The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-17

then, Mr.. RIvEs noW "stands committed
son the British side of the controversy
Reader, that is the identical speech of Mr.
RIvEs from which we have just quoted; the
identical speech which the senior editor Of
the Union read with so "great pleasure
at the time, and pronounced SO "sensible
and spirited" After standing side by side
with Mr.. RIvEs, in 1926, on the Panama
Mission question, patting him on the back,
and pralslng his course, the same editor,
In lo49, opens his columns, without a
word Of comment, to the denunciation OF
Mr.. RIvES for pursuing that very course,
on that very occasion; which course is now
to be regarded as good evidence that the
present Administration, by appointing Mr..
RIvEs to the mission to France, mean dis
reputably "to conciliate the favor Of Eng
land" To what Chase uses" is this editor
daily lending himself
But further In the opinion of the au-
thor OF this "sensible and spirited Speech"
which the senior editor of the Union so
highly relished at the time it was deliv-
cred, the MONROE principle was "Dholb
ansusfaanable'' except on the ground of our
oacn territorial claims Did the last ad-
minlstration, then, evoke the MONROE
principle in vindication of our territorial
claims on the northwest coast, in specific
reference to which that principle had been
originally enounced' Not at all. On the
contrary, the late President Polk, after
proclaiming to the world, in his inaugural
address, that our title to that territory was
"clear and unquestionable, - and that his
election to the Presidency had devolved
on him the high constitutional duty of
maintaining it, surrendered, we will not
say, sat growl Of the British lion, ;" fUe
degrees and forty minutes of the territory
IN question. All but, exclaims our con-
temporary, Mr.. Polk was forced to yield
by certain Wing Senators. Your par
don, sir! We have lying before us
speech delivered at New York, on his re-
turn from England, whittier he had been
sent as minister, pending the Oregon ne
gotlations, by the Hon. Louis McLane, in
which that gentleman said:
"A division of the country upon that principle,
Ia compromise on the 18th degree of latitude
with reasonable regard 10 rights grown up un-
der the joint possession, always appeared to me
to afford just and practicable basis for an ami
cable and honorable adjustment of the subject.
Such also ,oas satisfied ,cre The Uietcs Of our gor-
eminent at the time engaged in my recent mission;
and IN earnestly and steadily Iaboring TO effect set
Element upon that bds,s icas but representing the
policy Of my otcn government, AND FAITHFULLY
PROMOTING THE INTENTIONS AND WISHES OF THE
PRESIDENT"
The truth of this statement of Mr. Nc
Lane the Union dare not question. 1t
never has been and never will be authori-
tatively denied. And in what predica-
ment does it leave the late administration!
In what predicament does it involve the
Union, which is constantly emptying the
walls of its wrath npnn the heads of the
President and Mr.. CLAYTON, because, as
it alleges, they do not intend to stand up
to the Monroe principle in the Nicaragua
question /! The Union may cry, as loud
and as long as it chooses, scout, id
spot ~ II will still stand recorded on the
page of history, in the everything letters
of truth, that the late President Polk, af-
ter declaring, in his inaugural address, on
the 4th of March, 1915, our title to the
whole of Oregon to be "clear and unques-
tionable," and that it would be his s'duty
to assert and maintain by all constitutional
means the right of the United States" TO
such territory-that the late President
Polk, we say, did, after this, appoint to
the mission to England, Mr.. McLANE,
whom he, Mr.. Polk, kne10 to be in favor
OF compromising on the 49th degree of
latitude; and, moreover, that he, Mr..
Polk, made known to him, Mr.. McLANE,
his, Mr.. PoLK's, wishes, that he, Mr..
McLANE, should labor, while in England,
to effect a settlement upon the basis Of
compromise upon the 10th degree of lat.
tude. Did Wing Senators coerce Pres-
dent Polk into the appointment of Mr..
McLANEi Did Wing Senators force Mr..
Polk to make known to Mr.. McLANE,
before his departure on his mission, bis
wishes, that he, Mr.. McLANE, should
labor, while in England, TO compromise
the dispute by agreeing upon latitude 40,
as the boundary line between the posses
sions of the two countries on the north
west coast' Had Wing Senators ever de-
clared our title to the phole territory to be
"clear and unquestionable ?" Had Wing
Senators ever raised the cry of "ffty-four
forty or hghtp ~ None of these things
will the Union pretend were ever done by
Wing Senators. How, then, can they be