The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-09-29
No. 665.
THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE.

We publish in another column q succinct
statement. from the Philadelphia Press, of the
difficulty which has sprung up on our North
,estern frontier, with our English neighbors.
I, Is said that the Administration viii insist
upon the right of the United States to the
Islands in dispute. The following statement by
the welknown Washington correspondent of
the Baltimore Sun, Ion, is believed to be semi
official. The people Ct all parties viii sustain
the President in indicating the rights of the
country:
The failure of Sir William Gore Ouseley to
fulfil his promises and those of his Government
in respect to Central American affairs, so as to
Give effect to the Clayton Bulwer treaty, as a
source Of deep disappointment to the State De
partmeat, and may be ground for consideration
IN connection with the San Juan affair on the
Pacific When Great Britain not only refuses
compliance with her solemn treaty stipulation
not TO hold, occupy, or fortify, any portion of
Central America, but, instead, rather advances
her preteusions there, it may well be said that
We should not yield possession of an island
whose title is freely spoken Of by the President
as rightfully with The ground taken by the
State Department is, that the 49th parallel, or
the line of the treaty of Utrecht, was the basis
of agreement between us and Great Britain in
1876 but the legitimate extension of the
line cut of the southern extremity of the British
island of Vancouver, we, in spirit of liberality,
DETECTED it southwardly so as to give the entire
island to England. Ii is held at the State De-
partBlent that this was the spirit of the agree
ment, and it was certainly the public under
Standing at the time. That the channel flush
I'D 10 Vancouver was meant seems clear not
only from the causes Of DETECTING the line bat
from the fact that OF the many channels for
navigation of one sort or another that would of
course exist in so broad body of water as the
Gulf of Georgia, the channel of Haro at the
date of the negotiation of the treaty, was the
only one much used or known. Since then, one
of inferior character to the east of it has been
used, by reason of the gold discoveries near
il. 1t may also be urged that the fragments of
land or islands constituting an archipelago in
the Gulf of Georgia naturally attach to the main
land, and not to the island of Vancouver. 1t
will be remembered that Mr.. Buchanan is not
responsible for the treaty of 1916, since that it
was negotiated upon terms 'adrised by the
Senate, which were, that the line of the treaty
Of Utrecht, as offered by Sir Robert Peel
should be the basis of arrangement"
The statement of Ion, that the President is
not responsible for the treaty of 1916, is not
borne out by the history of the transaction. 1t
is well known that President Polk, after de-
claring that the right of the United States "to
the whole Of Oregon was clear and unquestion-
able" shrunk from the responsibility of that
position, and asked the advice of the Senate.
Mr. Buchanan as Secretary of State, was his
chief adviser, and doubtless advised him to
throw the responsibility upon the Senate. 1t
remains to be seen whether the President will
now stand up for the rights of the country, or
again back out, and yield the lions share to
England. We confess that the regeneration of
the venerable Secretary Cass, in regard to the
rights Of naturalized citizens, gives an indiffer-
ent guaranty of frmness in the management of
the present controversy.