The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-25

SPEECH OF MIR. BAGBY,

SPEECH OF MIX. bAobr,
| l1...... -tg OF ALABAMA. Etl a - ~
In Senate, Thursday, April 10, ls4e--d)n the Joint
resolution for giving the notice 70 terminate the
| convention between the United Staies and Great
| Britain, relative to the Oregon territory.
Mr.. BAGBY addressed the Senate as follows:
Mr.. PnrsnsNr. II, in the age in which we lire,
mar ked as il is by extraordinary events and by the
most enlarged and intelligent habits OF thinking and
Of acting, anything could attract unusual pltsnton,
or excite unusual surprise, II would bs that, after
twenty-eight years of frullless diplomacy in regard
TO the Oregon territory, there should stll De those
who are disposed to pour the OIL OF procrastnsiion
upon the dead sea of lifeess negotiation, and 70
leave this question, which now 80 deeply engages
the attention of the country 70 the sest operation
| of time. Time, Mr., President, ID mighty agent,
but il is a passive agent IL is not means by which
events are To DO accomplished, but q medium or
space within which. they may be accomplished, by
the application, or ssnployment oil the proper active
agents. ,5,i4tl ~ q Il e
il appears 70 me that great error has been COM
mitted in applying tiie naxms Of war TO the tArdy
and sluggish opersuons. Of diplomacy if kabius
| Maximua,. who was the father OF this system Of
wise and mastery inactivity IN bis wars with Han
nibal, had been opposed BY the same poAcy, IL IL
perfectly certain that he would have been just APT
10 be wearied out, without coming to geseral en-
gaxement, as his great adversary. So in amemo-
! rable instance In modern warfare lfthat ramaIka-
| Bile person who, for a season, blazed as terrible
meteor before the eyes Of all Europe, had acted upon
the policy observed by the mmandes Of The allied
forces, by retresting and avoiding aeuon, 10 eyi.
dent he never would have crossed the Russian line,
and Witnessed the conAagration Of Moscow or re-
ceved in consequence that blow from which he
never recovered. ....
To apply these principles to the question now be-
fore us. Great Britain and the United States both
fha In md IN
extent, they both in possession Of it. and Grea
Britain TO greater extent than we are. If inaction
will enable US to obtain possession, II will surely
enable her 10 retain possession. conclude, there
fore, that If this system Of inaeton continues fol
twenty years, il will be necessary, at the end Of
that time, to act upon the subject and that every
intervening year will only increase the difficulty
a final and amicable settlement Under this con-
viction, and without considering il necessary TO in
qure into the wisdom Of the policy by which the
settlement Of this question has teen so long delay
ed and the embarrassments in the way 10 such set
Element greatly increased, | have from the time
that this question first occupied the public mind, ar
ter came into the Senate been uniformly in favol
Of giving the notice. In coming TO this conclusion
have not been al all Influenced by my views with
respect to the extent Of our title.
If no part Of the territory in dispute is ours,
should be in favor OF giving the notice, in order to
dispe the popular deluson which prevails upon Tho
cerned TO its proper owners. IL only part of il il
ours, am in favor of giving the notice, in order
that the dividing line may be run, in order TO pre-
citizens who emgrse thither from settling
beyond our limits, and thereby transferring them
selves to a foreign jurisdiction, II il all belongs tc
u.s. am in favor Of giving the notice, in order tc
reduc il to possession and to extend our laws ove
IL, and no longer permit Great Britain to enjoy i
| conformity with us, without equivalent consdera
ton And, abeye all, ] am in favor Of the notice
and Of terminating the joint occupation, the mos
efectual means of preserving the peace of the two
take cursory view of the whole subject, a. PFC
scented to Us at the commencement Of the prssch
session of Congress. s, d5llgGa 0ll ef. ~ lagk
Various constructions have been placed upon tina
part of the Presidents message which relates to th'
question now under consideration, and different key,
have been employed for the purpose of unlocking
| the true meaning of that instrument. do not pre-
tend to be formidable State-paper critic and thos,
who know me best know full we'll that i am no
the iDdiscrminate advocate of power, or prodi
gal in praise of those who WELD it. hate power
and am naturally and habitually disrustfu Of thos,
who WELD it. But avail myself of this occasion
to say, that, in my judgment, the annual messagt
Of President Polk is one of the plainest and abes
State papers ever submitted to the two houses o
Congress, from the origin of the government to the
present time; and that, in relation to the Oregon
question, whatever csvils censures may be pass
ed upon it here, he has placed himself on an emf
nence where the affections, the Judgment, the con
fdence, and the appreciation of his countrymer
will cluster around him, and sustain him. In speak
ing of this document, give no paror, or closet, o.
back-stairs interpretation. speak from the recort
from the message itself. | am here to express
my own views, and not to retail those of others
Whatever may be the relations between the Chic
Magistrate of the country and myself-and they ar,
precisely such ought to subsis between the hear
of one department Of the government and mem
Der of another Department. am here not to ex
press his views Of the message but my own. Anc
fatter myself that shall be able to satisfy ever
my honorable friend from North Carolina, on the
other side of the chamber, Mr.. MANeuM,] who
seems to have been 30 much puzzled upon this sub
ect, that the position and views Of the President II
regard to the Oregon question, contained and sc
forth in the message, are plain, clear so dis
tinct, and SO decided, that he who runs may read
them. My Interpretation Of the message is, tina
the President believes that our title to the whole D.
Oregon is clear and unquestionable-it is, if sena
tors prefer more significant phraseology, nifty
four-forty message, so far as title is concerned
But in consideration of the state of the nego
tiation when he came into office, and of the
course pursued by all his predecessors who had
acted upon this subject he felt himself under 1ar
implied obligation Mt least to endeavor to settle this
long pending controversy in spirit ofcompromlse
and upon principles of mutual concession. ne
therefore instructed the Secretary of State, on tht
9th Of August, to propose to Mr.. Pakenham TO set
tie it on the 49th parallel Of north latitude. Tha
proposition was promptly rejected IL was subse
quenty Withdrawn, and our title TO the whole
territory reasserted; and, in the opinion OF the Pres
ident, sustained by irrcfragable facts and argu
ments.
This is my view of the message. In sustaining
as shall attempt to do, the correctness Of these
views, it is necessary that should state, in gen
eral terms, my own opinion relative to the title te
the Oregon territory. In performing, this part o
my duty, shall not go into all the details Tha
task has been performed with more ability by the
eminent statesman at the head Of the State Depart
ment, as well by gentlemen on this floor, ant
especially by my friend from New York, [Mr
DIS.l shall only state my views in regard to tn,
extent Of our title, and the general grounds or
, which it rests. Il
), believe, then, Mr.. President, that to the whok
territory in dispute have the best title in exist
ence. This opinion is predicated upon the discov
cry of the great river Columbia by Captain Gray
in 1892 when he not only discovered the mouth o
the river, but entered il, and sailed up il some dis
lance. If there is verify in history, he was tn,
first who ever did enter and sail up it. | predicat,