The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-03

ence all our foreign commerce. Now. while
we are looking with such anxious eyes at Cuba;
while we are specializing upon the possible and
remote contingencies of how that portion of onr
commerce which finds its way TO the Gulf OF
Mexico and the mouth of the Mississippi river
is to be affected by the acquisition Of the island
OF Cuba, l ask gentlemen that live on the
Northern coast ask those gentlemen that
are liable TO be walked up any night by the
sound of British cannon on British shores-ii
it is not worth while for us TO turn our atten-
ton TO our Northern borders, and see how the
naval and military resources of Canada, in case
we have a collision with TIE British Govern
ment may affect the position, the safety, and
the prosperity, of that vast community which
borders these lakes and the waters that lie be-
tween US and Canada Would it not be us
well to intimate 10 Great Britain that she shall
not sell Canada II may be said she has nc
idea of doing So do not know that though
She has never been offered $4,000 900 ior
Canada and it will be time enough | think
to sit down in safety and security under the
impression that she will for no consideration
part with Canada, when she has refused
sl00,0 900 for it. AT least, would it not be
well, while serving u notice on all the world OF
what we mean and what we intend, to pick out
somebody who, in such an event, will be very
likely to be our antagonist!
| have not time to 20 into the details and
statistics of these measures showing what the
intimate and exact state Of our commercial re-
lations with those people is; but it is very great
and vast and think, while we are declaring
TO Spain what we will and what we will not
submit to, in relation to Cuba, we ought at
least to look North little. | ask the citizens
of New York, of Pennsylvania, of Ohio, of In
diana, Of Illinois, of Wisconsin, and of all the
States bordering on the lakes
A SENATOR. And Michigan.
MIR HALE. Yes, sir; and Michigan. ! had
like to have forgotten Michigan Laughter
ask, is it not time to appeal to the citizens OF
all those States and ask them if it is not worth
while TO turn little of that watchful vigilance
which has been so freely extended South, to
the North! The honorable Senator from
Michigan is in favor of extension and annexa-
ton So am |, sir but am in favor of having
little extension northward 1t is u very re-
markable fact in our history, whenever we have
made treaty relating to our Northern bound
airy you always cut of, and when we negotiate
treaty relative TO our Southern borders, we
have taken on. That may be accidental
Probably it is entirely 50. Laughter But,
sir, there is one thing that may be said of it
it il a remarkable coincidence Now let me
come to this Monroe doctrine. Is it good
one?
Mr. CAss here read an extract from the
work of Mr. Rush
Mr.. HALE. ] was saying that it was a re-
markable fact that in all our negotiations about
territory, whenever we had negotiations about
territory on the North, we gave up whenever
it was about territory Oh the South, we took
all. And will make another remark in this
continual looking at the military aspects of
these questions, why did you sell out a part of
the State of Name What did Great Britain
want with it! Did she want to coonize it
She stated she only wanted a military road
she only wanted the means of annoying this
country in. time of war, whenever there was u
conflict between the two nations And we
suppose, in the exercise of that Christian meek
ness which becomes n Christian people, sold
out our territory ON this side of the ST. Law
renee, to which every department of this Gov
ernment was pledged that it was ours and it
was so palpably ours that We could not nego-
tiate it away, but we sold it to Great Britain
who, at the time she. bought it Of us, told us
she wanted it for a road between her provinces
on the Atlantic and Canada. If there ever WIS
3 time to maintain the Monroe doctrine think
that WAS II good one
But that is not the whole of the history of
he negotiation in reference to the North The
North is Il large country, although it does lot
make much noise on this floor How was it
IN the Oregon question, Our title 10 that, |
suppose, nobody will deny, unless he means to
ieny the Polk and Monroe doctrine. Our
title to that was clear and indisputable.D
W hat did we do in that case We gave Great
Britain three hundred thousand square miles
If our indisputabhe territory, for the very pur-
pose OF colonizing it. Now, according to the
which have been proclaimed this morn
ng il Mexico, or any other country on earth
which had possession Of this country had un-
dertaken to sell three hundred thousand SQUARE
miles of territory on this continent and Great
Britain had bought it, it would have been a
cause of war on the part of the United States
against the country that had bought it. We
did not sell it, We are clear of that offence.
We only gave it to her
Once more in regard TO the islands that lie
1f the coast What did we do in regard to
.hemf Why, we gave the British VancOuver's |
sland, which commands the mouth of the Ore |
yon river. That is all We did there
That is the history of the negotiation of this |
country 80 far az the North is concerned and |
say now to the people OF the North--to the |
of the North--that our com.
nerce lies infinitely more at the mercy of
treat Britain to-day, than it would if Great
Britain owned every one Of the West India
stands and | wonder why those gentlemen
Who are so fond Of looking ut our interests in
that have not yet occurred do
ot look at the Bahamas. | understand from
hose gentlemen who are cOnversant with the
natter, that the Bahama islands are situated !
such position as more effectually to CON-
land the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mex
20 than even Cuba itself; and that the course
the navigation is such ~ to bring the COM
lerce that goes into and through those seas
lore directly within the reach Of the guns of
he Bahamas than of Cuba. Why did we not
otify Great Britain that she shall not sell the
bahamas
Mr.. SHIELDS Or jamaica.
Mr.. HALE. Yes, sir; Jamaica Sir, the
Imagination can hardly conceive of what this
ountry would be-what an era of internal
ommerce, and of progress, and Of prosperity,
would open upon this continent, if the Canadas,
bordering the lakes upon the north, were
nited to this Onion. Why, sir, iswould lessen,
n time Of war, the necessity of our prepara-
ion full one halt, IL those lakes and that coun-
ry belonged to us, instead Of belonging to
treat Britain.
Why not make some timely efforty Why
rot utter some word Of warning Why not
give some notice in regard to this country
where we have a real, vital interest--where
she danger is not remote and contingent, but
where it is close ut hand, and whore we have
felt it oncef
In a war with Great Britain we have felt
something of the evils Of the contiguity of Cam
ada to the United States 1t is in this view
that want to call the attention of the Senate,
and the country, and the people, to our rela-
tions with Canada rs we'll as Cuba Why, sir,
are wo going off the continenti Why are we
going abroads Why are we going to the
islands Of the sea when here ut our doors in