The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-11

king of possession of Oregon, mskisg promises O
grants Of land 70 settlers and erecting military fort.
"a, h,ir proteetion in the face Of The opinions Of
vast number of our most eminent siaiesmsn thA
YOU have reserved no such power under the treaty
and in the face too Of the ayowsis OF Distinguished
politicians that such AN opinion WIN amount
20 a declaralion OF war, and all negotiation
I must eeasei an Immediate condies " inevitable,
with the sympaihies of the world sgrinst Ne, bsiny
brought about by an act Of bad Faith, charged,
as Nc shall be, and with sos psasbiIiiy,
with an attempt 10 seize and thhs soeiusive posses
sion Of a territory held m JOINT occupancy. But
eive this noliee, and If the English government,
~itbout Unsuitable cause, should Jake offence al
our bodness and ftankness IN the exercise Of our
acknowledged right, and should determine 10 break
lorul further esoliationifa stubborn spirit and a
hostile feeling should rule the hoof and we be IN
yolSed in war--we say let II come. and VIII be
our consolation, the pride ana ooa" os our people,
which will strengthen their hearts snd nerve their
arms in the hour Of peril, that &c have kept our
aiih, preserved our honor. and asserted our rights.
But il is due TO myself, an thu eoxnexion, that /
should briefly refer 70 my pegitioDs at ths hss
session of Congress, Thsn s6soeassd the passage
Of hill for The establishment o. a isIsor~a GOV
! .umsnt in Oregon, and opposed Me giving II The
notice. But since then new faeis have ldevcloped
| ,homseyes 10 me- and the crcunSptanoes attending
the whole question had changed. Then assumed
that Eags had erected forts, made settlements,
aud extended the principles OF the somnoa law per
tanning land in Oregon And as we had submitted
10 all this without protest, we could and ought To
do the same things for citizens. But, further
Investigation, find she has erected no forts, and
only the Hudson Bay Company, In carrying on
the flr-lrade, had erected posts for facilitating
them in their traffic. find also the authority OF
Mr.. Buchanan for making the furthS assertion that
she has made no settlements. And here Let me
call the attention OF the gentleman from Indiana,
| fMr owES,l who spoke Of English settlements
I in Oregon, 10 Mr.. Buehanan's late letter "a MIR.
Pakenham, and ask him how he explains Mr..
Buehanan's admission. Speaking Of the Noolka
Sound convention, he says
Great Britain had never made any settlement the
coast Of America from the date ofthe Nootka
sound until the rid Of February, 1912 nor so
Ear the undersigned informed hs' she DOM 80 dVTn 10
| ne present. a0meHi'
! Here is AN important admission, made by our
own negoiiator, which has materially affected my
views But were now clear and positive in my
| convictions as was then, knowing the expressed
opinions Of the President that such exercise Of
power is unwarpnted by existing conventions,
sustained rs he is by a large portion Of the
people Of the United States in that position, and be-
ieyng that such will be the construction Of the Brit
ish government, would be unwilling to place him
in position which would require him to defend the
country against an act Of Lad faith against his own
convictions.
| opposed nouce, tnen, anu the ioHoNing eNuaCt
from my speech, made on this subject, will explain
my motives:
II object 10 this amendment (noce because this House
has called the correspondence, which. all know has
taken place between our seereay Of se ana the sI.h
mic ated to when II comes Il sppsars that England Is
evshhg the settlement OF this controversy .he dssy.
as my opinion that the duty Of the President to give the
notice which Determines the joint occupancy Bnt TIL then
for my own part nope 'hh q"e''oh VIII not Dc press
i Now we have the whole Of this correspondence
and much more that had not then taken place; and
we find that a most liberal offer, containing every
concession which could at all be justified, has been
made by our government and peremptorily, ay, SUI
percilously rejected by the British minister; and, in
doing SO, he says with dignifed sheer:
The undersigned therefore trust. that the American
plenroensry viii be prepared to offer some further pro
s mt q III Oregon ssS ~
p.eiafions Of the British government" s,.,s -
This prompt rejection Of a, offer conceding SC
much "affords satisfactory evidaacc (says the Presi
dent) that no compromise which the United States
ought to accept can be efeoted;" and, therefore
a decisive system Of measures must he adopted, OF
abandon the country. b.
But il was said by the gentleman from Massachu.
sets, tMr. ApAMs,1 and repeated by others, that
though we may give notice there viii be no war
because England, if | understand the gentleman
Alright, knew full well that IT she went to for
Oregon she would not only lose Oregon, but all OF
her territories north Of our country. Though the
conclusion may be correct, the reasoning has no
force with me- because it rests on the presumption
that England may take counsel from her fears Her
whole history furnishes the amplest confutation oil
such a reflection, and he who rests his course on
such belief will find himself deceived; though Eng
land may be an adversary, yet truth requires the
admission that she is proud and gallant nation
Interest may control the British Parliament and the
British people--fear, never. do not believe she
will ever be driven from her position by fear or cow.
ardice.
But still | think we have England under bonds to
keep the peace. She is emphatically n commercial
nation; her people commercial. Her thousand
and one strong Notifications which dot the face Of
the whole earth, and on which gentlemen have
dwelt in terms so eloquent, thereby showing their
envy and jealousy of her great power and vast do
minons, are kept up at heavy expense FOR the pro-
lection of her trade and commerce. Interest and
profit the guiding stars of every such nation and
control all their movements. One large item in the
condition Of that bond to keep the peace was the
cotton grown in this country. BY the annexation
of Texas the United States have the control and dis
position offve-sxhs of all the cotton grown in the
world At this time the greater portion Of this i'm.
msnsc crop is exported direct to Liverpool, and
thence reshipped to the different ports Of Europe
The millions of English capital invested in cotton
manufactures will be rendered psoftless, and
her tens of thousands of individuals that now
ma employment In tnem, VIII ~ uibShats
7 ed. The people on the continent of Eu.
rope equal, if they do not sarpass, Great
Britain in the manufacture Of all sthu articles
except cotton goods. By her superior machinery
and skill, she has well nigh the monopoly Of the
markets of tho world for scotton manufactures
and so extensively and so universally do they en-
ter into the consumption of every natioa Of the
earth to be ranked ameng the actual accessories
offe. On this consideration, os the most part, her
present commercial superiority and Pre'emineDce
is based. "A
: Declare war, interrupt our relations, break 81
the direct intercourse between our own and thu
English government and our cotton, instead Of gol
ing direct to Liverpool TO be prepaid for the con-
sumption of the world will find It's way in neutral
bottoms TO the markets Of the continent. This will
stimulate the manufacture of this article with those
powers. Capital, even English capital, will seek
investments in factories the continent the raw
material will be obtained cheaper; the same skill
will be attained; and thus successful rivals viii
be raised up who will supersede England, drive he'
from the market and strip her of all her greatness
, Her present vantage ground once abandoned and
loat can never he rauained. This she knows full