The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-06

His purpose was TO say that his main reliance
was on the Spanish tile. He did not underrate our
own discoveries, nor our own settlements, nor The
enterprise OF our own citizens. He was aware OF
their full value but he confessed that his main rel
ance was on the Spanish te--a title which, il would
be remembered, we did not possess when the ongi-
nal controversy with Great Britain arose. for he took
It for granted that II we had originally possessed the
Spanish title, the convention 10 which he had refer
red would never have been made. So long as that
title remained in the hands of Spain, Great Britain
had treated Il with the contempt which she had al
ways manifested towards the Spanish people. Mr.
Pitts aversion TO Spain was ell known; it an
inheritance he had received from his father But il
would he remembered that the Spanish title pos
sessed at that time as much moral power IL pos
sessed now. The full extent OF that power had re-
Gently been exhibited by the Secretary of State so
uiumphanty, that il had carried dismay TO the hearts
Of the British cabinet, and had placed our cause
upon higher ground before the civilized world
than II had ever before occupied. And he would
say more, that this Spanish title now became an
American title. And, however much Great Britain
might have been disposed TO regard with contempt
when IN the hands Of Spain, he would venture to
assert that she would not now do when il was in
the hands Of the United States. He said this, not
boastingly, but because descended from the English
themselves, we knew rights, and thanks To God =,
had tie physical power TO sustain whatever we re-
cognlsed as our own.
lie did not desire to be understood, however, as
putting our own title ont Of the question. A late
Secretary of State, whose fame was coextenaiye
with civilization, had placed that title the high
est grounds. He alluded to Mr.. CALHOUN, in his
argument on the discovery by Captain Gray of the
mouth Of the Columbia. That was a most impor-
tant discovery, under that principle Of international
law which gave to the discoyerer Of the mouth Of u
great stream, for his country, the entire country
which it drained. lie (Mr. H placed great con
sequence, therefore, upon this fact. And he had
been amazed the other day TO hear the gentleman
from Massachusetts Mr.. WlNTHRoP disown the
discovery IN this spirit.
The gentleman had said that Captain Gray went
out simply rs a navigator on a commercial enter
prise, not expecting any great results IL might be
so; but he went in vessel Of his country with the
flag OF that country waving over him; in vessel
which, according the doctrine Of an eminent states
man, was part and parcel Of the American soil
Mr. III. here quoted the language Of Mr. Webster;
AN American merchant vessel is Anglican territory.
and Is 20 be treated and respected such let her go
she Will that whatever foreign port she may enter she
carries thither all the immunites OF the American soil Is
protected by oil the peculares Of the American law and
remains exclusively subject to Its authority
And this was position which would never be
disputed before the civilized world.
Mr.. WINTHROP. The honorable member ap-
pears to have entirely misunderstood my remarks
in regard to Captain Robert Gray. | did say, GER
tainly, that Captain Gray probably had no more
conception than the man in the moon that he was
laying the foundation Of claim the vast territory
Of Oregon. But spoke Of his enterprise with the
highest respect and admiration. ] said that the
people Of Boston and of Massachusetts felt just
pride in his discovery, and regarded him having
contributed the earliest, well the satisac
tory, element to the American title.
Mr.. billiard resumed. He was unwilling
to misrepreseLt the gentleman--probably he might
have misunderstood him. But it seemed to him
that the gentleman had attached too little import
ance to that part Of Of the subject. The idea Of
Mr.. Webster was this: that an American merchant
vessel was American territory, exclusively under the
jurisdiction Of American laws. This the true doc
trine; and when the ship of Capt Gray was gliding
over the placid waters of the Pacific, although he
himself was not conscious OF his discoveries, vet
his county was entitled to the benefit OF them; and he
(Mr. H. congratulated the State of Massachusetts,
on one who had given much splendor to his coun
try. .Honored be Gray He (Mr. II. } for one would
stand by the title He thought the gentleman at
tacbed too little importance to it. When it came
to question of the depreciation of American power,
because Its title stood IN opposition to that of
powerful and imperious nation, he (Mr H. would
yield nothing The gentleman had spoken of musty
records and old parchments. He (Mr. III. could
take musty parchment and upturn the world with
1t. he could taGe the Magma Charta, with the dust
OF ages upon IT, and by Its means could revolutionize
Europe; and he trusted that when the dust of ages
should have come upon the United States if any
descendant of his should represent southern State,
as he himself now did, he might be able TO stand up
here and call forth moral power great as this
to defend his people and save his country For his
own part, he believed in the completeness of our
title to every inch Of Oregon; he believed that there
was no break in it. He did not say that he would
not arrange for II, but TO the fitness and COM
peieness Of the American title itself, it so clear
that, in his judgement, but for the colossal power
Of Great Britain, and the imperiousness with which
it her habit to carry on her negotiations, she
would ere this have retired overwhelmed with the
force of the argument against her.
AS to contguity and proximity, what right had
Great Britain to claim any hng here? This was not
the seat of her sovereignty. Her possessions here
merely colonial. America was our empire; il
was the seat OF our sovereignty; and that the
able gentleman from Massachusetts,, and all others
who had examined the subject would bear him out
in saying, ought to outweigh every other consdera-
ton on a question Of this character a sovereign
across the Atlantic, holding colonial possessions
here, and attempting to extend them still further
when neither the compactness nor the security of
her possessions required it, and when her claims came
in conflict with the right Of these who had their orr
gnal sovereignty on this continent!
IT, then, our title was so clear, the first question
was, what was the best plan to perfect il In his
judgment-and he made the assertion with profound
Difference" inactivity" was no longer "maste ri ~
He repeated il, inactivity lras no longer masieriv.
There were occasions, in the of human life,
when, TO save what dear to u.s. il became necessa-
ryt o act prompty-when,i we would avoid trouble,
"o nuSt uot promptly. III was not by recedlngi
it was not by adjournng over this question that
war was 10 be avoided. The very state ofour rela
lions with Oregon now demanded prompt, decisive,
comprehensive, in telligent action. IF we longer de-
ayed war was inevitable. If we left the question
open any longer, who did not know that, in the
present state of the public mind in the two coun-
tries, war inevitable
Mr. II. alluded to recent remark Of an eminent
British statesman in Parliament that there was one
speck in the horizon in relation to Oregon--a speck
small, that at that time it gave no concern, and
which, il was supposed, would pass away. That
speck (Mr. Fl. sadly at first nolarger than mans
hand had now become black, portentous cloud,
threatening to sweep disastrousy over the whole
northwestern frontier The question had altogether
changed; and the time had come when, five would
avoid war, there must be action. As friends Of
peace, the time had come for action No tempo
rzing measures would now avail; but we must go
To the farthes verge TO which it possible to 20
without violating the provisions Of the conven.
ton.
And what sort Of action would he havei He
thought that there was danger that we should
lose our territory if we adjourned the question. He
SAID this in of the colonial history of Great