Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-02-17
VOLUME X. NO. 8.

"cfS' anu see now the navil and military resour-
ces OF Canada, in case we have collision with
'ne British Government, may affect the position,
he safety and The prosperity of that vast com.
hunlty which border these lakes and the waters
mat lie between us and Canada? Would it not
ne as well to intimate TO Great B5fyfn that she
shall not sell Canada? 1t may Msaid she has
no intention of doing 80 Idya6t know that,
though. She has never been offered $lOu,00o,-
ooO Tor Canada; and 1t wiltbe time enough;l
mink, to SIT down in safety and secusityundsr
the Impression that she will for no consideration
part with Canada, when she fas refused -SfO0xmk
O00OO0 Tor it. At least, would 1t not be well,
white serving notice on all .he world of what
we mean and what we intend, to pick out some
body who, in anch an event, will be very likely
to be our antagonist:
! have No. tine TO &c irto tie details and sta.
tisies sseysi-ss --s.. .ha init.
psaate and exuct state oEodr commercial relations
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 sub.
nit to, IN relation 10 Cuba, we ought at least 10
look North Il little. | ask the citizens of New
York, or Pennsy lvania, of Ohio Of Indiana, of
Illinois, OF Wisconsin,, and of all the States
bordering on the lakes
A SENATOR. And Michigan.
Mr.. HALE. Yes, sir; ; and Michigan. had
like to have forgotten Michigan. Laughter.
ask, Is 1t not time to appeal to the citizens of
all those States, and ask hem if it is not worth
while to turn little of that watchful vigence
winch has been so freely extended South, to the
North? The honorable Senator from Michigan
Is Ii favor of extension and annexation. So
am /, sir; bu ] am in favor of having little ex-
tension nor,hward, 1t is very remarkable fact
in our history whenever We have made treaty
relating to our Northern boundary you always
cut off, and when we negotiate treaty relative
That may te accidental. Probably it is entire-
Iy so. Laugber.l But sir there is one thing
that may be SAID of tit Is remarkable COM
cldcnce. Nov let me come to this Monroe
uOCtTiHt. Is H. q good one
Mr.. CAss here read an extract from the work
or Mr. Rusb.1
Mr.. HALE. Twas saying that it was re-
markab!c fact, that in all our negotiations about
territory. whenever we had negotiations about
territory on the North, we gave up whenever
II was about territory on the South, we took all.
And will hake another remark In this con-
'lnnal looking at the military aspects Of these
questions. why did you sell out part of the
State OF Maine Whist did Great Britain want
with 1t? Did she want to coonlze it? She
suited she only Ruuted military rguri ztrv vuiy
wanted the means of annoying this country in
time of war, whenever there was q conflict be-
tween the two nations. And we, suppose, in
the exercise Of that Christian meekness which
becomes Christian people, sold on out our tel
rltory on this side of the ST. Lawrence to which
every department OF this Government was pedg.
ed that 1t was ours ; and 1t was so palpably ours
that we could not negotiate it away, but we sold
it to Great Bnain, who, at the time she bought
II If US, told US she wanted 1t for road between
her provinces on the Atlantic and Canada. If
there ever was a tlnle to maintain the Monroe
doctrine, think that was good one.
But that is not the whole of the history Of the
negotiation in reference to the North. The
North is large country, although it does not
make noise on this floor. How was on the Ore
gon question? Our title to that, | suppose,
nobody will deny unless he means to deny the
Polk and Monroe doctrines. Our title to that
was " clear and indspulabe." What did we
do in that case ? We gave Great Britain three
hundred thousand square miles Of our indispu-
table territory, for the very purpose of co.onz-
ing it. Now, according to the doctrines which
have been proclaimed this morning. If Mexico,
or any oher country on earth which had possess
ION of this country, bad undertaken to sell three
hundred thousand square miles Of territory on
This Continent and Great Britain had bought 1t,
it would have been cause Of war on the para
of the United States against the country that
had bought il. 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 oil
the coast. What did we do IN regard 10 them?
Why, we gave the British Vaucouver's Island.
which commands the mouth OF the Oregon river.
That is all we lid there.
That is the history of the negotiation of this
country, so fur as til G North Is concerned; and
say now to the people OF the North-to tho
Representatives of the Norh-that our COM
merce lies Intimately more at the mercy OF Great
Britain TO day, than it would If Great Britain
owned every one Of the West India isl1nds;
and wonder why those gentlemen who are so
| fond of looking AT our interests IN contingencies
that have not vet occurred, do not look at the
Bahamas. understand from those gentleman
who are conversant with the matter, that the
Bahama islands are situated IN such position
as more effsctullly to command the Caribbean
Sea and the Gulf of Mexico than even Cuba
itself and that The Course of the navigation Is
such as to bring the commerce that goes into
and through those seas m,re directly within the
reach OF the guns of The Bahamas than OF Cubs
Why did we not notify Great Britain that she
shall not sell the Pahanas?
Mr.. SHIELDS. Or Jamaica.
Mr.. Hale. Yes, Sir jamaica Sir, the
Imagination can hardly conceive of what this
country would be-what an era of eternal COM
merce, and of progress, and of prosperity, would
omen upon this continent, if the Canadas, bor-
derng the lakes upon the north, were united to
this Union. Why, sir, it wou ! 'ssen' in time
of war, The necessity e our ptepai ton full one
half if those iakos anI that country belonged to
us, instpad of belonging to Great Britain.