Speeches In The Senate And House On The Oregon Question

Author : Sidney Breese
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781331373735
Total Pages : 28 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (737 download)

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Download or read book Speech of Hon. S. Breese, of Illinois written by Sidney Breese and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Speech of Hon. S. Breese, of Illinois: On the Oregon Question; Delivered in the Senate of the United States, Monday, March 2, 1846 The Senate proceeded to the consideration of the Special Order, being the joint resolution of the Committee on Foreign Relations, proposing to give notice to Great Britain of the desire of the Government of the United States to annul and abrogate the treaty for tire joint occupancy of the Oregon territory, and the resolutions of Messrs. Hannegan, Calhoun, and Crittenden, relating to the same subject. Mr. Breese, of Illinois, addressed the Senate as follows: Mr. President: It is not to be expected that any Senator rising in the present stage of this debate, can throw much additional light on the important question before us. It has been so elaborately discussed, not only in these Halls, but by the public press throughout the country, that it is now scarcely possible to invest it with a new interest, or urge topics with which the Senate and the country are not already familiar. It had excited, and justly too, throughout every part of our widely-extended Union, the most earnest attention of the whole American people. Probably, no question since we had become a nation, had aroused so strong an interest as this has, and none, probably, has been more ably debated. The nation awaits with intense anxiety the decision of Congress, and the eyes of all are now turned to the action of the Senate. The Executive has done what belonged to him in the matter; and the House of Representatives has performed its duty. It now only remains for the Senate to perform its duty, by consummating the action of both. It is, Mr. President, in view of the great interest the State from which I come has in this question, and in obedience to an overruling sense of duty to it, that I am now prompted to address the Senate. I did not know, sir, until this morning, that the General Assembly of my State had, at its last session, adopted the resolutions just presented by my colleague, (Mr. Semple, ) and read by the Secretary. I was aware, sir, that two years since, similar resolutions had been adopted and presented here; and two years since, it was my duty and my pleasure, here in my place, to respond to them, and to express the views I then entertained of the subject, and of the obligations resting upon Congress to carry out the wishes of that State, and those of other States who had conveyed here, similar expressions of the public will. These resolutions, sir, read here at this moment, but strengthen me in the determination I had formed to vote for some resolution to annul and abrogate the conventions of 1818 and 1827, and to follow it up, by pressing such other measures as should place our citizens beyond the Rocky mountains under the protection of our laws; incorporate the country into our Union; protect the emigrant on his way to its fertile plains, and pledge to all who seek them, the honor and faith of the Government that they shall be made secure in their possessions by perfect grants of land, at the earliest period within the competency of the Government to act, consistent with treaty stipulations. And I cannot but hope that my conduct in these regards will be approved by the State of Illinois, whose will and feelings and opinions I take pleasure in reflecting. In that State, sir, there is but one opinion; nay, sir, in the entire Northwest, so far as I am informed, (and I have paid much attention to the manifestations of the public mind, ) there is no difference of opinion upon it. I do not think, sir, that any party, or any respectable portion of any party, is opposed to prompt and immediate action by Congress, to terminate, what all feel and believe to be an inconvenient and injudicious relation between this and a foreign country, affecting, as it does, so disastrously, many important national interests. They are not, sir, for "wise and masterly inactivity;" whatever might have be.