The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-03-24
II III E N E. w E II A
SPEECH OF MIR. CALHOUN.
OF SOUTH CAROLINA,


In the Senate, March l6, $4,000 the reso
lutions giving notice TO Great Britain of the
abrogation of the convention Of Joint occupancy
Mr. Calhoun. being entitled TO the floor, rose
and addressed the Senate
The question under consideration is, whether
notice shall be given TO Great Britain that the
convention OF joint occupancy between us and her
shall terminate at the end of the year To that
question, and those Immediately growing out of
1t, shall con6ne my remarks. | shall say moth
ing in reference to the title to Oregon Having
been connected with the negotiation in its ary
stages, it would be indicate on my part to dis
cnss the subject of title. shall abstain from all
personalities and everything calculated to wound
the feelings of others; hut shall express myself
freely, fully, and canddy on all subjects on
which may touch, in the course of my remarks
With these PREDATORY observations, shall pro-
coed at once 10 the discussion of the question of
notice. There is point in which all must be
agreed that great change has taken place since
the commencement of this session in reference to
notice, in It's bearings upon the question of peace
and war. AT that time, notice was question of
the first magnitude, on the decision of which, to
all appearance, depended the question of peace or
war but now 1t is one of comparatively minor
Importance, and may be decided either way
without any decisive effect on either. The cause
OF this change will be explained in the course of
my remarks. So great, indeed has been the
change. that it has not only rendered inapplica-
BILE the reason urged in the message, recommend
ing notice 10 be given, but has altered materially
The position of the Executive and that of the
several parties in the Senate to which it has
given origin, as shall next proceed to show.
That the recommendation of the message is
founded on the conviction that there was no hope
OF compromise of the difficulties growing out of
the oregon question, Is too clear to admit of any
rational doubt. It's language is express. Estates
In SD many words the conviction, that no com.
promise could be effected which ought to be ac-
cepted. On that conviction ii Announces that
the offer which had been made to the British
minister 10 settle the controversy on the 10Th
parallel Of latitude had been Withdraw after lis
rejection. and our tito to the whole asserted -
On the same conviction, it recommends to Con-
gress to give the notice in order to annul the
convention, with the view to remove oil the i'm
pedlments to the assertion of our eht 10 the
whole OF the territory Assuming, then, tina,
there would be no compromise, it informs us, that
at the expiration of the twelve months period
would arrive when our title to the territory must
be abandoned or firmly maintained and that
neither our honor nor our interest would permit
us 10 abandon il in other words, that we mus,
then assert our exclusive sovereignty to the whole,
to the exclusion of that of Great Britain, unless
the latter should, in the interval, abandon its
claims to the territory. Throughout the whole
recommendation there is not the slightest in,ima-
ton that any compromise is expected. On the
contrary, the very opposite is constantly assumed
But 1t IS alleged that the reasons for believing
that there could be no compromise was derived
from the evidence which the negotiation itself
furnished, and especially by the rejection of the
offer to compromise on 490 Such / admit to be
the case, and also that 1t may be fairly inferred,
If CHI To- 81.
ton rejected by her minister, or one substantially
the same, our Executive would accept tile offer,
and settle by compromise the conflicting claims
to the territory. But the message intimates no
where the slightest expectation that such an
offer would be made, or, if made, that any com
promise could be effected
Such is the view which have been constrain-
ed to take, after most careful and candid exami
nation OF the portion Of the message recommend.
ing notice; and such, infer, is the view taken
by the portion of the Senate who believe our title
to the whole territory to be clear and unquestion-
able On no other view, can their warm and
decided support of notice be explained They
rot only believe that our title is clear and un.
questionable to the whole, but also that the honor
oi the country demands that il should BIZ asserted
ana maintained by an appeal to arms without the
surrender of any part. Acting on this conviction,
II is manifest that they can only support notice on
the oellei that 1t would not lead to compromise
On the opposite, they would be compelled to op-
pose it.
Such, also, would seem to be the view taken
OF The message by the community at large at the
time, 1t we may Judge from the tone of the public
press, or what perhaps is still lruer index-the
conduct of our intelligent business men. The
message had most decided effect in that respect
Stocks of every description fell marine insurance
rose, commercial pursuits were suspended, and
our vessels remained inactive at the wharyes
Such also was the view taken by great ma
jority of that portion Of the Senate who were op-
posed to giving notice, and among whom in
clude myself We opposed it on grounds direct
ly the reverse Of those, on which those who be-
lieved our rights to the whole territory to be clear
and unquestlOnable supported it, They supported
notice, because they believed there neither ought
to be, nor would be,any compromise. We,on the
contrary, opposed it because we believed there
might be, and ought to be, compromise. They
opposed compromise because, as has been sta
ted, they believed our title to be- perfect to the
whole while we supported it, because we believ
ed the title Of neither to the whole 10 be clear
and indispuiable and that the controversy MIGHT
be adjusted by fair partition of the TERRITORY
With such impression, we believed that two such
powerful and enlightened countries, as the United
States and Great Britain, would not resort 10
aTmS 10 settle n controversy which MIGHT be