The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-02

The line Of dag Just well established and just
well respected and observed from the Lake Of the Woods
70 the Rocky mountains before that convention after
Nay, The understood line between those noun
ans and the and would itself have settled the Oregon
question and settled 1t wisely and bensheslly II had only
been permitted to remain unmutilsted"
Then, sir, these Gtty;tour.torties are not the only
persons who have discredited the existence Of this
line east Of the Rocky mountains. IL has been au-
thoritalvely and practically disclamed, and dis
ayowed, and discredited both, by the British and
American governments. The act by which this
was done he calls an act Of "supererogston.
call IL an act Of wisdom founded on the conviction
of both Of the parties that line Of demsrcation be-
tween their respective territories necessary and
never had been established The honorable senator
eensures Mr.. Monroe for this arrangement, But
Mr. Jefferson is equally censurable, so far as re-
spects this pork Of supauogaion, for he made pre-
cisoly the same offer to England in 1907 He, IN
deed, struck out provision that the arrangement
should not extend west Of the Rocky mountains;
but he did this in order not to excite tho jealousy Of
Spain
The honorable gentleman, in the previous discus
sion Of this matter, did not present this subject in
the same point OF view. Amer noting the projects for
the establishment Of ago he says; "Here is concur
renee in the proceedings Of commissaries under the
treaty Of Utrecht" "Here rs submission on the
part Of the British" &c. What was then concur.
renee and submission now becomes supererogaiion.
But, sir, Mr.. Jefferson's fame may be redeemed,
and the credit Of the American and British govern
ments for common sense supported, by reference to
very obvious consideration; and that 10 10 doubt
respecting the existence Of this line Of 49o-a doubt
which, IN all probability, ultimately strengthened
into conviction, The very view which the honora.
bic senator now presents was presented by myself
in former discussion, in order to prove that all the
statesmen alluded to must have believed suspect
ed this celebrated line a nonentlty. This work,
then, which occupied the attention Of the two gov
ernments at various intervals for ten years was not
work Of supererogation, but Of prudence. | said:
"But If by concurrence Is meant that this line
actually established by the treaty Of Utrecht, and
thus binding on the parties, no other convention
was necessary. Both nations, upon this assump-
ton, mistook their own rights and their duties
The boundary had been established century be-
fore, and they were carrying on a useless and bar
rem negotiation which was thus blindly and unne-
eessarily ripened into treaty in 1878"
6The senator introduces a memorial from Lord
Sekirk, in which there is allusion, although not
very clear one to the treaty Of Utrecht; but as il
says expressly that "the stipuations of the treaty
Of Utrecht as to the limits Of the Hudson Bay terri
tories do not bear at all upon the question:" and
this memorial is characterized by the American min
isers idle paper, shall not stop to examine it,
especially as know of nothing in the position or
character of Lord Selkirk which would give to his
opinion any peculiar weight in the adjustment Of
this question. The establishment Of great national
boundary requires better evidence than the surmise
Of even Scotch nobleman, who possessed no source
Of information not open to all Of us. We want
facts, and not opinions, and facts automatically
proved.
pass by, also, the memorial Of Messrs. Monroe
and Pinckney to the Spanish minister because they
repeat the same facts in almost the same language
which were communicated by Mr.. Madison to Mr..
Monroe, and which have been traced back to
Douglas. These gather no strength from repeti-
ton, and must be Judged by the original authority
and not by the number of transcribers.
The honorable senator has made a remark, in
the justice of which, fully concur. He says:
That when is struggling in just cause he gen.
orally gets help and often hOm unseen and unknown quar-
He says ''that timely assistance has come to him
in this matter" and among these unforeseen con-
tributions he has introduced letter from Mr. Pit
kin 10 Mr. Webster, in which the writer sneers at
my creduty, pitles il, know not which, be-
cause have placed myself upon the Statements of Mr..
Greenho,c. shall not turn out of my path to re-
deem myself from this charge of credulity, or what
would be still less desirable to escape the pity OF
Mr. Pitkin. have more important objects in view.
That gentleman refers to conversation which took
place at the dinner table of Mr.. Jefferson in 1906,
in which that eminent man advanced the opinion
that by the treaty of Utrecht the parallel of ACC
was established the boundary between the French
and English possessions. The opinion of Mr.. JEFF
ferson gains no weight by this repetition Of it. We
had it before in much more authentic form. In
the letter Of instruction from Mr. Madison, Sec
retary Of State, to Mr.. Monroe. l repeat, sir, we
must pass by all these opinions, formed a century
after the event to which they refer, and go to the
original authorities, which open to u.s. as they
were to our predecessors, and with the additional
benefit of a severe and long continued investiga.
| ton. t..r.
| Mr.. Ptkin transmits also an extract from the
work of Colonel Hutchins, which was presented by
Col Pickering to Mr.. Jefferson and the senator
from Missouri to give importance to this adj
dtional testimony. II is still the same question
the question of repetition. l must make my &C.
Acknowledgements, as well as the senator from Mis-.
souri,, to friendly contributors; and one gentleman
whom will name--and he is not only persona
friend, but a man of reading and judgment, (Mr
Buel, Of Detroit)-has Investigated the subject with
research and care, and has furnished me with the
result of his labors. owe to him extract from
Samon's modern history, published in TAG, which
1 will refer to. shall place in juxnpositon the ex.
tract from Hutchins, furnished by Mr.. Pitkin, by
which it will be sufficiently evident that these au.
thorites are essentially the same, the latter being
derived, in all probability, from the former:
| From Salmon. From H,itchins.
"And commissaries did al "And commissares after
edwards settle the limits by wards both sides
an imaginary line drawn tanned the limits by an mag
from promontory situated mary line running from
the Atlantic ocean, in ss Cape, orpromontory in New
degrees 30 minutes and run Britain, the Atlantic
ming from thence southwest in 90 degrees 30 min
to the lake Mscosink, or utes north latitude, ther
Mstazan and from thence southwest to the lake Msga
southw indefinitely to the sing, Misassn; from
latitude OF 49, all the thence further southwest di
to the north being rect to the latitude of 40 de
signed Great Britain and grees. All the lands to tn,
all The south, between north Of the imaginary lin
that line and the river St. being assigned to Great Brit
Lawrence, or Canada, to ain, and all southwark o
| France" that line, far the rv
er st. Lawrence, to tn,
| French"
These extracts, sir, are similar in their statements
and almost the same in their language. The on
was parent, and the other offspring. There are bu
mad c b,, I,t
from his own views, or from information obtaino
elsewhere. One is the substitution Of latitude so
30, and the other is in changing southwest indfnei
to southwest direct. This unfortunate line has 81
many Proteon shapes, that it eludes all attempts .
| seize it. '.. D.
The senator from Missouri says that "this ,oa'
,oithout Doubt The identical paper transmitted by Nh
Madison TO Mr.. Monroe" and he adds: I'll mention
ed that paper once before, when it was pretty we
cried down by the senator from Michigan, MI
CAss.l mention it now again, and with hopes Q
better results" l.f ..|. .
49,.