Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-03-07


gree discredilable to both the nations con.
cerned, if they should suffer themselves
TO be drawn into q war upon ques-
ton of no immediate or practical interest
TO either Of them"
An eminent British statesman once said,
that "as we ought never to 60 to war for
a profitable wrong, so neither ought we
to 90 TO war for an Improbable right
There is much good sense in the maxim;
and the gentleman from Massachusetts
doubtless considers it strictly applicable
in the present case.
The direct inference from his tRsolu-
ton is, in the first place, that the right
in dispute, if indeed it be a right a, all, Is
an improbable right; that it is of no
practical importance whether we cede to
England part, or even the whole, of the
territory lying south of 49 and north OF
the Columbia. He esteems it our lmper-
alive duty, rather than resort to war, to
make some compromising division Of
this disputed tract.
| will ask the gentleman to take map in
hand, and answer mo question or two.
1t avais nothing to talk vaguely of some
compromise. Let him tell me what com
promise, beyond that already offered, he
suggests. 1.-The recede but half degree
of AZ he touches already the straits OF Flu.
ca. the entrance, and the only entrance, TO
Puget Sound II he abandons TO Eng
land bat one degree out Of the three,
which span debatable land, the line cuts
US wholly off from these straits, from Adj
miralty Inlet, and consequently from Pu-
get Sound; we might as well take the line
of At at once and surrender that Sound
altogether, as to cede its sole entrance and
exit.
Is this, then, the genteman's PROPOSE.
ton? that England should have the har.
bors of Puget and that it is Of no practical
importance, whether she has them or not
Let Captain Wilkes, speaking in his re-
Gently published narrative, say a word TO
US touching the harbors OF that territory.
He tells US;
"The Coast OF Oregon, to the South Of
Cape FIattery, (the southern cape on the
Straits oil Fuca,) is rocky, much broken,
and affords no harbors, except for very
small vessels."-Vot. IV.p. 296. .a-a~
And again:
"No ports exist along any part Of thu
Coast of Oregon, south Of the Columbl'
River, that are accessible to any class o
vessels, even those Of but very small
draught OF r. VOL v p. las.
As to the mouth Of the Columbia itself
which, for so many years, repealed dis
covery, he tells US:
"Mere description can give little idea
the terrors of the bar OF the Columbia
al! who have seen ii have spoken OF the
wildness OF the scene, the incessant roa1
of the waters, representing ii as one o.
the most fearful sights that can meet the
eve of a r.o--VoL W. p. 293.
The surveys made by Wilkes have al
ready greatly diminished these dangers
but yet it must remian matter OF grea
doubt, whether the mouth of the Coum
bia can ever be used, throughout the va
rious seasons of the year, as genera
port of entrance for vessels OF ever
. draught.
On the other hand, all navlgators, from
Vancouver to Wilkes, concur IN testify
ing to the safety Of the entrance to Puge
Sound, and 10 the value of It's harbors; a:
capable of receiving, and shelterng IN
perfect security, the largest fleet OF the
lime of battle ships the world ever saw
brought together. Captain Wilkes says
"No.hirg can exceed the beauty OF thes
waters nor their safety: not shoaI exist
within he Straits of Juan de Fuca. ADM
rally Inlet, Puget Sound, or Hood s Ca
nal, that can in any way, interrupt tn
navigation Of a IA gun ship. ventur
nothing in saying, there is no country II
the world, that possesses waters equal L
these" Vol " p. 3O5,
| repeat nv question: is it OF no pfac
teal importance whether or not We d
the future owners ofOregon, cede to Grea
Britain the only safe harbors In tina
county, retaining not even one roadSlea
+, of value, along the entire Pacific coast
Is the maritime control of Oregon mat
/; ter so trihing that we are tamely 10 sur
. render it to England, merely because
r without color OF title, she sees tit TO asI
US for it2 According to what code OF 10
gic or morals does it become our lmPeEa
live duty subnssively 10 give way, 10
this only reason, that she chooses perlIna
f ciouSlv TO insist.
See, in her very pertinacty, the proof
how we'll she estmates-how differently
; from the gentleman from Massachusetts
[Mr. WINTHROP, or the gentleman iron
Virginia, Mr. PENDLEroNl the value Q
this disputed tract and its magnificent mar
bors. She is experienced, she is 'ar'See
. ing. She looks to prac!lca results "
the table Of her cabinet lie minute topo
Q graphical surveys of he straits Of Fuf Ca
Of Admiralty Inlet, of the harbofs OF ~
g get. From the first moment oil neS0'a