The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-21

How then can gentlemen contend that war ulus'
follow from the giving OF nohsei' suppose Great
Britain were 10 give Us the notice, would any gen
tleman be SO bold as 10 Say tha 80 "oald " aqght
10 declare war against her on that account Elos
surely not. But we are told that Great BraIn Is Il
great and msgDsnirIous nation: How, 'hen, can
we expect lhat war will be declared by her, beeause
we do that which we hayesa right to do, and which
the principles Of truth and Justice sustain Us
in dong-ouT right TO assert claim which is strip
ped of all doubt and uncertainty, and which she her
! self has acknowledged by her own aell But il may
be, sir that her adv ocatesfor she has advocates
this side Of the woter--haye applied these high
sounding eplthsts under suspicion that her charac-
Ter for territorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT, and for disposi-
ton to lay hold upon any region which bhe can
raise The slightest preiension TO, stand DOT In much
holder relief than that for magbaBimily. And shall
We be pusillahimous enough 10 hesitate la Our
course, because u may, forsootb, wound the pride,
or obStruet The wishes OF this great and magnani-
nous nation,
In the spirit IL is commended by some, that il
is not the giving Of notice merely whieh,is likely To
produce declnRtisn Of war; but the consequent aes
on our part which must Immediately follow. They
say that amer the expiration OF the twelve month";
notice, VIC shall be eoripelledj Ia order to maiptaiP
the country and that such an attempt would
sarily lead TO war. The enswer TO this is
ready and easy. ! grant the eonssquence pre-
dleted IL England do not reeede, and II she do
not withdraw her subjectS-if she attempts to
exercise adverse claim. And ask, sir, IL Eng
land, any other power, be mad enough, OF daring
enough, or wicked enough to invade any portion OF
our territories, TO lay violent hands upon H. there
by attempting to wrest il from US or to divide with
US our ''clear and unquesdonable" rights, what
American can be found so much bastard as To be
willing TO give il up rather than fight for IL? Who
among the whole nation would not, under such cir
eumsiances, cry aloud for wur-sy, sir, war to the
knife
But sir Il is also said by others that If we pro-
coed at this time to give the notice II will only place
IN the position we occupied at the dale Of the
convention; and thst things have remained in
quietnessup To this period why not let them 60 on
until we actually need the territory for agricultural
and commercial purposes To this suggestion my
answer is threshold. In the first place We have
already seen that the favor extended 10 Great Brit
ain OF occupying the territory, in common with our
own people, for the purpose ofcMrying on fur and
fishing trade has been construed by her, Is used
by her constituting claini--a right TO portion,
and very large portion, too, of this tsrrtory-s
claim so strong, IN the opinion Of some gentlemen,
as TO justify her before the civilized world In making
war upon Us with the view Of maintaining IT, The
longer, therefore, the joint occupancy continues
IT, indeed, 1t can be called an occupancy at all-the
stronger will the claim upon this ground become;
and hence the necessity Of terminating the JOINT
occupancy with as little delay as practicable under
the provisions of the treaty. In the second place,
our PEOPLE do now, with remarkable unanimity, de-
clare that they want the tcrritory-that they want
the free and full possession Of the whole territory
and that they not willing any longer TO allow to
John Bull-rich, proud, and powerful as he may
bean equal possession and enjoyment Of its nd.
vuntAges with themselves. And they do further
declare that II the aid John Bull, for dis assertion
Of their rights, ard for this notice to him 10 quit,
chooses to proceed to blows they will let him have
n game at such pastmc to his hearts content.
I astly the that becanRe ve I'm pniovs1
peace and quetncss for more than thirty years I'M
der existing circumstances VIC should permit the
Joint occupancy to continue would be Just
good thousand years hence now; and would
apply with as much force and propnety to any
other portion Of territory, TO any one Of the
States of this Union, as it does apply to the
question before us Ii is very certain, sir, that we
can always enjoy peace by never asserting
rights, or by quietly permitting other nations TO
take from whatever they may want. The only
uuealions for us consider arc: Is the territory
oursi DO VIC want IL IL the answers I've in the
affirmative, then let US have it, war or We
only lose by delay.
But sir war is neither certain nor probable
consequence from giving the notice; and If such a
calamity can by any means be brought about, moth
ing better calculated TO produce it than the inds
Greet course Of certain class of persons, who both
in this House and in other quarters, have made it
their business to eulogize and magnify the power
and resources of our adversary, whilst at the same
time they have taken great pains to depreclate and
ridicue those of our own country. cannot under
stand the principles or the motives which have in
duced such line of conduct. Charity, however,
inclres me to hope that such individuals, nhu
enced by misguided experience or the workings
of diseased Imagination, have pictured to them
selves the horrors and caamities of war, that they
would sooner give away all absolute rig ht-the ter
rtory in dispute-than hazard what they may
regard as an unparalleled state of prosperity in
the lard by the uncertain issues of collision with
so powerful nation England But all past ex-
terrence will prove that spirit of timidy and con-
cession, the slightest manifestation of DISPOSE
ton TO yield the smallest amount Of national right
is by no the way to repe to satisfy foreign
demands; but that it Is, on the contrary, the surcst
mode OF provoking aggression or inviting the exac-
tons of graspng and powerful nation. The most
efectua means of avoiding danger is to meet it
fully in the face--to insist upon your smallest
rights--to demand the last far,hing-and to show
or consequence; in word sir to adopt and act full
ly upon the motto Of ustrious and venerated
Jackson, task nothing but what is right, and sub
nit to nothing that is wrong"
Sir, am far from being one of those who look
with indifference upon the consequences Of war Its
evils IRE always great, and ofttimes incalcunblc
am AVA that a war between the United States and
England would at this time be attended with vast
mischief, not only to the powers Immediately en-
gagged in it, but to every portion Of the civilized
world. Commercc--that great rcfiner of national
manners-that great link which connects nations
together, modifying their aspertes and breaking
down their prejudiccs, and which is now, by the
operation of modern improvements, bringing the
most distant into close contact and communion with
each other, would be greatly disturbed in its course
and thrown into unwonted channels. The advance
men,s which literature, science, and the arts, are
daily making towards the extension Of knowledge,
and the ameore ton Of mans condition, would be
partially checked. The progress which the spirit Of
republican institutions is making with such
rapid steps towards the pulling down Of potentates
and Of powers in high places, would most unhaPpi-
ly be retarded; and even in our own country, some
Of those achievements which have been recently
made, and others now in progress ofbeing consun,-
mated, in the great field Of political science, by
which more natural and liberal system of meas
ures would be consequences resulting from
full experiment. would be in great measure neutral
lied or thwarted for season. But, sir, great as
all these evils may be, they are by no means the
greatest that a nation may endure. Indeed, tits ne
cessary, in order to secure permanently the bless
ings Of peaco and to enjoy them in all their funess,
that we should sometimes incur the hazards, the dan
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