The Columbian fountain., 1846-02-17
TWEEN NINTH CONGRESS,
SENATE.
MONDAY. February Is, 1915.


ment or annotatioa.
The reading of the Journal was suspended
to allow the reception Of various bills from the
House. passed on Saturday,
A bill relating TO the fortiication at hey
West was, on motion OF Mr.. Yulee, alter some
pertinent remarks, referred 10 the Committee
on Naval Affairs. instead of Military.
Messrs. Dix, Archer, and others presented
several petitions, and after much private busi-
ness and reports from committees had occupied
the Senate, during, the morning hour.
Mr.. Hannegan took the floor on the Orego n
joint resolutions. He said il would be in order
for him to include in the scope of his remaril IS
the original resolutions and all the amend
ments, Mr.. Criilenden's and all, but he shoul d
confine himself to his own amendments, 'oi
which the first claimed the territory North TO
81 degrees 40 South, to AZ degrees North La :
titude East TO our other territorial possessions
and West to the Pacific, with the adjacen
islands. The second declared that this Go :
yernment possessed no authority to alienat ,
the lands Of the United States. The third tha
II was contrary to our honor to surrender 10 ar
bitratlon, thatSwhich is clearly..our own. He
should lsay nothing about the last, which de
clared that the President, in offering settle
ment by the 49thy degree North Latitude hat
not acted contrary to the honor Of the country
The Senator from South Carolina used The
word "claims" in reference to our rights and
England's ptetensions. He, Mr.. H., used the
word 'title"in reference to our rights. We
set up no claim: we set up our title. England
sets up claim but no title. He, Mr.. H., con-
sidered our title to the whole as clear as that Of
any Senator has to the title Of his plantation
on which his habitation stands. He got his
authority from Humboldt, from Maltebrun,
from documents in the archives, and from
speeches OF Senators on this floor.
Mr. Fl. then gave much interesting informa-
ton in relation to the various discoveries made
by navigators in these regions, with the respec-
tive dates of each. Juan de Fuca in 1868, as far
north as SIS degrees and 81 degrees. Juan de
Perez to Sc degrees on Washington's island
surreptitiously called by the British Queen
Charlott's island-the expedition ordered by
the Spanish Viceroy to explore up to 81 de-
grees north latitude, two years previous to
Captain Cooks voyage. Sir Francis Drake's
voyage was for the acquisition Of plunder, not
Of territory. England also claims, under the
Nootka Sound Convention. and Vancouver's
voyage. He then destroyed any reliance that
could be sustained on the Nootka Convention
as described by Mr.. Ficklin in the House.
He then read from speech of MIR. Benton
(whom he called ''the great Senator OF the
West'') in justification Of our title to Oregon
as derived from Spain. Spain had successful
ly defended her title against the claims Of Rus
sia, of France, and of England. and our title
from her was undeniable.
This speech Of Mr.. Benton, he said, was
delivered twenty-five years ago. He refuted the
assertion of Mr. Mangum, who stgmatized
Oregon as a worthless strip of land in a remote
corner of the world. He then stated its ad-
vantages; but he was interrupted by Mr.. Man
gum, who explained what he had meant. Mr..
H. proceeded, and said that if the land was ca
pable of the production of sugar and cotton,
the opposition here would be in favor of re-
tanning our ghts to the territory, and the whole
Of it. As to flee, it ought to produce that, for
several individuals had been almost drowned
out within a fear past.
He then stated that he was sorry he had
dwelt so longon the advantages possessed by
the territory when he had in his desk speech
from the distinguished senator from Missouri
which described far more eloquently than he
could the value of this country. He read
from another speech of Mr.. Benton as follows:
81 do not dilate upon the value and extent of
this great country, (Oregon.) A word sufices
to display both. In extent, it is larger than
the Atlantic potion Of the old thirteen United
States in climate, softer; in fertility greater;
in saubrity superior; in position, better, be-
cause fronting Asia, and washed by a tranquil
sea. In all these particulars, the western slope
of our continent is far more happy than the
eastern. In confguration, it is inexpressibly
fine and grand-a vast .oblong square, with
natural boundaries, and single gateway into
the sea- The snow-capped Rocky Mountains
enclose it to the East, an iron-bound coast on
the West; frozen desert on the North, and
sandy plains on the South. All its rivers ris-
ing on the segment of vast circumference,
run to meet each other in the centre, and then
flow together into the ocean, through gap In
the mountain---where the heats OF summer
and the colds of winter are never felt, and
where southern and northern diseases are
equally unknown. This is the valley of the
Columbia, country whose every advantage
is crowned by the advantages OF position and
confguration; by the unity OF all lis parts ;
the naccessibility of its borders, and its single
introgression TO the sea. Such a country is
formed for union, wealth and strength. 1t can
have but one Capital, and that will be a
Thebes; but one commercial emporium, and
that will be Tyre, queen of cities. Such
country can have but one people, one interest,
one government; and that people should be
Amerlcan-that interest ours, and that govern
ment republican. Accused and Infamous be
the man that divides or alienates 1t J"
The whole of Mr.. Hannegan's speech was
no less eloquent and elevated than this extract