The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-31

same declaration a. Mas msdc in the Baiiin,af. ~.
olutions, that oar ute 10 the ~hols " Os,sos !,
clear and unquestionable; and nov, whsn o..
who were IN that convention turn sroand sna A..
sake the principles then laid down, they ssy. 30,
his is a question Of txpedleneyi and n y 30 4.
parture from principle"
Mr.. J. passed on 10 tina question q tiIls arf ..
this his time allowed ham 10 give bat hasfy fisD,s
He had no doubt but our utis n ths ~hos q o..
con was "clsaT and uaquesuonsbls +" On sRsa,s
ing the subject they found that SPAN nisds ~ a.
discovery in 1928 that SO foll0~sd ap " . A..
eoyery 10 lT75, three years bsfsrs 0sA BIa.a,
discovery; and this Nas followed 80 w lanJis,
the mouth of the COLUMBIA uyef "a liza IA.
wear OF Captain Grays Arss discovery ~.
came the exploration Fcf Ls~s sna C.t
in 1906 then the sstlemsnt % Aus,rs In isl0. ~
in 1919 the purchase ~ his goyssnmsn, u = !.
title Spain had 10 Ihis Oregon ,srFitasy Coo.
Britain stood by and dad not disysss sh4t poSsA...
being made;) and in ls2t the uni'ed ssssss IN.
ferred portion of this territory b. Rnssa. 6ra,
the line OF $40 40 as the legendary bstsesn az -
governments. In 1875 Great Britain rsruts,.t
with Russia for portion Of the SANE tsFsiioTyi ~
now upon the north Of that hns she holds atsbu -
possession derived from Russia. whieh TousT -
derived their title from the United ssass uhs ~
purchased the territory from Spain 10 lis On.
Britain Was thence caioppei from otlsuinE - T.,
tide. She holds the soil oa the moth of that ~,
under the very same claim that ~s bod the saua
of that line. How then does Gest Bsa.sa ao,ssl
before the country--bsfofe the eisihxed woslh A
anything Of a plausible posiiioni Could shs -.
tain herself in questioning our utlsi n, 49, ss,.
fed from this state Of the liue 10 Which Ne hsd a.
made running slluson that our uils 10 tks Of,rs,
territory clear and unquesuoBAble.
But what portion Of the Tertiary was really
dispute' What portion was Il that IVES pfopa.sl
Why from 49o to $40 40-s territory smbsssu.
six degrees OF latitude, including 2i6.0Vo squ.r
miles, and 1873 2l0, 900 acres. Territory lars,
enough 10 make six states a. large az the Stats 4
Tennessee. This was proposed by has eollsng~
and by others on this foor and else where IN give ~
to Great Britain, when Il was held by the uni,sl
States, by precisely the same title thai Great Bflaa
held north OF $40 4U.
Mr.. COOKE said word in explanation, sut
was still proceeding, when
Mr.. JOHNSON resumed the floor, deeininr 4
yield it on account Of the shortness Of his hour.
He was proceeding To say that the tsrritor,
north of ago and south Of $40 40' was not The ~
ritory in dispute. The country which va, h,
real subject of contention was between 49o and ,Co
There was the touchstone. The number Of sou,r
miles in the territory below 49o and i6o was Ia
500, and the number ofaeres was SO, 10000. Ps.
tlng these together, Il made OF 80, from SO ~ %
46o, embracing $4,000 square miles, and 207 CO.,
900 acres-a territory large enough to make ,gki
States and leaving To the United States south Of Vs.
as her share Of the whole territory, only 75ll2U
acres-about one-third as much as the TERRITORY
Great Britain, If she got all abe claimed.
Gentlemen proposed TO surrender the territory nOr .
Of ago. IL was not the extent Of territory whA
Great Britain wanted, but il WIS that which wa
position ofutiliiy TO her for commercial and mlir
purposes. This was the state Of the case as pu
forth by Mr.. Pnkenham in his letter TO Mr.. Ca.
houn, in September 1874, in which he says
ut must be obvious every impartial investigator Of a.
subject that In adhering 10 the line Of the Columbia Gr
Britain Is not Influenced by motives OF ambition with min
ence to extent Of territory, but " sonsdsr aons Of N
nai TO say nsesssiy which cannot be lost sight Of and
which allowance ought to be made in arrangement pro
Tossing to be based on considerations Of mutual
and advantage"
Great Britain was not contending for the terrOr I
north of 49o; but the point issue wan this tsrrto
ry between +9oaDd 46o, embracing the navigation q
the Columbia river. And they heard what Individ.
uals in the country prepared to surrender the Tern
tory Of Oregon down to AGO. The talk Of "surr,n
dering" the north OF ago was idle and falacous So
far as he was concerned he was forthe whole Of Or
egon up to $40 40 and for enough on the other sid.
10 deaden The timber on beyond, that we NAV knov
where the line is. He was not for surrendenn,
enough territory TO make eight States And when
the great mass OF the people came ounderstand thai
1t was proposed to surrender enough of our soyr
reign domain to make eight States, which may, \
We preserve our own rights, be hereafter added !
the galaxy Of the States which already compose d,
Union, they viii pefo the man so degenerate-so In
fallen from the spirit which animated our GLORIOUS
sres Of the revolution--ss to give any cointenanc
to so base, so gnoble surrender of our own tern
tory The country would never submit to il; they 4
would never stand by an Executive, or any body +
else, who should dare make the surrender.
But the question comes up, "Suppose Great Bril-
ain now makes us the tender of the line of ago. ar,
you not in favor Of the President acceding to thai
proposition" He (Mr. j. spoke only for himself
Not one inch would he surrender up to $40 4V. h
was ours. And the next negotiation proposed %
the subject if the British government denied our u,
claims, let it be at the point of the bayone,; and The
next convention--let it be written by the point
the sword, and written in blood. He was for at
trhofe OF the country. Let Great Britain get off eight
States on the north, and if she had succeeded 10 g
ing portion of the south, with her fleets on The
high seas, this country would lie encircled by hu
power as within the folds of great boa constrico
who would crush us whenever she saw fit.
We were cold IN the last presidential contest tia
Texas and Oregon were twins and he had cone for
Texas with all the powers which he could bring 10
bear upon it. This glorious contamination had
now taken place, and Texas was annexed to our re
public, and was now a sister State in this confeds
racy. Wac there any gentleman who had witness
ed IT. who had forgotten the scene that transpred n
the Senate one short year since? He remembered
well the intense anxiety which pervaded that body
and which was felt by the immense throng of spec
tators who attended upon the final decision of hs|
IueStioh Ia "ot pooy' Tie was tnere. lie remem1
bered seeing senators coming in and taking then
seats Fle recollected the brilliancy and the msg{
nihcence with which that chandelier shed forth iu|
light on that scene Of most intense interest and
It almost seemed TO him that the American Gag
over the presidents chair, although inanmal
appeared TO participate in the thrilling emoion
which pervaded the whole chamber, and 10 look mon
interesting than ever before. The Hobbies were filled
with hoary age; with venerable and matured eI
perience, with youth and beauty, with talent an
eloquence-with all that tends to make an assen
blage lovely and imposing, when that question va
brought up for final action. He remembered We
when the yeas and nays were being called th4
final passage of the resolution; the intense ANXIETY
and the GREATNESS silence with which the announce
ment of the final result was waited for And just
at this memorable crisis he though, he heard Texa
knocking at the door for admission; and in IN :
midst OF this thringly interesting scene, the doO
was thrown open, and there stood Texas, leannS !
on her victorious sword; there stood Texas, wiz
garments dyed in blood, bearing aot the lone 80
which had waived in triumph at the battle of 81 !
Misunderstanding to be admitted and to be placed sd
DO side with the glorious stripes and stars whrl '