The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1846-06-18
mr. BENTON ON OREGON


The reporter of the n. Y. Herald
gives the following account Of Mr.. Ben,
f'n's great spsseh on Friday:
Orssoa-TBe PaarGI Discourse ofsS sO-D..
hsenlte oaskEIgI Of Cd. Bsniorl spos. Mss.
as. Poks, Bsahalssl. Greenleap. ALsn. Cas-.
hianfssN, adams, Cidt!isgs and Cox,
sseh LEls a. 81 10.
Col. Benton rose 10 address, the Sen.
ale and there vas a general movement. in
the galleries To see him a. well As 10 hear
hin. lie said that the bill before the
Senate was a proposition 10 extend our
laws over the territory west of the Rocky
Mountains. without saying what was the
extent OF our limits, This was a wrong
proceeding. lie did not think .ha. this
was the ~ay to proceed ether in the set.
Element OF the question. or in the occupa.
ton OF the territory. lie thought il the
business Of negotiation. and not of leCis-
lshon, to set the boundaries OF the terri
tory; anu this was the reason he had
waited and declined any expression OF
bis views at length upon the subject
But now, while negotiations are pending,
that We are about to legrsIa.e a iuristlic.
hon over an underlined extent of territory
IA proceeding. which would a, once,
ioresIal all nego,ation-i.a altered the state
Of the case. As events we're going on,
we propose 10 establish a jurisdiction
over territory 5000 mica off--a power,
the extentof which we cannot determine;
and IN this condition of things he would
Io-ego all considerations of proprsety. M.
quesuon ni lHe ooSndary. lie Proposed
10 DO u upon the principle of !" asking
nothing but wha, is right, and submitting
10 nothing that is wrong" In undertak.
ing this ungraeious task, his attention
would FIRST be dirsc,ed 10 the exposure of
several great errors In exislence--error,
o. home-errors greatly pernicious. and
ths origin OF all our late difficulties. AT
the head OF these errors was the assume
non by the Treaty with Russia of the line
Oh 81 40. establishing. so far, the terri
Tory as ours up to thai line on he one
side, and as the territory of Russia down
to that line on the other. This was The !
great error. There was no such line estab- /
iished between the United States and Rus
sIa. None. Sir. 81 far % that line wa.
established. il was male a. the Northern !.
line. not for The United States. bu, for
Great Britain. lie repeated the declara.
hon. That. 80 far as such boundary was
proposed. It wss done TO make il the
Northern boundary Of Grea, Britain. and
not of the United States. Colonel Ben.
ION then commenced his researches into
The records to establish this point. He
went back to the lime of Peter the Great.
referred to the growing power of Russia.
and to the Jealousy Of England and the
United States against the extension of
such power on the Northwest coast. He
next cited the efforts of Great Britain and
me U. States, al triple arrangement be- .
tween themselves and the Emperor Alex
snder. IN respect to a joint occupation of
the territory. But Alexander, like wise |
man. acting on the principle tina. "shost
settlements make long friend.,'' refused &
mo coPaToership. ard desired only to {
rave his own. Col. Benton then read ,
rom the treaties respectively between u
tust!a aud Great Britain, and between 4
ltansia'iy me same m uxfng tnr- s,uus.rrn1
Russian boundary at the line of 81 40 in h
ne sea. and up The Portland Canal. an 3
W. sn o' the sea, across to the Noun, St. (,
1l'as' or me cast range of mountains. c
y along saId line Northwar toward ;,
,nerlng . Straits and the Frozen Ocean. a
mere ~as no treaty with Russia by which .
W a'ls TO lity-fonr forty was claimed or Il
The claim was on ,ha !,
de Of another party. The learned Sen. n
ar IN proof. read again from the ,rea- D;
8 upon the subject. There were also m
me maps upon which this boundary Il
as correctly laid down. There was a do
Ap oy Greenhow. in which it was cor. da
guy :, copied. In opsing. hs had done III,
weIi' but when Mr.. GreeuIlow under 10,
* 10 decide upon treaty supulations as ri
iining boundaries--when he p,Jsr,ooL Ia,
settle international dIsputes--his an. VIII
my was quite another thing. In con. he,
s this map he was correct. He had mn
the l:ne Of 81 10 as il ough. 10 be. The
mig nnP from the sea along the Port cIu,
canal-thcnce 10 Mount 81. Ella. i'm,
&c in 4 northery direction 10 ,he fro. TOUT