The daily union., 1846-04-28
PASSING AND GIVING OF THE NOTICE.


PASSING AND OWING OF THE NOTICE.
We understand that the joint resolution Of Congress
authorizing the notice to be given Great Britain to
sbrogate the convention of 1897 was yesterday signed
by the President Of the Senate, (ss il had been
signed on Friday by the Speaker Of the House
Of Representatives and was approved and signed
by the President Of tho United States. This reso-
luton has thus become the law of the land, and we
presume that the President, in the exercise of his
discretion" will promptly give the notice. In
fact, having recommended the giving Of the notice
in his annual message, Congress could scarcely
have doubted that he would give il, soon as he
had authority to do so. This first great meas
ure of the Presidents policy in regard to
Oregon will, we entertain no doubt, be prompt
ly carried out. True, the form of the res
olution of notice, and the manner in which
was passed. as we have heretofore stated, are not
those which were approved by many Of the early
and most ardent supporters Of the measure, who on
that account felt themselves constrained to vote
against it. They were the actual advocates Of the
naked notice, or OF the resolution Of the House.
Failing to get in either of these FORMS they failed
amendment, il was made to assume and upon this
question we frankly differed with them. Still, the
notice has now been authorized by law, and we
have no doubt will be given, and the convention be
abrogated at the end Of twelve months thereafter.
1t is we'll known that the body of the whg par
ty in Congress were originally opposed to the no.
tice in any form; and several of them in the early
Of he dahata mad chaaa Tha
cry raised, that the giving of the notice in any
form was a war measure. For the last FIVE or six
months many Of the leading whig papers have been
keeping up a perfect Jererniad Of lamentations
over the unhappy fate of this country. They con-
cluded that it was given up to the hands Of an
who was bent upon urging the
United States into a war with Great Britain. And
wings, availing themselves Of some division of opin-
ion in the democratic ranks, to the form Of the
notice, have succeeded in giving such a shape to
the resolution as made it unacceptable to portion
of the democratic party, and thus threw their votes
against it.
In this state of things it is really amusing to wit
ness the efforts, the spasmodic contortions, may
- ~
the right, then at least soms,ohere where they may
seem to be partly in the right.
They cannot now venture to say that the
notice should not have passed. They have
not, on the other hand, the candor and manli-
to speak out the truth and say at once that the
recommendation Of the notice was an instance Of
bold, wise, mastery craftsmanship, worthy of the
hes Ia md he hos Of rapnhlic Go
they veer and tack, and back and fill, and stand
shilly-shally.
Here, for instance, the last specimen of the "In
telligencer's'' adrotness, of yesterday morning, in
this respect:
"Nor is there, as the government paper is pleased
to imagine, any inconsistency in our having, 1t
says, ever since the appearance Of the message,
condemned the policy of the executive as policy
of war; and now declaring the late decision by
Congress be "a vote highly auspcious to the pre-
first place, our position in regard to the message.
We never for moment have supposed, since our
first deliberate perusal of the annual message Of the
President, (he message to which that paper refers
that the policy of the President was policy Of ,oar.
We said on the contrary, and maintained it against
the government paper itself that the President in-
tended peace; which we inferred from the terms of
the message, and from the utter absence from that
paper of any recommendation of pre- paraton either
financial or military for impending war. We did
believe, and do yet believe, that the
commended by the President in his message, lite
rally followed out, would have tended to bring
on war, if they had not rendered it 'inevita-
bIe.' Most decidedly, therefore, were we op-
posed to the giving naked notice. which,
though not in itself cause of war, nor even of
offence, would have become so by the meas
ures with which it was proposed to accompany it,
and which, in all probability, ,oouid have accompa-
MED IT, had q majority of both houses been found
ready to take that desperate hazard. But happily,
most happily, things took a different turn. The
Joint resolution (thanks to the Senate) avoids the
hazard, and whilst it seeks early termination of
the controversy seeks it in the spirit of Cancellation,
and with the expression Of full confidence in an ami
cable settlement Of the difficulty. All honor for this
to the wisdom and enlarged patriotism of the SEN
atel Nor let us withhold from the House of Rep
resentatives the honor due for having at last
yielded with good grace that assent to the Senates
modification which, there is every reason to believe
il opposed from the first only for forms sake, and
was OF any time willing to have given, had the mem
bers felt at liberty to indulge their incinatons."
We pray our readers to read the above extract
care fully, and mark its sevenfold sefcontradction
First, it seems, according to the Intelligencer
that the President "intsnded peace" but, Intending
peace" he RECOMMENDED measures tendingto bring
on ,uar, if they did not render it inevitable" Well
party prejudice may say that, and has before, per
haps, in moments of .excitament said things even
more irrational But what foows1 Congress decides
to carry out the principal Of these same measure
which tend 10 make war inevitable And forthwith
the lntelgencer proclaims the decision of Congress
to be decision "hghIy auspicous to the preservation
Of psaesl"
Rnf This IL moi all Thn aannn rich win of Lori