The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-15

not be able hereafter TO comply, and the emigrant
who goes with his family, and locates himself in
mat territory on the faith of them, may plant him
self north of ago and by treaty stpu larons may
limit our territorial claim 10 that line IL is there
fore delusiVe TO the emgrant himself and, il
would appear, an exercise of the right of eminent
domain, when by treaty we are not in a condition
to exercise that right at the present time. there
fore COR striking out this section and leaving the
subject TO come up for future action when this aues
ton is settled by treaty. and we become the exclu-
siye possessors Of the soil, else when the notice
being given, we shall be in a position where our
honor and our duty shall require us to assert our
title TO the whole Of the territory.
Mr.. Chairman, word or two upon the course of
the Executive in this matter and have done; for
will redeem my promise OF giving my views very
briefly on the bill The gentleman who last occu-
pied the attention of the committee, Mr. M
BRows, takes exception to the conduct Of the Pres
ldent lnasmuch he offered TO divide this territory
by the ash parallel, and afterwards falls back
on claim to the whole territory Why II does APP
pear TO me, Mr.. Chairman, that there was no other
course left for the President, than the very one he
has pursued. Believing, as his message assures us
ne does, that title TO that whole territory is bet
Ter than that Of Great Britain, when in the spirit Of
peace and in Difference TO the precedents him by
mis- predecessors, he had made what | think the d.
plomatists OF the world will pronounce most lbe-
raj offer TO divide this territory, and that offer had
been promptly rejected, and no other proposition
was lntmaIed from across the water, or from the
other government. ask gentlemen, in all candor,
what other course was left for tbe President than 10
fall back upon his claim to the whole territory, and
by the able expose Of his Secretary, 10 place
| the grounds on which he proceeded before
the civilized world He did so; and no other
course could have been pursued with honor, either
70 himself or TO the high station in which he acted
Why was be TO say 10 Great Britain al have offered
you 49o and will keep that offer open; though you
| have rejected II once, you may reject il again p
| Was there any dignity in such course ask the
gentleman from Tennessee, would he have the Pres
ident Of the United States now repeat this offer 10
Great Britain; and say to Great Britain again we
will divide this territory by the 49th parallel Of lat
itudei Is there an American statesman, belonging
TO which ever party he may, who would thus have
his government Inundated before the civilized
world
| He repeated, that having done what the spirit Of
peace and respect for the examples Of his predeces
sors required him to- that having offered TO divide
this territory bya parallel which would make the
same boundary which now divides US from the
Lake Of the Woo = TO the Rocky mountains our
boundary the Pacific ocean, and that offer ha wing
been rejected, he did what every honest man would
do in regard to land your offer Of compromise hay-
ing failed, you fall back then upon the whole and
| you place your basis of claim before the world
| Now, in conclusion, Mr.. Chairman, which ever
way be the result OF this embarrassed question of
our foreign policy for one upon careful review Of
all the correspondence and mucn elaboration upon
The subject perceive no particular in which the
American President has been derect to his duty, or
unworthy Of his high station. But must express
my fears, fears which have been strengthened by
perusng the papers Of the last few weeks that the
| prospects of peace are becoming darkened indeed
We have offered to divide this territory by the par
allel of 49O, and that has been rejected know
not an American statesman who would have his
government 60 below that parallel, | know not a
man, certainly not a man within the American Con-
gress, who would now have his government divide
this territory by the Columbia river, or by any line
south Of that which has been offered and rejected.
see from the prints across the water that they go
| for the north bank Of the Columbia river as their
tltbnatun. ! fear there is an impossible gulf be-
tween US; and our only hope for the preservation OF
peace is that the returning sense Of justice the
part Of the British government and her plenipoen-
taries may lead her TO accept Of offer which has
been rejected before and thereby keep the gates of
the temple of Janus closed.
| Mr. PAYNE lin remarks of which, at his request a
report is postponed for today addressed the commit
tee. He referred TO the which the debate had
taken, well on this bill as on the resolution of
notice, assigning as his reason for having Sustained
from participation in it, the fact that subjects had
been prematurely introduced, which should not
have been introduced, and from which much evil,
but no good might result.
| Referring to the bill under consideration, he ex-
pressed himself willing to extend our jurisdiction and
| osltion which would interfere with treaty stpula-
| tons between the government Of the United States,
and that Of Great Britain. In some respects the
bill was Objectionable, but he trusted it might be so
amended as to obyiate his objections With this
view he gave notice of his intention to offer the fol-
| lowing amendment:
"Strike out in the llth line Of the first section, all
after the words "as to-" and insert the following:
Operate upon British subjects, to deprive Great
| Britain any Of the rights and privileges now OK
stng, and acquired by the treaty signed at London
on the Goth day Of October, 1918, and continued in
force by the treaty of August 6, 1897" ..
Guarding the bill at these points, Mr.. P. was will.
| ling to vote for 1t.
Mr.. seldom followed in some general remarks
on the provisions and objects Of the bill, of which
report will appear hereafter. Mr.. +
| Mr. GORDON dId not intend to make general
speech on the subject Of Oregon, but briefly to an
| swer some Of the objections to this bill The gen.
teman from Virginia (Mr SEpDoNl contended that
this law, in its operation, would extend to $40 4O
and anticipating the dissolution of the convention of
1927, claimed that the jurisdiction of these laws
would be in full force the whole territory up 70
the Russian line; and this he deprecated because il
might be regarded by Great Britain as quasi decla
ration of war; and justification OF resort to hos.
tites on her part. Why, would the gentleman al
low this government to do on its own part under this
convention, in respect Ia this territory, 80 much az
the government Of Great Britain had done by its
|
sh act Of 1921 a territorial act-that il covers
the whole territory from 42o up to $40 4O; and there
rs no limitation to that act--none whatever; and il
would be IN force when this treaty shall be ternina-
ted. And yet because this act, under the consdera-
ton ofthe committee, territorial in its character,
and would extend after the termination of the trea-
y over the whole territory did he object to it's pass
| age! Now what right would G Britain have 10 com
plain, fthey passed this bill in the very words now be
fore them, when by the gendcman's own admis-
sion, she, as far back as 1921, had passed similar
law during this treaty, which is now in full force
and operation in that territory and will be after the
| determina alton of this convention.
Mr.. J. DAVIS Mr. g. yielding the 8oor1 wished
tn PROFOUND this question to the gentleman from
| New York. Whether the British act to which he
referred, did not contain its limitation in Ian
guage which restricted it to the country where there
10 no civil government-anguage evidently adopted
in prospect Of our extending our laws over this
territory of oregon'
Mr. GORDON resuming, said the language oftbe
law, as he understood it, was merely descriptive Of