The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-01-29

BILE right and duty of the American, no, only !.
resist European interference, but to be ut;srlv
deaf to the suggestions Of European discre,i'D
and humanity.
With rather unreasonable avidity of self ora,
ulaton, the President claims the con,radc,n,u
honors of peace and war in the Texan triumnb
This accession to our territory" he SAYS, has
been bloodess achievement. NO arm of fo,c.
has been raised to- produce the result tn
sucord has had no part in the pictory. He can.
not, however, f"rego the pleasure of relating !,
few sentences, after what efficient military nr.
psra,ions he had made, and how thoroughly Me,.
. leo had been hemmed in on all sides, both bv
land and by sea, before il could have to defend
the disputed territory.
On the subject Of the tariff Mr.. Folks ire.
trade notions exactly please tho Times-as Indeed
all the other papers.
As to Oregon, the Times says, after somewb.,
searching analysis of The Message:
The terms of he Message imply, then, the al.
| tentative of war, or conclusive negotiation. War
is too monsrous to be thought of for moment
except after every effort al compromise has been
exhausted. Britain and America must be TIM
sensible of their mutual benefits, mutual depen-
dence, and mutual respect, to peril the subsian.
tial blessings they now enjoy, and daily muI
tplyng in the relations of peace, for the bloody
| and precarous glores of war.
u Ia all but impossible that two great and kin
dred nations, after healing so wide breach, and
helping one another TO So great q common pros
perity, should become mutual and unnatural de-
/ stroyers for nero point of honor, for remote
wilderness, separated from both by journey Of
many months. by stormy seas, and almost impas
! sable rocks and deserts. Unless Mr.. Polk il
merely trifling with words, and secretly scofiop
at the universal sentiments of humanity he il
himself incapable of so great an outrage and iniu
ry on the country of his ancestors, on the land of
his birth and the whole race of man.
What means he by saying that he has adopted
| The maxim to ask nothing that is not right, and
submit to nothing that is wrong 2" aud his further
boast that it is his " anxious desire Ia preserve
peace with all nations2" That the Union should
be anxious to heal this sore and should think it
unmanly and impoliiic to bequeath quarrel TO
| posterty, is natural enough. That they should
think to strengthen their claim with strong In.
guage, IS also in conformity with many examples.
But if the decision is to be speedy, it can only be-
by negotiation. either by reference, or by recur
renee TO a method which, in the case of the dis
puted boundary on our Canadian frontier, proved
so entirely successful.
Next III importance TO the Times is the Morn
ing Chroncle-the avowed organ of the great
| Wing party in Great Britain, Journal of the
very highest order of ability and greatly relied on
by the educated and thinking classes. The view
It takes of the Message is that Mr. Polk in the
est-havlng been elected by it--and that if that
is conclialed by Great Britain repeating the Corn
Laws, the President will be pacific, and vicc
cersn.
The article in the Chronicle, though in some
| respects fallacous and even misinformed, is very
brilliant and ably written, and we extract as much
OF II az we can make room for:
| One topic of the many adveried to in this docu-
ment, will just now engross the attention of the
English people, What does MIR. Polk saw of
| the Oregon? He recommends that notice be
| given to terminate, at the end of twelve months
the convention of 1897, by which the two coun-
tries Jointly occupy the disputed territory.
If Congress adopts MIR. Folks recommendation
IN one respect, they will prepare to give effect TO
MS lntemPerae connsels in his own intemperate
way. Should the two countries thus resolve, and
prepare to maintain each its extreme right by force
of arms, we confess we are not sangune enough
to anticipate amicable settlement of question
that has already bafied the negotiations of SO ma
| ny years.
AT the end of the years notice." He adds
"shoud Congress think it proper to make pro-
vision for giving that notice, we shall have reach
ed period when the national rights in Oregon
must either be abandoned, or firmly maintained"
And long before the end of the years notice, say
we, " should Congress make provision for giving
that notice" the two countries would be almost
ITretrlevably committed to the caamitous issue of
arms. From that day England receives the notice
TO terminate the convention of 1927, she must
prepare firmly to maintain tho rights that
are menaced and it would be- folly to suppose
that the government Of America would rest salts
ned with the barren notification that they were
about to terminate the joint occupation.
But we do not believe that the question can be
brought TO such an issue. We do not think that
Congress ,OH make provision for giving effect
to Mr.. Folks insane counsels. There are various
considerations which lead to this conclusion This
policy of the Executive Government in America,
is but the reflex of the opinions of the party or
interest predominant for the time being, changing
as these opinions vary, and necessarily adjusting
ITSELF to every difference as it arises.
The great agricultural interest of the west is
at this moment in the ascendant, and Mr.. Polk is
It's type and its representative, both in ts wishes
and resentrnents The conduct Of his Govern
ment, therefore, depends upon the views en-
ierlalned in the West, and these views are sus-
cepibIe of great modification, by tho course which
his country thinks proper TO pursue.
IL IS but natural that Mr.. Polk should, as far
as IN him lies, give practical development to the
policy on which the West is now bent.
To The dwelIers in the great valley Of the Mis-
slssIppi, the Ohio, and the Missouri, he owes his
uDeK pected elevation tn the Presidential office,