Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-09-03

!. I a. I.
'-.' :. .... %. Z 5,,51 's9'a 4: :. NO: 90
,aln, that the convertiony of 1918, iby which
England was allowed joint occupancy of the
territory, was abrogatedoag e.,t ron d.r,-
ms measure, if carried, would throw the
matter back to where it stood before the con
cesslon OF 1918, and would have have enabled
the United States to claim even at the noint
OF the sword, if neces Saii. the exclusive own
ershp and possession of tine whole region.
Upon this motion an exciting debate ensued.
Nariells amendments were.in turn offered and
voted down. At length, 1--WE Quote from
Wheeler'sa Biographical and Political History
Of Congress, vol. J., p. lI4) The following ac-
ton was had: ~ : iTLT rEs.'G--s. "a T..
Alexander Ramsey of Pennsylvania now
II Minnesota, now moved to strike out all
after the word Resolved" and insert. ."Jz0t
the oregon Question Is no longe,. subject of
negotiation or Compromise - ~ ....r',s -
This was taking the proper ground. 1t
was the bold ground to win. 1t would have
brought affairs to the proper crisis England
mad no title to the country her claim was an
usurpation this she knew, and she would
nave yielded rather than gone to war, which
the adoption of Gov. Ramsey's resolution
would have presented as her alternative. It
was the true ground, also, because James
buchanan, then Democratic Secretary of State,
had already declined, under the instructions
OF Mr.. Polk, to refer the arbitrament of the
title to any friendly nation, on the ground that
IN so dong the United States would seem to
recognise some title in Great Britain. There
lore. as any negotiation or compromise could
only lead to REIMBURSEMENT on our part of
undoubted rights, and the acquisition by Eng
land OF what she had no title to as the coun-
try to be comprised away was of vast value,
and the mind of the people united on the is
sue; the Democracy should with one voice
have adopted Mr.. Ramsey's motion. But
what was the result? Wheeler's History
again tells US: rg ..v7 ,..-..4c
"Tellers were ordered, and ten members
passed between them, amid shouts of laugh
ter, cries of fifty-four forty forever clap
ping OF hands and stamping of feet, which
the Chairman was some time in suppressing:
and the negative vote was then taken and
stood l46. So the amendment was rejected.
"The record does not furnish the names of
the ten who voted in the affirmative, but we
(says Wheeler] give them as follows:
Alexander Ramsey, of PENNSYLVANIA.
Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois. q
Archibald Yell, Of Arkansas.
William Sawyer, of Ohio. .srrp
Joseph B. HOge, of Illinois.
Robert Smith, Of Illinois.
. Cornelius Darragh, of Pennsylvania.
Jno. A. McClernand, of Illinois.
Felix G. Mcconnell, of Alabama.
John Wentworth, of Illinois,"
Three or four of the above are deceased
but of those living majority belong to the
present Republican party; and of the minor
ity two are Anti-Lecompton men.
Let us trace further the history of this
measure. A resolution is finally adopted au-
thorzing the continuance of negotiations.
High boasts and broad speeches on the part
OF the Democratic administration of Mr. Polk
are followed by cowardly concessions to the
unjust demands of Great Britain by his Sec
retary of State, James Buchanan, at the die
tation of the South. Threats of war, and
the lack OF interest in the South in anything
which would not add to the Area of Slavery.
hnally decide the question. tty.tour-forty
Is abandoned, the .tortyninth degree is agreed
upon, Frazer's River, Vancouyer's Island and
ALL are donated to Great Britain-and great
and wealthy region is lost to the nation by
the cowardly course of that Democracy which
has but lately been so earnest, so Jealous. so
untiring in its endeavors to purchase Cuba
and its slaves
Whenever the eyes of the people fall upon
the map of the great North w estern coast.
whenever the newspapers bring to them tid-
lngs OF the rapid growth of new States in that
region, let them say, "All this would have
been Ours-all Ellsworth dozen worn out.
Slavc-infested and fever-decimated Cubas-
would have been ours to strengthen the con-
federacy and to add to our wealth, but for the
course Of the Democracy and the Slaveocra-
cy, who, commencing on the basis of undoubt-
ed right, abandoned it step by step, driven
from concession to concession, by the policy
of the South and the fear of the English.
The Democratic Party is now ready to sacri-
fee Free Labor and Free Homes and the
Homestead Law-the Democracy of Mime
sofa, even, by the votes of their Senator's,
Shields and Riee-to acquire Cuba from fee
BILE Spain; but when the Republican leader
Of Minnesota, Alexander Ramsey, asked the
Democracy of the Union to follow his lead,
even to the defiance of powerful England, in
defence of Free Northern Territory. rightful-
ly belonging to us, with reprehensble coyar-
dice, that same party shrank back-the cot
ton, and the price of the Slaves of the South,
were not to be advanced by such a course,
and so patriotism kicked the beam to save the
votes Of the South for the ever subseryient
Democratic Party!
FORhIGN.BORN CITIZENS AND THE
NATURALIZATION QUESTION.
Let us turn now, fellow citizens, to the con.
sideration of the position of the Republ;c.n
and Democratic parties as regards naturalized
citizens
In the first place, the platform of the Re.
publican party Of the nation contains the fol-
lowing:
"Resolued, That believing that the spirit of
our institutions, as well as the Constitution
OF our country, guarantees liberty of con-
science and equaIity Of rights among citizens,
we oppose all legislation impairing their secu'
rity."
The platform of the Republican partv of
the State of Minnesota, adopted Sept. 10th.
1867, speaks as follows:
Resolved, That as the Constitution and
genius Of our institutions prescribe no man.
on account of his religion or place of NATIVITY
therefore such prescription is hereby pro.
scribed"
The State Platform of the Republican Par.
tty OF Minnesota. just adopted, July 90, 1859,
is as follows:
I'VE prescribe no man on account of his
religion or place of nativity; we oppose any
abridgement whatever of the right of natu-
ralization now secured by law to emigrants,,
and all discrimination between native and ma
turalized citizens, whether by amendment of
State Constitution, as in Massachusetts, or
by Legislative or Congressional action; and
we resist with indignation, as our fathers did
in 1912, the monstrous doctrine of the i'm
pressment of American citizens by foreign
despotisms, as recently proclaimed by the
present Administration -