The Arkansas banner., 1846-02-11


 Wilh mnci greater force in regard to nations. ne feeble may not be in condition to com- plain against the powerful; and thus the en- croaehment oi the strong would convert it- sell Into perfect title against the weak. In the present case, 1t was scarcely possible for Spain even to have learned the pendency oi negotiations between the United States and Great Britain in felationthe Northwest coast oi America, before she had ceded all herrghts on tilat coast 10 the former by the Florida treaty 22d Feb. 1919. The convention of Joint occupation between the United States ana 1feat britain was not signed at London until the 2eth October, 1918; but four months previous to the date of the Florida treaty: ana the ratification were not exchanged, and ,he convention published, until the 3Oth of January, 1919.
 Besides the negotiations which determined m the Florida treaty had been commenced as carly as December, i8f5, and were in full progress on the 20ih October. 1918. when me convention was signed between Great brIiain and the United States. l. does not appear, therefore, that Spain had any know ieuse oi iae existence of these negotiations; ana even Il this were otherwise, she would have had no motive to complain, as she was Tn the very act of transferring all her rights to the United States
 But, says ihe British pienpo,enfiary, Spain looked i'll silence on Inc continued oc- cuPation by the British of the settlement. in the Columbia territory subsequently to the convention of 1874; and, therefore, she con- sldered the Nootka Sound convention 10 be still in force. The period of this silence, so far as it could affect Spain, commenced on the 18th day of August, 1911, the date of the additional articles to the treaty of Mad-
 rld, and terminated on the 22d February;
 lSt9, date of the sorita treaty Is there the least reason from this silence to infer an admission by Spain of the continued exis-
 tehce ot the Nooi&a Sound convention? In
 Inc first place, this convention was entirely
 cohhhed ito landing on the coasts oi those
 seas, Tn places not already occupied, for tho I purpose ei carrying on their commerce with the natives of the country, or of making
 settlements there" IL did not extend to the
 interior At the date of this convention, no
 person dreamed that British traders from
 Canada, or lIudson's Bay, would cross the
 Rocky mountains and encroach on the
 rights of Spain from that quarter. Great |
 the northwestern coast of America, from the
 date of the Nootka Sound convention until
 the 22d February, 1919; nor, so far as the
 undersigned is informed, has she done so
 down to the present moment. Spain could
 not, therefore, have complained of any sucf
 settlement. In regard to the encroachments
 which had been made from the interior by
 the Northwest Company, neither Spain nor
 the rest of the world had any specific know ledge ol their existence But even if the
 British plenipotentary had brought know
 ledge home 10 her=-whieh lie has not at
 teinpcd-she had been exhausted by one long and bloody war and was then engaged
 in another with her colonies; and was, be-
 sides, negotiating for Il transfer of all her
 rights on the northwest coast of America to
 the b. States. Surely these were sufficient reasons for her silence, without inierring
 from Il that she aequieseed in the continued
 existence of the Eootka convention. If Spain had entertained the least idea that the Hootka convention was still in force, her good faith and her national honor would have caused her to communicate this fact tu the United States, before she had ceded this fl fefrtoly to them for an ample consideration. Nos the least ntimation of this. kind was
 ever communicated.
 Like Great Britain in ISIS, Spain, in 1919, had no idea that thei IN ootka Sound conven- ton was in force. lthad then passed away, and was forgotten.
 The British plenipotentiary alleges, that the reason why Great Bitain did not assert the existence'of the Nootka convention du- ring the negotiations between the two gov-
 ernInents in ISIS, was, that 10 occasion lad arisen for it's interposilion, the American gov ernment not having then acquired the title of Spain. It is very true that ,he United States
 had not then acquired the Spanish title; but T IS 1t possible to imagine, that throughout the > whole negotiation, the British commissions CTS, had they supposed thls convention to have been in existence, would have remained l, entirely silent in regard to treaty which, as Great Britain now alledges, gave her equal and co-ordnate rights with Spain to the whole northwest coast oi America! At that period, {, } Great Britain confined her claims to those : arising from discovery and purchase from the Indians. How vastly she could have slrength-
 ened these claims, had she then supposed :, the N ootlta convention to be in force with her present constructions of is provisions. Even in 1921, 1t was first introduced into the negotiation, not by her commissioners, but by Mir. Rush, the American plenipoten- tiary.
 But the British Plenipotentlary argues that ''the United States can found no claim on
 discovery, exploration, and settlement eff fected previously to the Florida treaty, with
 out admitting the principles of the Nootka convention;n s'nor. can they appeal to any exclusive right as accquired by the Florida treaty, without upsetting all claims adduced in their own proper right, by reason of dis covery, exploration and settlement antece- dent to that arrangement.n
 This is a most ingenious method of mak- , ing two distinct and independent titles helt l by the same nation worse than one--of ar 9 raying them against each other, and thus l destroying the validity of both. Does he f forget that the United States own both these titles, and can wield them either separately a or conjointly against ihe claim of Great ! Britain al their pIeasure' From the course
 of his remarks it might be supposed that