New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-09-19
TIE San JUAN CONTROVERSY.

San Juan Islands and the orders TO Gen Scott 10
proceed forthwith to take the cOmm,ud IN toa!
quarter give certain degree OF importance to tois
boundary dispute Considering the age aud H.
6ruiiiss of Gen. Scott be would hardly have been
dsp,tched on so distant q service did not the Gov
erpnent At Washn ston regard the occasion as one
of considerable magnitude. Possibly, however,
renuisc.ucss Of the past ulsy have operated lttls
OF tie nirds Of Mr.. Buchanan a5d Gen. Cass TO
exssgerate the importance OF this oc'sslon. How
ever trfuc may seem 10 &c the sc'ual question -
tbst Of the possession Of the San Jd,n I,nds-it is
tie last remnant Of territorial controversy which
not only involved the ownership of our state OF
Oregon and Territory Of Washington, and OF Tue
British Provinces Of Vsncoasers Isisnd and New
Csletopia. but-what in the eyes Of slr. Buchanan
and Nr. Cass wss, 10 doubt g much more I'M
portsut mstter-seriously threatened at one time
the harmony and union Of the Democratic party.
Our clsim 70 the possession Of Oregon had its
origin in the Louisiana treaty, to which We added
as butresses the previous entry if not discovery OF
the month Of the Oregon or Columbus RIVER oy
Capt. Grey Of Boston, aud the subsequent eAplor
.tion of il from its head waters to its mouth BY
the EXPEDITION uuder Lewis and Clarke. But
thoueh this exploration was followed up by the
American fur.trsding establishment OF Astoria, az
the mouth Of the river and others big her up, the
British did not recognize our claim. On thc other
hand. they insisted that the hrstciyzed occupation
of thi. territory had been BY the Hudsohs Bay
COMPANY, which not only had used il asa hunfios-
ground, but bad established, and still ma nisiaed,
forts aud Indian trading posts on tte waters OF
the Oregon, much more numerous and considerable
than ours Such was the position of the csse m
ISIS at which time TIE British Government con-
coded. as the northern boundary Of the territory OF
the Ur tied States west of the Mississippi the 49;h
parallel of north lsti,ude far as the Rocky
| Mountains As to the territory west OF those
moun;sirs, it was agreed By the same convention
| that it should remain fer ten years equally
omen 10 citizen. Of both countries, A. that
time settlement was not contemplated BY
either party, the fur trade being thought to
constitute the only value of the country
The Florida treaty of 1919, by which Spain re-
strcted her claim on the Pacific to the i2d degree
of north latitude was regarded at Washington as
giving us a new claim to Oregon, and even to the
country further north, it being construed as
transfer to US of all such claims as Spain might
have on the ground of orignal exploration, hitherto
the basis of counter claim on her part against
both US and Great Britain, to an indefinite extent
Of Northern Pacific coast On the strength OF
this new title, we proceeded in 1924 to enter into
a convention with the Emperor of Russia. BY which
the boundary on the Pacific as between us and him
was fixed at 81 40 of north latitude. The British,
however, continued as little disposed as ever to
acknowedge our title, and in lS2o the convention
of Joint occupancy was renewed to continue till
terminated BY one or the other Government on
years notice.
Though the occupancy under these conventions
was nomrally joint, it amounted in substance
down to the year 1o42 to an exclusive oc-
cupstion on the part of the Hudson's B.y Com
pany, whore superior capital and the system.tic
organization of wbose business mads them more
than match for any American rivals, aad secured
them substantial monopoly of the fur trade
But in that year adventurous emigrants, principal.
IL from Missouri, to the number Of thousand,
crossed the Rocky Mountains in caravans, and
established themselves as agricultural settlers on
the lower waters of the Oregon They were fol-
lowed up the next year by twice as many more
Thus commenced travel across the Continent
which has since attained 10 ,ucd magnitude. In
1913 bill was introduced into Congress TO give
these settlers grants Of lard aud TO annex for judicial
purposes, all the country west of the Rocky Noun
tains, as far north as "a 40 20 the Territory Of
lows, with a provision, however, that British
subjects arrested for crimes, instead of being
tried by these courts, should be delivered
oser 10 the nesres. British authorities
This bill was opposed and defeated on the ground
that it was inconsistent with the convention with
Great Britain. The websterAshburton treaty,
which in 1912 hsd 6nslly settled the question of
the northeastern boundary had failed to make
apy settlement Of the north western boundary,
and left the convention Of lo2e still in force Blu.
the emigration still continued, the Inhabitants Of
the West began to feel good share Of interest in
the American claim, and finally the Democratic
party, to reconcile the West to the policy Of the
annex alton Of Texas, inserted into the same plat
form BY which the Democracy Was committed to
that measure an agreement to insis. absolutely and
Internationally upon the boundary of "a 40 for
Oregon
But after the object of anne1iog Texas had been
carried, some sinking began to appear as to the
matter Of Oregon. Dir. Polk in his inaugural re-
echoed, indeed, the declaration wh,h had been
made part Of the Democratic platform, that our
title 10 the whole territory in dispute up to "a 40
was complete, and must be maintained; but finding
that the Britsh were not frightened the President,