The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-07
ARBITRATION.

course Of the administration, and that (the afore
said paper had met with but two or three demo
cratic presses which coneuned with the "Unon'
in it's approval Of the rejection Of the proposition To-
arbitration, public opinion has been sweeping with
an irresistible current the same side. Evidence,
Of the public appreciation have been as "thick a,
blaekbenies." Democratic press after press hal
been joining in the chorus; and several Of the whis
presses have come out to swell the current Of oppo
sIiOn TO arbitration. As the Washington cores
pendent Of the Milledgeyllle Federal Union
Of Georgia, writes on the 18th February;
i Although the whig leaders in Congress and theil
journals in the Atlantic cities have, expected
made great outcry against the Presidents refusa
Of Eng lands proposition 10 settle the Oregon ques
ton by arbitration all the efforts OF these parties
have hied, utterly failed, to govern the action Of
their followers in the House OF Representatives, 90
as to procure a majority vote Of wings eyen in op-
position TO the policy Of the administration as made
apparent in the determination not TO submit ouI
rights and interests in Oregon 70 third parties As
| | wrote you in my last letter would be the case d
! few timld wings who had intended to 90 for the no.
tee, backed out when the question came up for final
decision but fortunately, not enough of these were
driven of TO prevent their most important endorse
ment Of the action Of the President and Secretary OF
State. l consider IL Of great importance, only
because the hue and cry being raised by the
National lnteligencer and the stock obbers' organs
of the northern cities thus estopped by so conelu
sive proof OF the iasity Of their ssserop that the
refusal to arbiuate is condemned by the country at
large Not one democratic paper in the Union has
taken ground for arbitration. Every democratic
member Of either house Of Congress- without sin
gle exception, is against it, and than one-half
| the wings; and yet Notwithstanding these facts,
known as they are TO the croakers, they have the
presumption to assert that the course Of the admin
istraton meets, in the language Of the National In
telligencer, with universal condemnation"
twill be Of some advantage to give some mani
f.statons Of the spirit Of the democratic press upon
this subjeet-not forgetting, by the way some pre-
cious specimens of the tone Of the wings themselves
From the Georgia Federal Union, Feb ~
"Tn AasIrRLrioY,- When the President rec
commended that the notice. shall be given sbroga-
ting the joint occupancy of Oregon, the wing press
denounced the measure as impolitic and dangerous,
because, il affirmed, it would be offensive to Eng
land But its merits have been thoroughly can.
vassed the British cabinet, it has been ascerianed
do not regard II as evincing any hostilityI # is
universally conceded TO be harmless and il has been
sustained by such weight Of argument, that it has
ect--'ly received the appreciation of majority Of
| the wings themselves in the House of Representa-
tivcs. The panic attempted to be raised upon this
subject having entirely failed, that press with all
the bitterness Of partisan hatred, and with all the
ergy Of despair, has now opened its batteries upon
Mr.. Polk for the rejection Of the arbitration pro-
posed by the British minister, II will be seen, by
reference to the correspondence in another column
| that this same proposition made by Mr. Pa
kenham to Mr.. Calhoun as early as January, lS45,
and promptly rejected. Why did not the rejection
then call forth the indignation exhibited nowi What
reason is there for its acceptance now that did not
then exist Shall our government rccede from po-
sition it once assumed, and tamely submit to what
| a n,,tI La nT L.
reasons which not only Justify, but have demanded
| the policy that has been adopted
at is true with nations 1t is with individu-
ais that arbitration is rarely profered by the party
| that has confidence in his own cause. The astute
lawyer wthdraws from the legal tribunal, and sub
| ms to arbitrament the interest of his client, only
/ when he knows that law and Justice are against
him. 1t is when defeat in court is certain that he
| seeks the chances of arbitration England knows
the weakness Of her own title, and her inability to
defend it, AID therefore is willing to trust the de-
cison of others that to which she knows her claim
to be at best doubtfulto tribunal which all histo-
| ry assures her will do all it to please her.
t'But to whom shall the reference be made, This
constitutes another prominent objection to the meas.
ure. 1t is a fundamental principle of law and Of
Justice, as applicable to nations to individuals,
that party shall be tried by his peers. Where is
the peer of the United States' In the form of her
government and in the personal freedom it secures.
she stands in the world "solitary and alone" She
has no peer, no equal All the crowned heads of
the civilized world look at her with jealous eye,
snd ready to do all they to repess the strides
Of her increasing power. They have no sympathy
4 with her institutions, and, without bias against
her, cannot sit in judgment upon her interests.
1 Shall the reference be to citizens and subects'
Where can the citizen be found, out Of this Union,
competent to such duty, and who would enjoy the
confidence of either partyi Can he be found in the
semi barbarous quasi republics Of South America
in the cantons Of Switzerland or in any Of the anti
monarchical governments Of the Old World Where,
too can the subject be found that would not be
fuenced by the will and the wishes Of his most
| BILE and approved good masteri' Before such a
tribunal, if experience had given us no lessons on
the subject, common sense assures us we have no
right to expect even.handcd justice.
! "But there is another prominent reason why ar
btraton should be dscountenanced. Ii would de-
fer the final settlement Of the question at issue. Had
it been adopted years must elapse--not improbably
a quarter Of eentury--before it's adjustment. In
the mean time emigrants would be pouring into the
! territory from own and from other lands, sub
ject to various laws and conflicting jurisdictions,
which would engendsr collisions, and ultimately
render inevitable conflict Of arms between our own
| and the British government
| ain whatever aspect this movement Of the Presi-
dent may now be viewed, we doubt not time will
prove that il was dictated by the same wisdom that
has marked his other acts in the progress Of the
troversy with Great Britain Those condemned al
first, because not understood, have subsequently
cured to him the plauds Of generous and patriotic
hearts Of all political parties,
"The wing press, who once sneeringly asked
who is James X. Polkr and who, with shame and
confusion of face, have been compelled to answer it
by the records Of his acts, in the "reminiscences OF
the past may find a lesson which ought to learn
them caution for the future. Again and again they
have been compelled to swallow their own words
to retrsct or contradict their own ISLANDERS. VIII
they not learn wisdom by experience"
i From the Athens QGa) Banner, Feb. -.
hWBIG VIEWS OF THE OREeoN ouEsTIos.--'Th,
British Minister has proposed fairly, ans the Sec
rotary of State has un,uissiy replied. What vii
come Of il all we shall soon see y This is the Ian
guage Of the Georgia Journal in reference TO th'
late proposition TO settle the Oregon controversy by
srbirstion Up to the publication ofthe last CORES
pondence the wing presses Of Georgia have seem
\ a at great loss as to the position they should
4 take on the Oregon question; but now they hav'
been all at once enlightened, and are beginning to
denounce the President for refusing TO srbitrste
Arbitration IL far'it is .ur,ciss to refuse it, Tn,
Wing representatives from Georgia in Congress vot
II ed against the notice They too, are for arbtrs