The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-03-05

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dominion over the same" This is the
pledge of both the parties If this lang
uage means anything. it means not only
that neither Of the parties shall ever do
any Of these acts, either directly or indi-
rectly. either by itself or in alliance with
any other Power, but that if either party
is in possession at the time, such posses.
sion shall be forthwith surrendered
am unable to conceive what more ex-
plicit, full, and comprehensive terms Of
total exclusion, present and future, from
all possession and from all occupancy.
could have been select ed from the voca-
bulary of the. English language. The
negotiators seem TO have critically stud
led the most clear and most comprohen-
sive form Of phraseology to express their
intent and purpose in this particular
But you looking at Mr. CLAYToN] fail
cd to catch them so as to hold them. af
ter all. The language appears to be SO
plain that no man need mistake its mean
ing aud its purport who would not in.
tentionally pervert it. But pass by all
dialect ties Of verbal criticism.
The idea that tiis language of tho
treaty has only prospective reference,
is another afterthought, a mere subtcr-.
fuge, which no effort at strained and far
fetched construction can commend to
the acceptance of ordinary intelligence,
II it was understood at the time that the
treaty was only to have a prospective
operation, and that it in nowise affected
present existing rights of occupancy pray
tell nio, if you can, why tie British ne.
gotiator so pertinaciously Insisted upon
a written declaration. that the Belize
was not to be considered as included in
the treaty, when, according TO the con-
struction now contcnded for by his Gov
ernmcnt it was utterly immaterial
whether it was included within the trea-
ty or not, inasmuch as whatever right OF
occupancy England then had there, was
a present existing right and could not a.
all be affected by the operation of the
treaty, if that operation was prospective
only.
Again, Mr. President, it is a signif.
cant Circumstance, that when the British
regotator Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer,
was SO careful to demand of the Ameri-,
can ncgotiator an express declaration, at
the time Of tho exchange Of ratifcations,
excepting from the operation of the trea.
ty the usufruct, or the right of the Brit.
ish Government to retain tho privilege
which she had obtained first from Spain.
and afterwards from Mexico, to cut log.
wood and other dye.woods in British
Honduras, he was altogether silent as to
any exception whatever from the sweep
ing language Of the treaty, in regard to
any other Of these possessions. Ezpycs.
$40 ANUS cst crclusio aAerius. applies
with significant force in this case The
very fact of his requiring this single o2-
ception carries with it two.fold admis-
sion-frst, that it was understood and
intended that the treaty should have
present as well as a prospective opcra-
tion and, second, that all these other
possessions were understood aud intend
cd to be embraced within its operation
Now, sir, under these circumstances.
and with this understanding, the British
negotiator signed this bond, and thence.
forth committed bisGovernment,up up ontho
exchange Of ratiications,to an immediate
remuneration of all the sepossesions. And
this is precisely what we demand of her
to>day. We hold up before her own eyes,
and before the eyes Of the world, her
solemn covenant engagement aud demand
Of her, according to its letter and accord
ing to its spirit, the immediate aud UT
conditional surrender Of all her actual
possessions in Central America Less
than this the Government of tho United
States cannot demand just this. and
all Of this, she does demand, and will in
sist upon. Just this much aDd no less
than this much, the plain and unmistak-
able terms of the treaty demand. Our
own intimate and vital national interests
demand it. The free and undisturbed
enjoyment which this treaty GUARANTEES
to us, of any roads or canals crossing this
territory and connecting tie Atlantio
aud Pacific oceans, demands it. A free
and uumolested access, by the great high,
way of nations, over this territory to our
vast and extended possessions on the Pa
ciic coast, in California, and Oregon,
and Washington, demands it, More thsu
all, aud above all, our national honor de-
mands it.
Sir, We can never, without dishonor..
accep; the British Interpretation of this
treaty. We can never. without degrada-
ton, assent to, or acGuiesce IN, the con,
tlnuance of her colonization aud occupau.
cy Of any portion of Central America.
The idea Of yielding to her pretensions in
this regard is not to be entertained for
one moment. 1t would be nothing more
nor less than the utter defeat of the very
end and aim. the very object and pur.
pose of the treaty itself 1t would be to
take away all mutuality in the compact;
TO give up all the benefit and advantage
that we had gained, or that we supposed
we had gained, by the comra:t It would
be to place England in q better condi-
tion, snd ourselves in much worse con-
dition, than before the compact. 1t
would be, indeed, to place England in u
much stronger position, and ourselves in
a more hcl piess position for defense than
before the compact was entered into 1t
would be, in short, yielding to dogged
persistence in an arrogant and unfvuud.
ed DratpnsiOn Which .raa M, a..,, 49,.