The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-10

/ who that was here can have forgotten the occur.
rences in the Senate on the Thursday preceding
the sailing Of that vessel The Senate, sir, on thai
| memorable day, was in fearful panic. On that
occasion we had a sort of senatorial "statpsds y
| II was contagious. | became myself most terribly
| frightened. thought quickly A thousand things
came into my mind in moment. | thought OF
Bladensburg-of Tenneley TO wn-of our Capitol in
hames-thst the British were upon us indeed, and
was very nearly taking 10 my heels. But, sir,
looked over my shoulder, and saw the senator from
Missouri, OF whom Il may be said, as il was OF
Cesar, she is the twin brother Of danger and Of
the two the elder and more terrible"-l saw him
reading his documents, quiet and calm a sum
mer's morn, and concluded 10 stand by him, and did
so, and voted with him for an adjournment, TO pre-.
vent the vote upon the resolution which was the
object Of some senator's 10 take, with the view OF
sending il out by the Cambria as a peace-offerng to
England Our adjournment, sir prevented this
vote. Since that day have seen change, not in
the question, but from childish terrors TO manly So
berness and hrmness. True, sir, We had one little
panic since, and that occurred yesterday. This
panic was produced by the Presidents message, in
reply TO one Of our own resolutions, upon subject
which we had had before US for months, and on
which tho Senate had partially acted. This. how
ever, was but small affair, and did not brighten US
very long,
Sir II some senators have been silent upon the
subject Of our title 10 Oregon, others have not.
They have discussed this title, and have taken
ground against II with ability and zeal unesu a-
lsd oy anything ! have yet seen emanating from
the pen OF the British minister, ably as he has
controverted our claim. They make but short
work Of the discoveries Of Gray; they pass quite
lightly over the exploration of Lewis and Clarke,
and almost rdicue our Spanish title; they, indeed
seem 10 think that we have a Of claim, ans-
ing from treaty Of 1903 with the French repub-
lie, which takes TO the mountains and then 10 the
Pacific, on the principle Of eoniguiiy. They tell
that the Nootka convention conferred rights upon
Great Britain, and that that convention only acknow
edged rights previously existing And what are
these To fsh on the coast to trade with the ma
lives, and make settlements, interfering with no
other--in country which had been discovered and
claimed by Spain for centuries before. These are
the rights, they tell US, not obtained but acknowl-
edged to exist, by the Noouka convention. Has
Great Britain in a similar case, ever acknowledged
such rights TO exist against her claims and her dis.
coyeriesl Never never, sir! Has Great Britain
ever claimed or attempted to exercise, such claim
rs this upon the United States' | think not. We
own an extensive country, stretching from Canada
10 the Rocky mountains. We own an extensive
| country, some five six hundred miles wide, be-
tween the western limits Of our States and those
mountains, inhabited only by Indians, and in which
there are lakes and rivers, and fish apd game, and
places for settlement, that would interfere~with
no settlements of civilized man, and yet, in any
part of this country, for any purpose what
ever, have never allowed the foot Of
u
Engishman ever yet claimed, had the nso-
lence eyer 10 dream that he had the right TO claim,
the privilege Of trading, fishing, settling for
| such purposes, anywhere within limits. |
doubt, sir, if England ever claimed, or enforced
such claim, Upon any other power than Spain, or
upon one feeble and as unable she was, to de-
fend her rights. Confident do | feel, sir. that no
such claim this would ever have been preferred
by Great Britain in the better days Of the Spanish
monarchy-in the days OF Ferdinand. or Charles,
Philip But, sir, IL is not my purpose to 90 into
a discussion Of our title TO Oregon. That labor
have attempted a former occasion; and, il had
not, would not, by my efforts, weaken the unan-
swerable arguments of those who have preceded me
in this debate ! would not, after the able state
mens of our case by our late and present Secretary
of State. willing to rest our title upon these
statements Of that title.
But, sir, under the treaty of 1918, which it is the
| object of this notice to abrogate, and which was
afterwards extended for an indefinite period by the
treaty Of 1927, admit that Great Britain has rights
| in Oregon. She has the rights, in the first place,
| which that treaty confers. Rights so long held
and enjoyed have assumed, in some instances to
| some extent, the character of permanent ones.
| These rights have assumed this complexion, (from
whatever cause, it may be needless to inquire,
growing out Of the latches neglect, Of Spain, in
the first instance, and since by the United States.
The subjects Of Great Britain-the servants of the
Hddson's Bay Company-have been permitted,
without interruption, to occupy the valleys Of Fra
zer's river for about forty years. Those people in
that valley have sort Of squatters title, origi-
mating in trespasses, and still without law; yet
| would respectthat title, which, in the new States
| is understood to mean something. In that valley
they are out of way, and while there can never
be in our way. They are beyond AGO | am viii.
ling, sir, out Of spirit of generosity (for should
so regard such concession) and for the sake OF
peace and a speedy settlement of this difficulty,
that the President may provide for these people
i he IF nit md nd deal
literally towards them, and give them the fullest
Justice. How he shall do this shall not stop to
inquire. When he shall act upon this subject |
will zee what he has done, and approve Of it if
can will not stop to inquire whether this shall be
done by cession of that country to Great Britain,
by paying these people for their patches and shan
ties, as we have done to the Pottawatomies, the
| Wyandots and other savages, or by granting them
reservations and citizenship; where, however
hopeless the task, we may have the opportunity
to try and do something for them. leave all these
things to the better judgment Of the President
which shall approve or not, when his act in this
respect shall be laid before me- And in doing this
sir do not find it necessary to dsparase our title
to Oregon. We can do this and at the same time
believe that our title to the whole of Oregon is I'M
questionable. We gave up, without complaint,
part Of this very country to Russia. We gave up
more recently, part Of the State Of Maine to Grea
Britain, and for that surrender Of part Of Maine
in company with all New England, in a treaty
made by New England Secretary OF State, voted
Yes sir am one Of the sinners that did that deed
and for giving that vote have never yet felt
blush upon my cheek thorn in my pillow
This treaty was made by the assent Of the conmis
sioners Of the States Of Maine and Massachuse it's
and we paid in money to Maine and Massachusetts
what they deemed a fair equivalent for the cedet
territory
The Florida treaty was treaty of acquisition ant
humiliation" Whilst we acquired Florida, and tn,
Spanish title to the northwest coast Of America,
coded, by this treaty, to Spain, part of terri
tory lying south Of Red river. | will not go int
the extent of this cesson further than to say that
part of it included county and half belonging II
| Arkansas: | mean, sir, the county Of Miller AM
half of the county Of Lafayette. Sir, this count,
and half embraced az much territory as some o
the New England States. These counties, unde
another name, originally constituting part of Mis-
sour, and subsequently forming a part of Arkan
sas were settled at an early day by nauve-bor
citizens Of the United States. They organ
lied counties, in which we had our courts Of jus
tee, from the citizens of which we collected taxes
and from which we had representatives in ou