Litchfield enquirer., 1846-02-26

arrangement. But whciher The congen-
ton was or was not temporary, aud whe-
} Their Il was or was not ubrogaied by The
subsequent war, one thing is certain, that
, IL involves dislinc; admission by Spain
TINT the country was then vacant. Indeed
that was the precise point OF the dispute
between Great Britain and Spain. The
latter power then claimed title to the
whole northwest coast, and on that
ground iispossesseJ British subjects, and
drove them away from NooIla. This
Great Britain resisted she insisted it was
r a wild country, unoccupied, and that her
and to make settlements there, rs Spanish
subjects. To this pretension Span ulti-
hIately Welded, and the treaty OF l79O
proceeds on that basis. In this point OF
view it is wholly immaterial whether the
convention at NoOtka was or was not tenn
porary, for the force Of her admission is
not thereby weakened in The least. And
it is equally immaterial whether the trea
| ty of 1890 was or was not abrogated by
the subsequent war; for. although war
usually does abrngate all treaties or con-
ventions between the belligerent powers,
vet 1t never does abrogate the admission
of6 Gri Truth is ever the same, war or
no war. ...,.... ....,., 1900.
In addition 10 this. We have, by our con
duct, emphatically, in connection with the
valley of The Columbia, admitted the same
thing. By virtue of the discovery Of Cap
tain Gray, we claimed the right to enter, ex-
plore, and settle, so much of Oregon as is
drained by the waters of the Columbia riv-
er. By these acts We, in substance, affirmed
that the country was vacant. We disaftr-
med the Spanish claim. We treated it as
puff Of empty air. But Mr. Buchanan says,
that man having title in his own right
may purchase a title outstanding in the
name d another person, and use both. But
We have no title in our own right to the up
per part of Oregon. We there stand wholly
on our Spanish title; and our proceedings
in the lower part Of the territory amount TO
an affirmation that the Spanish title, as a
whole, is a nullity. If we could say, prior to
1919, to Spain, that your title, by discovery
is, in the valley of the Columbia, by reason
of our explorations and settlements, naught,
surely Great Britain can say the same,
when that title has got into our hands, for
the same reasons, in regard to the valley OF
| Frazer's river. In both cases, it is re-dis-
covcry, exploration, and settlement, against
original discovery; and it is in both the in
domitable energy of the Anglo Saxon race,
agai cst the sloth and inertia of the Spanish
character. Who can doubt which should
prevail? / have no difficulty in coming 10
the conclusion that our Spanish title is oflit-
tie worth. Possibly some use, can be made
of it TO fortify our claim to the valley of the
Columbia; for that purpose l am willing it
should be used. When, however, this Ad-
ministration is guilty the ultraism ofpush-
ing our claim up to 81 40, on such feeble
grounds, every American citizen has right
to complain. Such was not the course of
Mr.. Calhoun when at the head of the De-
partment of State. He insisted strenuously
in our claim to all that part of the territory
| drained by the waters of the Columbia river,
! looking obviously to the parallel of AZ as the
basis of settlement. In his first statement
he concludes as follows "The undersigned,
plenipotentiary, abstains, for the present,
from presenting the claims which the United
| States may have to other portions of the ter
ritory." In reply, the British plenipotentia-
! ry called on Mr.. G. to define the nature and
extent of such claims. In answer to this
Mr.. calhoun merely says, that the claims
which the United States have to other por-
tiOns of the territory care derived from
Spain by the Florida treaty, and are found in
the discoveries and explorations other navi-
gators, and which they ust.regard as giving
| them n right to he extent to which they may
| bcestablished. unless better can be opposed"
How guarded is this language! The extent
to which they may be established !! Unless
a. better can be opposed to this old rickety
Spanish tale-discoveries by British navi-
gators, and explorations and settlements on
| Frazer's river by British subjects, long after
the Spaniards had lost all their rights, Gf
they ever had any, by non-user. 1t is GER
tain that Mr.. Calhoun was fully convinced
that our Spanish title could not stand by it.
self, for ON no other superstition can We &C
count for his manner of treating the sub
ject. t'''. ~ f'" e .g~ ..,g '...
have already said that neither party
can on any of the grounds adverted to, claim
tina, the territory should, as a matter of
strict right, be divided by any precise line,
but Ina: the division must be made on a
compromise line; but there is ground of
claim which will give us, as right, the
49th parallel and that is the princlpe OF
continuity. l think much more highiy OF
this ground Of claim than many honoraDie
members seem to think. On this principle
the line of the 40 parallel, and our territory
south OF it, and east of the Rocky mountains,
would be carried continuously westward to
the Pacific ocean. This doctrine of contin-
uity was distinctly acknowledged in many of
the colonial charters, and it should at any
rate be dear TO the people of my State, for up
on the strength OF it we have acquired, and
are now enjoying, tie, benefits of magnifi-
cent school fund Of over % 100000. BY the
ancient charters of the colony of Connecti-
cut, the first of which bears date as. early as
1880, the limits thereof were madeto extend
from the Narragansett river, on the east, by
the breadth designated throughout the
main lands there fromtte 'c,ster" ocean to
the Southern seas" In the Connecticut and
several other charters, the British Govern
ment asserted the right to extend, upon the
principle of continuity, their colonial pos
sessions on the Atlantic coast across the con-
tinent to the Pacific ocean. This, in the
Judgment Of our Connecticut ancestors, was