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IN THE t The Roofiliition ; Affiiirs, reqiiirii Britnin of tho : tonninato tlic ']< abro'j:ate tlie c consideration ii Mr. FRIES ad Mr. Chairman: "ionnl part on tli; T'liurovorsv now* and this Gfovernii I'i' Ore'^on, will t( ^iiiputiiting knivc let forceps, I ,shoi part more eredital I perform on tliii ai'custoinod as I I I'lission duty to i my constituents, : I prcssion of my in^ linn now under cf believe to be the ^ the honor to repn Sir, I approach found sense of it have been, for th spon.sibilities of a me the control- o 'fillow-ci'.izens; y( c.nce of ;he nrduo I", was every fibr lined with a most of a .single act as upon my single \ omments and of t uf human beings, that my position, Urn . H f ^^ .^f SPEECH or HON. GEORGE FRIES, OF OHIO, ^ THE OREGON QUESTIONS J) DELIVEUF.D IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SATURDAY, FEDllUARY 7, 184G. f The Roffilution fi'om tho Committee on Fnrpin;n Airairs, reiiuiring tlie President to notify Great Britain of the inteiilion of tlie United States to tonninate the joint oeeupaney of Orr<;on, and to abrn'i:ate the convention of 1827, being under consideration in Connnittec of the Whole — Mr. FRIES addrcs.sed the coniniittee as follows: Mr. CiiAinMAv: Were I about to act a profes- "ional part on that lield where many believe the roiurover.'iv now goiiiij on between Great Britain iiid this (government, in reference to the territory I'f Oregon, will terminate, there, midst saws and riiiputating knives, scalpels, tenaculums, and bul- let forceps, I sliould undoul)tedly be able to act a lart more creditaldc to myself than I shall be able li perform on this field of public discus.sion. I'n- ai'i'usiomcd as I am to participate in public di.s- I'ussion duty to myself, but more particularly to my constituents, impels me to an unreserved ex- pression of my individual view.-^ touching the nues- nnii MOW under consideration, and to avow what I believe to be the will and wishes of those I have the hoimr to represent on this floor. Sir, I approach this question with a most pro- tiMUid sense of its importance. Habituated ad I have been, for the last fourteen years, to the re- sponsibilities of a station, the duties of which u;avc we the control, of the lives of thousands of my 'ellow-ci'.izens: yet, at no lime durinjj the perform- I'.nce of ,he arduous duties of the station referred !ii, was every fibre of my heart so thoroughly im- Uicd with n most profound sense of the importance of a .single act as at present. When 1 reflect, that upon my single vote may depend the fate of gov- ciinnents and of empires, and the lives of millions uf human beings, I cannot but feel, and deeply feel, that my i)osition, in common with every member of this ?Iouse, is clothed with the most awful re- si)onsil)ilities. The resolution now luidcr consideration cannot be looked upon as a war measure, because it is only al)rogating the joint conveiuion in the man- n.?r and form prcscrilied by the treaty of ]l:<18, and as renewed in 1807, concerning the Oregon terri- tory. Yet I am fully .sensililc of the fact, that the Government of Great Britain, should she be dis- posed to engage in war with the United States, will not pause long ere she distorts rh". peaceful inten- tions of this Government in giving this notice, into a cause of war. A Government which could find a cause of war in tlf refusal of a people to be drugged with poison, would not be slow in manu- facturing a cause of war, even out of so proper and' peaceful a measure as the giving of this notice Inasmuch as this resolution is the luily action which this House proposes to take at this time, which can by possibility be distorted into a belli- gerent nieasme, I deem it a matter r i lecp impmt- ance to the House and to the nation, tlia; ve give it the most serious consideration. In carrj ing out this view of our duty, the validity if O'u- itle to the Oregon territory should be careful! ■.. c^'unu'ned and fairly detc nincd. If, upon such examina- tion, our titleslu.il prove "clear and indisputable,"' I cannot see, nor have I hoard any good and valid reason, why we should hesitate or falter in de- claring the truth to the nation and the world, or in performing a function which properly belongs to this House. If, on the other hiuiu, our title is dis- putable — is not clear, I, for one, .«hould deem it my duty not to interfere with the provisions of the treaty, but leave the whole matter where it would then properly belong — in the hands of the Presi- dent, to be disposed of by negotiation. But, sir, being fully convinced thut our title to the whole territory lyiiij: brlwccn t^ic parallels of 4'3° niui >'"i't°4l)' is I'lcai'iy aiul iinqMcstiontilily ours, I sliall, ilunliirr, vdte tor triviiii; to (irrat Britain sudi iKitico as is now before this House, in the most [uonipt uianni r. I shall not (htain llic House, nor worry my readers with a lenulliy recital of the overwliehnini;' array of facts and ar;;innents which liave been l'niui;lit to l;ear in suiipnrt of our title. Tlie clear and conclusive ars^mnents of our distinmnshed Secretary of Slate, together with the unanswered and unansweralile speeches of a nuniher of gentle- men on this flocu', have left not a cloud, not a speck of doulit upon my nmid as to the validity of our ! title to all the ()r( ;j;on eotnury .snuth of the parallel [ of ;)40 4(l'. It is" admitted, 'on all sides, that the I title to the, whole of this country was in Spain un- | til the year ]7!)(). In that year," tiie notctl treaty of i Nootka Scmnd was <>ntcred into between .Spain and ; Great Britain; iuid upon the provisions of that | treaty, the latter now founds her riijht to the soil. I A moment's examination of the objects of that treaty will sliow most clearly, as 1 conceive, that the whole ]ireteuded title will be found to rest on one siiiijle W(n'(l, and that word is, " settlement," as used in the 3d article of tiie treaty of iS'ootka. That treaty was ]inrely commercial in eliaracter, I in intent, and meanini;. Itccmtcrred on citizens and i siil)jects of Great Britain the riirht to "carry (Ui j • their fisheries in the Pacific, ocean, and in llie ' ' south seas, or in landing; on the coasts of those 'seas, in ])!aees not already occupied, for the pur- ! ' pose of earryin^'on their commerce witli the na- i ' lives," and to make " settlements" in pUices not I already occupied. In short, tiie olijr.cl in cnteriiii:; | into this treaty was tlie obtainiui;- the riL;lil to fish j in S|)anisli witters, iiunt on Spanish iirouiuls, and , trade with the Indians ujion those jjjrounds; bnsi- j ness which could not be successfully conducted | without the riglit to make, at least, temporary '■ setilemimts." Had the jiarty to whom such j commercial grants were made been residini; near, or witliiji a few hundred miles — instead of twenty- ! live thousand miles, as was really the case in tliis in.'itance — from this country, tlie rif^ht to make •' settlements" would not liave been absolutely necessary to the prosecution of the trade, which Wiis the object of the treaty. Tlie power to make "settlements" was, therefore, necessary to the carrying out of the l)efore-granted rights, viz: to fish, liunt, and traile with the natives: without this power, or right, all the other granted iirivi- leges would have been worthless. But, di(i tliis right to make " setilemcnts" give a right to the soil.' A.S well might we contend that the right, by common lease, to take possession of a tract of land, on which to cultivate rye, corn, wheat, &c., •would give aright to the soil. Sir, Spain never thought for a moment that she had given Great Britain any other than commercial riglits; nor did the then ablest .statesmen of England view it in any other light. Were it necessiu'y, or were I dis- posed to consume time, I could produce the united testimony of nil Spanish authority, of the most learned and distinguished men of those days, in Great Britain ftnd of the whole world, to sustain nie|in tlie interpftation whicli I have gi^; en this famous treaty of Nootka Sound. I say, then, that England ha.s no right whatever to tlie soil. The title wos in Spain, and in her alone, to all the country south of the parallel of .')40 40', until tlie •J3d day of February, 1^1!), when, by the trfiuy coinnioidy called the " Klm-ida treaty," sluM'(il!.|l all her rights north of i'OP of parallel to the Uni- ted States; and, by virtue of that treaty, 1 huld that our riu:ht to the whole territory up to 5404^1 is " clear and indisputable." Ens:laiid havnii;li.ii the commcr<;ial rights which she had acfpjired by the treaty of Nootka by '.he war which suliso. tpicntly (in 171)4,1 believe) occurred ;ji;iwt'cii hir and Spain, would not now have even the riglu 10 " lmnt,fisli and trade," but for the bungling dipln. macy of our Government in 1827, w'.ien the con- sent was given to renew the treaty of 1818. This error of the past must be corrected — the people di- maiid it; let us do our duty, and falter not. But, sir, I must pass on from the question „\ title, uiwn which there seems to be little or no dif ference of opinion, to the objections which liav.. lieen urged against the giving o) this notice. There are a few who difl'er frmn us — honestly, 1 doubt not — on this single point, -.vlio, neverlhcless. stand by us on the point of title. And, althnui-h 1 never have heretofore, nor can I now, see wliy we should not assert our right to that which nil acknowledge to be ours, yet, when I look to tlie high source from which some of the objections nii- anate, I am idmost led to pause, and once more re- view the ground. I listened, with great altentinn. to the remarks of the very learned and distiiisuish- cd gentleman fnmi Virginia, (Mr. Hunter,) for who.se honor, intlcxible integrity, and sterling' n- triotism, no one, in or out of this House, entertains a more profound respect than I do; but, sir,icuc!i as I respect his opinions generally, on this qiicrtion I am constrained to dilVer with him. We arc ml- monished by the gentleman, that the cost of arnii- .'lict with Great Britain would be immense, and. as the giving of the notice, in his opinion, wnuii! lead to war, he thinks the cost of su<'h a war slmulii be calculated before giving the notice. Sir,alllii)uli:i w"e agree ns to the great cost of a conllict wiih 1 a great nation, and have given it a passing notice, yet we have not counted the cost; we have nui mad(! a strict mathematical calculation as to the number of dollars and cents it may require in maintain our rights and our honor. Such calcu'ii- tions, I humbly conceive, are not proper .subjecis for consideration when either the one or tiie 01 u' is involved. I hail from a State where fnw .n- knowledge the faU^e and bloody code of honor, nn do they boast of their patriotism and their chivalry; j but let me assure you, that they will not .stop 10 count the dollars nor blood it may cost to mamtaiii | the rights and sacred honor of our common coun- try. The cost! the cost! In the name of God, liaH it come to this, that the propriety of maintai!iiii;| our rights must be weighed in the balance of "fil- thy lucre!" Shades of our sires, forbid it! It has been allcsed, in the cour.se of this deba!°, I that if a war .should result from o.ur actions upoiij this subject, it would become a war of "opin-| imis," — a " war of systems;" and, as our "opin- ions" and " systems" of Government are nnia;.'a-j nistic to monarchy and despotism, all Euroiif would be arrayed against us. I doubt not that. I were we to make such an issue direct, the ri.sl(l might be worthy of consideration. Would the I givino; of this notice, or the maintenance of our I just rights, be construed as an attack on "systems' 3 ;if F.nropcan Gnvcrnmonts? Cortnin'y not. Put suppose tlicy should thus roiisiiliT it; i.s it cer- t;iin llmt tlic <;:rc'!it priui'i|)l(,-) of(HiM;iliiy of ri;;li!.s — the ^rrat principles of our "systfin" ofCiovern- meiit. if you plcasR — Imvi! not found :> dwtllini; in tlip ixpKOin of 11 niajority of the jiooplo of Europe? Is it proiial)ii' that tiic crowned lieuds of Europe would rush to nn uncidlrd-for ftttiu-k upon our henvcn-liorn " sysioin," without counlini!; stricMy the ninrilicrs at liorie for nnd airainst our ]irin(;i- pk'3 of Govcrnnieiu? Is it certain, that a majority of die people of Europe would l)e wiUin;; to im- brue their hands in our hlood, in order to hreak down our system of Government, and maiiitiiin one at home, which is a curse to their homes, and a hell to their hopes? Sir, never, never will the jMople of Europe entertain a contest so disijjraeeful. Let not Brituiii " lay the flatterin>; unetiou to her jsnul," that the brave and generous sons of the Emerald Isle, whose civil and n;liii;ious liberties have been tramjiled under foot for more than a rentury, will he found aidini; in a Tusadc asiainst U9, and against our country's standard, around which every son of Erui in this land would rally, ca^er to avenge the wrongs of their fathers. They know their friends; they know the people who have clasped to their bos(mis thousands of their kindred, welcoming them to the " land of the free and the home of the brave." They know too well who has rol)bcd and plundered them for ages, to enter lilt field against a people and a land where their oppressed and persecuted sons have found friends and a home. Hut why talk of European inter- ference, when we all know that almost every Power there has been robbed and plundered by England. Would those Governments turn and " liek the hand that smote them ?" Would they enter a eon- test in which they cannot hope to gain, but must lose immensely? Would not France, Holland, Belgium, Prussia, and every other manufacturing disu-ict of Europe, be immensely benefited by a war between England and the United States ? A moment's reflection would convince any one that such would necessarily be the case. I have no fears, then, of European interference. Give them the dollars and cents, and the fighting will be left to England alone. France only waits another war between England and tlie United States, to pass England in many, perhaps all branches of manufactures, and to re- possess herself of those possessions of which she nns been roblied by this common ]ilunderer of the world. And where Prance is, there will Belgium also he. Their feelings are identical; the blood of their Sovereigns are blended; the hearts of their [leople beat in unison. Holland, too — once the mis- tress of the ocean, carryinre altnclied to the pure princi|>les of Ile|)ublicani.s;n, tlian lliry are; nor are any mori^ thoroughly prep;u-ed for the iin-> [I'lrlanl t;(sk of sclf-governuient. Ihu. how stands the (pieslion of inlerlVreiii-f against our •' svsli'iii," with ri'i'eniice to the '.;re:ii Anto<'rat of all tiie Ilussias? Have 've anything of un un- ri-i( iidly (diaraeter tf> a])]irehen(l from lluU rpiii 'r- AV'ill he f(U'net the manu;j;ement of Lend m Rus.^ell on the liospliorns, by which he was vented tVoni exteudini; his power and doinain ( tlie fairest part of Turkey ? No, those acts, thosn intrigues, will not be forgotten. We have everything to hope tor, but iiothiug to f-'ar, in that rpiartor. In a strut;i:h' with F-".n};land, I should, with great confidence lo(dv to Russia as an ally, if we needed one; ami if war .should come, and that war be a " world's war," as some belii ve, J dcudit not that Russia will be found side by side with lliis glorious Union. .Much as has been said ai;ainst the Em- periT Xii'holas, I declare to you, sir, that I have more confidence in the honor and inteirrity of that potentate, than in iuiy other of the crowned heads of Europe. Not that 1 a]>prove of his numerotis deeds of violence aij^ainst the [principles of national liberty; far be that tVom me. Rut when the head of a nation acts openly, boldly, and fearlessly, as he does, I am always disposed to irive some credit for honesty of piu'poso, and never despair of such Sovereigns coming to a just sense of the relative riglitsofthe sovereign people and tiieir servajits. We have also been reminded that danger is to be apprehended from Mexico — that she may seek to avenge her innirinary wnnigs. Having treated her fairly and honoraldy, we shall look for simi- lar treatment from her. If, liowever, she is dis- posed to be t"u:-ther duped by England, and shall make an attack upon us, we shall let out the man- airement of her ease by the job; and as the State of Texas has had some ex])erience in that line of business, having executed some exeuilent "jobs" at San .Tacinto, and other places, she will un- doubtedly bo cairer for the contract; and to them I doubt not it will be sriven. Texas would ask no otlier compensation for the management of all our ditncuUies with Mexico, than a portion of the small territory of California, or one or two Mexican mines. The gentleman from Virginia warned us of the baleful iiilluenccs which a war wouhl have on the currency of our country; the tendency it would have to inundate our country with paper money; and the elFeet such a state of things Wviuld pro- duce upon the morals, the trade, and commerce of the counti-y. These objections are certaiidy wor- thy of the" most profound consideration. When we look abroad in tliis and other countries, and behold tiu' be.leful influences of paper money upon every people where it has or docs exist; witness- ing the wide-spread ruin it has brought upon the masses; heaping wealth on t!ie few, whilst it beg- £•!> •' the many; (controlling and corrupting the ball -box; subsidizinir the press; corrupting tlif halls of legislation; defiling tlie judiciary; spurn- ing the law;— when we sec all this accom|)lished by the power of paper money, we should guard with grratcare the influence which our acts here misrht have upon this potent agent. Bui, sir, much as I fear this naper-money engine of corruption, yet my confidence in tlie honesty and patnof- 1 :i t li * iM I' - ji ii nf ilir ]'"oj)lo is so strnnf::, tlint ihcy. \\itli prnper li '^ifliilii'ii on our part tmirliiiiir (lirci'lly tl\r ((iirs- lioii (if (Miri'i'iicy, will iiiiiloulilcdly pi-cvi iil its Inr- llur proi;i'tss; rvcii sliiuild war l)i' tin; rfsult ol' ]ia.-'siii::; tlii.s nsoliilion now Ixloro us, whicli 1 do not hilicvc to be cvi'ii ]irni)al>lc. Let llu' present \'oii!r»v.ss do its duty in I'staMisiiiu',' proper naen- cics lor llio siito-keepini: mid disliurseinent of the jieoplc's niiUK'y, and lliereliy relievo lln^ present Secri'tary of Slate of the United States from per- forrnin::: wliat to him must he a painful duty, of furnishin;,'-, throuijli tiovernnient funds, the I'ood ii|")n wliieli those bank" vaiapins least, and my word for it, the power of paper in(nie\' will i)e (■he.Ked. Let this Conjiress eo-opcrutc with those Stater, that are now en^;aictd in the i;reat work of exter- niinatin^' banks of issue: then 1 shall have no fears of their powers lioini; iiiercased under any contiu- ffcnc.y f;rowin;,'' out of our aetion upon this resolu- tion. And 1 must here ( xprtss the e.trjust hope, that my distiiiLjuislK d friend from Virijinia will brin;?: the force of hi.-*!J:iaantio intellect and his creat moral and piditical inlluence to bear upon the le^is- lalivc action of tlic t>ld Dominion, so as to place her in the front rank, ns she has been in other great works of refm-in, of the enemies of banks, and the fricnd.s of the currency of the C'lnistitiitimi. Let that irentlcmaii sro home, not in the way that another distinguished •rentleman was once, on this floor, commanded to *'iro home," but let him ijo there with the all-powerful eli'usion of his mind, and the work of his pen, and soon will the foul blot of tolerating a rau;-moncy currency be swept fi-om her statutes; and once more will that honor- ed Connaonwealtl. stand erect on the )ilatform of her ancient irlory. Yes, sir, let us all do our du.y, Jet us carry out the ]Mineiplcs as avowed by the Baltimore convention, and responded to by the ]ieople; let ns moilify and correct the unjust and imequal tarill" of 184:2; have llie revenue of the Goverimient collected in '"the hard;" sec that it is safely kept, and honestly disbursed; and then we may hurl defiance in the teeth of those hot-beds of villany and corruption. In the j;reat State which 1, in pan, have the honor to represent here, the democracy have com- menced the preat work of extermination ai!:ainst all banks of issue. We have planted ourselves on the broad platform of the Constitution, and sworn eternal hostility airainst all and every sys- tem cf paper money. That nothin'j: short of a war of extermination will reach the evil, sad ex- )ierience luis tauih; us in the w^est and southwest. Every proposition to improve or render more tol- erable the bankins: system, was met with the scorn and crnitempt of those plunderers and tlieir de- pendants. Ii;stead of honestly endravorinc; to im- jirove the system, their constant aim seemed to he, to throw open still wider the tluod^'ates of fraud and corruption. Tlieir conduct and tluMr purses gave ample demonstrrition that they fully appreci- ated the power of "paper money" to "fertilize the rich man's field with the sweat of the poor man's brow." Under these circumstances we have entered the field, and, by the blessini;ofG'od, we shall never leave it till every vestijje of ptiprr- moiiey banking is swejit from our border. Let not the friends of mono|)oly lay the false hope to their bosoms, that we shall be driven from our position. "Revolutions never go backwards," He the war one of twelve month.i or twelve ycirc, we will always be Iniind at our jiost. I'lit, sir, with a cause so Jnsi, iuid a standard-lirarcr so able, so lu'ave. and so fearless, as he whoin il|,. democracy of Ohi'j delight to h/-aiiiiually — ililVering in this respect from "inter- iiiittents" generally. One year ago those diseased niciids were in the state of "asphyxia," cool as a | ' Hi'iiiabcr — no fears of Mexico, backed as she then ! «:is by England and France, and "the gentleman { with the white hat," and his "parlcz-vous" man, | Friday, to boot. Not a "vision," nor a "dream" ! retarded their onward march to the point at which ihoy then aimed. But now , how changed the scene ! All awful "paroxysm" has suddenly seized upon ' them, nnd they "shiver !n the breeze. •• Acres of I British bayonets suddenly fla.sli upon their visions; i navies unnumbered, j Willi I'iiivlimi L'lins And awhil ImmoIk, I haunt their niidni'^ht slunibers ! A mi -hty change has "come o'er the spirit of their dream." That little .lohnny I'.ull, about whom no one can d a fig I 0111^ year ago, has, in one short year, consuiin d sui^ I ficient Oregon beef to make him grow a wondrous , u;iant indeed. J'.ut slop; these "visions" and "dreams" are all the etl'u-'ions of a disturbed im- agination; all the result of a "paroxysm." Be patient; only wait one year, and they will again be ; found in a perfect state of ispliy xiii. Then, when perlia[)s the tpu-stion of annexing' Calit"oriiia — a I question iiiV(dvin>r cotton bales and locomotive ! eottfui pickers — will come uji here, gentlemen wdl ! again be as "calm as a summer evening, and as ■ ('ool as the crystals of an April frost." ! Mr. Chairman, having referred pretty fully to i the consetpienees to us should a war unfortunately I occur, let us for a momeni look to the available I fmre which could be brought to bear against us, I and to our defensive preparations on the seaboard 1 and along our norlheni and iioriheasiern frontiers. First, along the seaboard, where we find the pecu- I liar friends of peace. I shall not atleni]it a descrip- tion in detail of the vast works of defence on the j sealioard, their strength, or their etliciency in war. ; A'or will I stop to count the cost of nil tht.'se works, j and to state here, what we all know to be true, I that the whole American family has been heavily • taxed to defray the expenses. Neither will 1 refer j to the notorious fact, that the immense jiopulation ! inhaliitin^ the northern and northeastern shores, ' which are washed for two thousand miles by Brit- ish water, have always borne the unjust andunerpuil system of taxation, which went to build up those seaboard defences; and that tliey stood u]) under all this without a murmur, notwithstanding these vast sums were applied for the benefit of our breth- ren in luiother section of our Union. We have not, heretofore, nor do we now, complain aliout the ajn ]ilicatioii of large and liberal sums of money to en- able our friends to defend their property, their fire- sides, nnd their lives. It is true, however, that we have not been able to see the propriety of entirely overlooking the defences of our lake shores. We have looked to the vast preparations of Great Brit- ain on the oppo.site shore, and then to our defence- less homes. We thought of our neglect, but we murmured not. We beheld their ship canal around the falls of Niagara, through which her fleeta might reach all our towns and cities — whose com- mercial importance has already out.5iripptd many on the seaboard — and sack and burn ihem without a shot or gun furnished by the General Govern- ment to defend them wi'h. Still, with all this ne- glect of every interest o, our northern border, wc will not complain. Should war come, we shall not trouble our.selves much about defensive arrange- ments; it will be an ofi'ensive war from the start with us. We shall save .Tohii Bull all trouble about meeting us on this side of the lakes. We shall take great pleasure, too, in saving him the trouble of attending the locks on the Welland canal; and we sliall do .sundry ether acts of kindness, too numerous to mention. And if our friends on the seaboard — after having nearly all the money which tjt i .Ml i ■ t i> 6 ]v,\A h(cn s|uiit siiirr [he fmindniion of onrOnvcrn- nii'iit iiiiplicil I'm- tlioir iHiirfit — caniinldifViid tluir IhiiiMS anil ll.cir |ii(i|i(rly nijaiiist iiiiy allaciv from aiiv (inarit'i-, llicii llicir dt'irenonii'v iinist lir t^nat iluliiMl; hut till y 'Mil defend, aiul will defriid them- selves. To doulit their aliility or their dis|)0.si- tioii, w'lld I'P it li'iKe slander on their pntriotiHrn and llitir valor, lluviii!: tlie utmost eonlidellee ill Ixiiji, 1 shall lo(d{. shouhl the conlliet come, fur n repulsion of the eiirniy as si;;nal as that whirh they rcenived on the plains of New Orleans. liiil from w In nee is thi.'< great British fleet to eonie — this fleet which is to sack and Ijurii our ci- ties — aliciut whirh so nmi'h has lieen said r Will it l)c withdrawn from the jiroicetion, or rather sub- jection, of her eolonies and possessions ahrond, and froni her disturbed and discontented millions nt liome? No, sir; she dare not withdraw her fleets and armies from her India possessions. Her one hinidied and fil'ty millions of down trodden subje('ls in that (piarter are n danji^erous material; one that only rerpiiies a few ardent nud bold mili- tary leaders to ( nable them to t^ive cniployi.icnt to all the powir which she can muster in that ([uarter. Let us furnish them with a Ijooiic,a C'ro;j;hnn, and a Wayne; and if they don't keep all the naval and land power of F.ii:;laiid in that (juartcr of the woild in employment, 1 am much mistaken. Dut how stands the matter with reference to her home squad- ron ? Dare she withdraw her forces from her home nossessioiis ,' Look at old Ireland: behold in her Losom the accumulated elements of explosion, which have been i;athering there for ai^es; elements that will soon explode war, or no war. Look at seven-eiijhihs of her pfipulation, pantins; for an op- portunity to strike a blow for '•repeal.'' Instead ofdarinj;; to withdraw, slie would have to multiply tenfold her forces in and around that island; and even then the well-known biittle-cry of " Hereditary Ijniidsmen, know yc nnl, Tliiit lie who v.duld l)c Irco, liiinself must strike the Wow," would come thunderins; from every hill and from every 'ale, and one threat, united blOw would sever forever the bonds of union, which every true-heart- ed Irishman hates " with a holy hatred." Let us now withdraw from tlie " jjreen sod," cross the channel, and look for a moment on that terrible revolutionary mass found in her factories and work- shops. Look at their dependence upon our cotton lickts for employment, and consequently for bread. See the difficulty which the Government now has to keep them in subjection, although they now have an uniiiterru[)ted sujiply of the raw material, outofvyhich they make their scanty .subsistence. Stop tliis sujtply f- heads." '•lint look on the other side," say they; "here ii;'aiii is a glorious chance for escape. If the Presi- dent takes all the responsitiilitij, and '^ives the no- iiic,aiul the peaceabhe acquisition of i,.egon should follow, why we can modestly tell our countrymen that we, too, were in favor of the notice; that we were for Oregon — for every inch of Oregon; and that we acted a brave and fiarlcss part in behalf of all the proceedings which led to its acquisition. We will .show most conclusively that cases alter circiim. stances, as well as that circum.stances alter cases." Should this scheme of thrusting on the President powers to perform duties which properly belong to Congress, and which the peoph- sent us here to porl'orm — if this scheme succeeds, let me assure gentlemen that there will be no " backing-out'' — no cowardly evasion of responsibility. He has tlie nrrv(e that will not quail before any power, wve the power of God. Tin; notice will lie given with that promptness which characterizes all his ni'ts. But, sir, I shall oppo.se, with all the power which I may possess, this or any other elFort to transfer piiwers from the legislative lo the execu- tive department of this Government. The jiower to make treaties unquestionably belongs to the President and Senate jointly; but the power to un- make, or abrogate, can only be performed in two ways consistent with the Constitution. First, by the President and Scnitc in making a new treaty, the provisions of whi(ih may set aside the old or pre-existing one; and, secondly, by the joint action of both Houses of Congress. Our object, as ex- pressed on all sides of the House, is, to abrogate the treaty of 1818, aa renewed in 18:27 between Eng- land and the United States, whn-h is clearly a lt;» gislativi; duty, that cannot be iHrfoniiiii constitu- tionally by any other jiower lliaii thu joint |)o\v-^t" is "to be cliarged the major part of tliis sujiposcd war spiirit. Sir, we spurn the charge, direct or indirect, of being desirous of urging this Government into an uiiiieces.sary war. We are as emphatically a peace-loving peoide as those in any other section of this nation, llie jieople which I have the honor to represent, estimate as highly as any others the blessiiigs.fif peace; they kniJW its benign influences up(«i'science, the arts, religion; upon everything tending to the happiness of man- ki*i(l. But, sir, firm and fixed as our conviction.'? are of the blessings of peace, we will never be found willinu^ to yield to any other than an honor- abl epeace. ' To our rights' we shall chng with a grip ;is unyielding a.s death. Those riirhts must be preserved. Cost it treasure, cost it blood, they shall be preserved. We have entered the field to maintain tlio.sc rights, "peaceably if we can, for- cibly if we must." We pitched our tents, and, if God willing, they .shall never be struck till the stars ami striiies wave over Orej^,'! ;vcry iiich of Oregon. . ._ . . .^ i li ' I i h