failed, Mr.
Polk recommends that notice should be gwen TO
terminate the joint occupation OF the country; that
the laws and institutions OF the Union should be ex-
fenced to the American settlers in Oregon; and that
military posts should be established for their proiec
ton. All formidable enough, could we believe it
possible that any civilized nation would readily
plunge into fatal and suicidal error to defend
by war the mere right of occupation and the still
more imaginary claim to which Mr.. Polk also refers
the antecedent right of the Union to all the unset
tied and undecided territory on the North American
continent The declaration is too premature, how
ever, to be really alarming. II proposes to bring
things to an immediate Issue, and that immediate
issue must be one OF negotiation, not arms. slow
er course might have been more lnsidlous and more
certain. Mr.. Cahoun's policy Of giving no notice,
but pushing the undoubted right OF JOINT occupancy
years. to result in repetition Of the game of Texas,
or rather OF the original Declaration OF lndepend
ence. Oregod, should the American population
ever attain substantial preponderance, would not
long remain British colony; but occupancy, though
an Irresistible power, 10 not right and eepends on
numbers, not arms.
The terms of the Message imply, then, the alter
native OF war, or conclusive negotiation. War is
too monstrous to be thought OF for moment, except
after every effort at compromise has been exhaust
ed. Britain and America must be too sensible of
their mutual be- efits, mutual dependence and mu-
tual respect, to peril the substantial! blessings they
now enjoy, and are daily multiplying in the rea-
tons of peace, for the bloody and precarous gores
OF war 1t is all but impossible that two great and
kindred nations, after healing SO wide breach.
and helping one anotherto SO great common pros
perlty, should become again mutual and un-
natural destroyers for mere point of honor,
tor remote wilderness, separated from both
by a journey OF many months, by stormy seas,
and almost impossible rocks and deserts. Unless
Dill l.,
cretly scoffing at the universal sentiments of
humanity, he is himself incapable of SO great an
outrage and injury the country of his ancestors,
on the land of his BIRTH and the whole race of man.
maxim "to ask nothing that is not right, and submit
to nothing that Is wrong and his further boast that
1t Is his anxious desire to preserve peace with all
nations" That the Union should be anxious to h al
this sore. and should think unmanly and unpoltc
to bequeah quarrel to poserlty, is natural enough
That they should think to strengthen their clam
with strong language, is also in conformity with
many examples But if the decision is to be speedy,
1t can only be by negotiation, either by reference,
or by recurrence to the method which in the case
OF the disputed boundary on our Canadian frontier,
proved SO entirely successful.
From the Liverpool Times, Jan. 4.
The first Message of President Polk to Congress,
has created, as may be readily supposed, greater
amount of attention IN England than any similar do
cument from the head of the American Union has
done tor years. Public feeling was directed to the
Message long before 1t arrived, its tone, hostile
otherwise, formed abundant scope for conjecture
in the press, and even during the exciting time of
the Ministerial crisis, journalists, overwhelmed by
the Importance OF our relations with the United
States, stepped aside to discuss the questlod, even
In the absence OF the Presidents views
We have given elsewhere the spirit Of the Eng
hsh pruss on this important document Our trans
atlantic readers will be struck by the absence Of all
irritation In the remarks OF the great organs opinion
in this country, relative to the Message and this
reluctance n avoid q off lf0U fner
from the pralseworhy desire to heal rather than TO
foment, the cause OF difference between us and the
United States respecting Oregon. Some Of the ar
tcles we have given, are able and comprehensive
views OF the question at issue, argued, of course,
with an allowable amount OF national feeling and
prejudice, but presenting, on the whole, just and
generous standard of reuson and logic.
One cause, perhaps, why the message has agreea.
bly, disappointed expectation here IL, the weltlmed
observations in which it indugps respecting libe
raj tariff II the Oregon is the bane, the proposed
reduction OF the tariff is the antidote in the new
Presidents missye to Congress The style Of the
Polk has been snubbed by European pubiclsts as a
nourel honne he has given proof, in this much cri
tlcsed document, Of the possession of literary pow
ers that command respect, if they do sot always
force conviction.
Since the message came to hand, another arrival
has brought us the correspondence laid before Con-
gress between the British and American Ministers
on the subject of the Oregon The misfortune OF
the perusal of the great world The London Times
has devoted series of articles to the consideration
OF this correspondence, more particularly with re
ference to the two points upon which Mr.. Buchanan
insists, namely FIRST the title arising from prior oc
cupancy, and. secondly, the cession Of the Spanish
claim to the United States. The paper in question
ende avors to show that the maintenance OF
these two rights is incompatible that if one
is correct, the other cannot be sustained. "The
PRIOR occupation, and the after cesson may be cited
distinct facts, but they cannot confer title
Two bad titles con no more make good one, than
two alternatives can make negative" We should
like to have presented readers with these arti
ticles, they considered in this country to be
able, II not unanswerabe expositions of the subject
but as they appeared only day or two preceding
the sailing of the steamer, when our columns were
crowded with the statistical information, to which
we had previously pledged ourselves, we are reluc.
family compelled to forego the pleasure.
Upon the whole, then, il the Message hasinot Civ.
en- all the satisfaction in England which the friends
and well wishers OF America desire, it has it's IA
vorabe polnt-that of free trade; and the pending
trim nh of IL .rIn~ .holt