, 1859-10-07
SPEECH
THOMAS Fl. BENTON,
OREGON TREATY.
IN THE U. s. SENATE, SECRET SESSION
JUNE IL, Is40.
ON THE RATIFICATION OF THE

The FIRST article Of the treaty-and it is
the main one, and almost the whole treaty
lis in the very words which / myself
would have used if the two Governments
had left it to me to draw the boundary
line between them. The line established
by that article-the prolongation of the
boundary on the east side Of the Rocky
Mountaius-follows the parallel of 40 de-
grees to the sea, with slight DETECTION
through the Straits Of Fuca to avoid cut
ting the south end of Vancouver's Island
All this is right in my opinion. Forty
nine is the line Of right, and Of mutual
convenience, between the two powers, of.
fered by us since the time Of Mr. Jefferson
and wonderfully adapted to the natural di
visions of the country and the actual pos
sessions Of the two parties. 1t parts the
two streams Of waters (those of the Co
lumbia and of Frazer's rivsr) as naturally
and commodiously on the west of the
mountains, as 1t parts on the east Of the
same mountains the two systems of waters
which belong on the one hand to the Gull
Of Mexico, on the other to Hudson's Bay;
and on both sides of the mountains it con,
forms to the actual discoveries and settle.
ments Of both parties. There is not upon
the face of the earth SO long line, and so
straight and so adapted to the rights Of
the parties and the features of the coun-
try. Frem the Lake of the Woods to the
Pacific Ocean is twenty degrees of lOngi-
tude, fifty miles to the degree in that lati-
tude, and throughout that long distance
the line follows the highlands which divide
great rivers and their basins, cutting of
nothing but the heads Of rivers of little
consequence, and these most wonderfully
balanced. 1t is marvelously proper line,
and does great honor to the discretion,
or illustrates the good fortune of the French
and British commissioners under the treaty
Of Utrecht, by whom it was so long ago
established. Mr. Jefferson offered this line
in its whole extent, in 1907 Mr. Monroe
made the same offer in 1918, and again in
1924. Mr.. Adams offered it in 1926 Mr..
Tyler in lS42, and Mr.. Polk in 1845. For
forty years, save one, this line has been Of
fered by our Government to the British
Government, and by all except the last, as
line of right, adapted to the actual pos
sessions Of the parties and to the natural
divisions of the country. Since thirty
years, | have been accustomed to study the
question of this line, and during all that
time l have been in favor of 40 deg. AS
often as had occasion to express my opin-
ions about it-and these occasions com
menced with the treaty of Ghent in 1915
Il have declared uniformly in favor Of
that line-but always as basis, never as
an inhexible demarcation, yielding to no
accidents of land or water. never talked
the nonsense Of every inch and acre up to
~ deg, or war. l knew the Straits of Flu
ca, and that these Straits formed a'natural
boundary for US, and also divided the con.
tinent from the islands, and the fertile from
the desolate regions. knew that the con
tnental coast and the inhabitable country
terminated on the south shore of those
straits, and that the northwest Archipel.
ago-the thousand desolate and volcanic
Islands, derelict Of all nations-commence
on their shore and | wanted to 60 nc
farther than the good land and continental
coast went. was always in favor of q
detection Of line through the Straits ol
Fuca but l said nothing about it, 1t
Was detail, and confined myself to tine
proposition Of the line as basis. had
expected the DETECTION to have commenced
further back-on the continent-so as tC
nave kept our line little off from Fort
Langley, at the mouth of Fraser'S river
almost in sight Of which it now passes. L
thls had been asked, for one, would have
9een willing to grant it but the British
ald not ask it, probably for the same reason
mat would have granted it, namely, tht
ennre worthlessness of the desolate regioI
aoout the mouth of Frazer's river.
The DETECTION leaves out Vancouver,
Island, and am glad Of it. 1t is one o
sAe most worthless of the thousand worth
less Islands which the northwest archipel
ago presents, and is the derelict of all ma
uons, The Nootka Sound quarrel between
ureat Britain and Spain was not for the
island, but for the insult to Great Britain
ID Tue deportation and incarceration of hel