The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-13

inc uinss ihdt ume - DOING ana TINS progression
is, IN all respects, still steadily and rapidly onward.
Gentlemen sensible Of this, and have expstiatsd
on the very idea, without being conscious they
arguing against themselves. In what vivid colors
has the gentleman from Missouri Mr.. BowLIs
painted the growing greatness and future grandeur
OF our country And yet, in few moments he asks,
what IL time going do for us towards getting Ore
goni He pictured to the imagination the valley Of
the great river, in political and commercial point
OF view, rising in colossal magnihcence, with its
hundred millions of human beings, and nnumera-
be cities, and mars of unimasinable wealth. throw
ing the petty Atlantic States into utter nsig ifcance
by the contrast; and yet he gravely asks, what is
time going TO do for usl He has gazed at our
western tide Of emigration, now beating against tho
Stony mountains, now flowing beyond and spread
ing over the great geographic slope of the Pacific
ocean, he has SEEN in fancy, our children going
West, instead Of East, TO Japan and China, and has
exhibited to our wondering vision myriads of rich
and elegant fabrics, from the workshops Of those
ancient people. Numbering 10000, 000) gorgins
every storehouse OF our western continent; and still
he asks, Indignantly, what is time going to do for
us And all this stupendous future he represents
10 be close at hand looming, rs IL were in the SEN
sible horizon, like The blue emnenco of the Stony
mountains. Bot he does not TO exclaim, i'm
patiently, Whist - time going TO do for usi Why,
sir, can IL be possible that the honorable member
means TO intimate that these sublime results, this
Tremendous destiny, liz TO depend upon our first get
deserts, the everlasting SHOWS, the mountain Crags
and cayerns north OF the 49th parallel
Mr.. Chairman, Il il because ! have n degree Of
faith in tho gorgeous picture drawn by the honora-
bic member, that would confidently have left this
matter To time. Time which is 10 bring 10 pass
these great events, will bring with them, and as a
part Of them, Oregon-the whole Of Oregon. The
period ls'rapidly approaching, when Great Britain
will perceive the uselessness Of attempting resist
our elaims-when, in the language Of the venerable
gentleman from MaSsach usetts, in 1918, "sll hope
of doing so will have vanished" You will thus
avoid the calamti ties of war, and yet bo able make
your own terms. You may take the whole Of Ore
gon, II you think you are entitled TO the whole.
England will be at your mercy-at your mercy not
only in relation to Oregon, but all the possessions
she has upon this continent.
Gentlemen have laid down the proposition that
"the notice is itself, or cause of war; and,
with earnestness and gravity, have argued out the
proposition. shall not venture n rencontre upon
this point, but will beg gentlemen TO listen TO an
observation or two. The convention of 1918 was,
in the language of the venerable gentleman from
Massachusetts, "the alternative Of instant war"
Now the notice will take away this alternative; and
though mot itself of wal, ;" il will prove
itselfa most potent destroyer of a cause of peace
In lSlS the cause Of war the disputed title TO
Oregon. The notice will again render this cause
active and operative, and leave alternative but
negotistion or war. And | believe there are none
who will deny, that, If we insist on our claims TO
$40 4V, negotiations will be impossible, and war
inevitable. therefore feel liberty to say that
all who vote for this notice, with view claim the
whole territory, knowingly vote for war; and they
ought, in candor TO admit the fact and not deceive
the country.
Mr.. Chairman, it is n remarkable fact that al
though stand here in a minority, the views | en-
terrain and policy advocate meet the appreciation
of q large majority Of this body and of the other
branch of the national legislature. ! know what
I am saying, and know the ground upon which
I stand when say it. The great majority of the
wings, if not all OF them, admit, | think, TINT the
time had not come for abrogniing the convention,
and deprecate the agitation Of this question:; but
they say, now that the matter ia net on foot, the
sooner We get rid of it the better. Well sir, the
venerable gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr..
ADAMS, the author of the convention of 1918, and
it's renewal in 1927, still believes it the policy
for getting the ,chOle OF Oregon; and he has sban-
dOned that policy solely account of the admis-
sion of Texas into the Union; and this will prove
out of his own mouth. At the last session of Con-
gress, in debating the Oregon bill reported by Mr.
Brown, Of Tennessee, the venerable member said:
AT the las. session not prepared to act upon this
subject At all was not then prepared to agree to terrni,
but am ready now to do So and am satisfied this subject
any member of this House for bringing this
point"
Again, in his next speech on that occasion, the
honorable gentleman said:
at not without much serious deberaton hatI came
the determination bfore this debate commenced agree
give notice to the British government that this thing must
be settled"
The Oregon debate, at the last session, COM
menced two days after the passage by the House
| of the Texas resolutions and by considering care
fully the extracts l have read it will appear that
during that short interval, or thereabouts, the
views Of the venerable gentleman in regard to Ore
gon underwent radical change. just before then,
| H..
of Oregon; then she much any member
of this House for bringing this issue to point"
But | need not labor to connect the gentleman g
purposes in regard to Oregon with his sentiments
concerning Texas. He himself has made the thing
sufficiently manifest. In the conclusion of the speech
alluded TO, he uses the following remarkable Ian
guage:
taking degrees of latitude and perhaps more
and when took it, too he hoped we should have il dc.
fined geographically deiied politically and than all
/ the rest, defined morally"
Who docs not remember the vehement emphasis
with which the venerable gentleman enounced the
word morally. If what have stated is not satsfac-
tory, 60 read carefully the speeches to which have
alluded, and the proof will be found so perfectly
conclusive, that the venerable gentleman could not,
| in the face Of this House, deny the fact without
| eopardzing his character man Of honor.
Doubtless the honorable gentleman considered il
perfectly fair to get additional territory NORTH to
counterpose Texas in the south. But there is one
consideration worthy Of your special attention: the
honorable gentleman has himself afforded the most
conclusive evidence that the settled and abiding
vction of his mind has been, that the and effec
tua policy for securing Oregon, il the joint occu-
pancy scheme. Now, if it be in reality the object
of the honorable gentleman to save Oregon, why
should he on account Of Texas, abandon that poll,
cyi Why not rather adhere the closer to IT. Car
be that the honorable gentleman has been reason
ing, as all prudent and sagacious men have beer
reasoning about this city, that war with Grea
Britain would end in the loss of Oregon, and the
acquisition of New Brunswick and the Canadas
Good backing for the eastern States against botf
the South and the West
| could bring to the attention Of the commtte,
other collateral causes that have aided in generating
this large majority for the notice; but forbear.
| have, however, matter to PROFOUND to certain
Of my western friends who have signalized them
selves in this debate going for the "phole Of Or
egon," and a little beyond, to make it absolutely
certain they get enough. Some three or four o
these conference.-the most ultra Of aldo ADM
the fact, that Mr.. Polk having offered the 49tl