Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/141

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 129 original bill was amended so as to confine the application of the laws to citizens of the United States only, thus making it con- form with the Act of Parliament of 1821 which provided for the extension of British law over British subjects in the dis- puted area. The debate was somewhat widely shared and all the cur- rent arguments for andi against the measure were aired. Those who favored the bill urged the good title of the United States, the value of the trade and the necessity of protecting citizens of the United States seeking to profit by that trade from the too-active competition of the British company. They argued that the petitions being received from different portions of the Union showed that the public demanded action, while no more favorable time could be found, for, if ten years were al- lowed to pass by with nothing done, the United States would be considered to have surrendered its claim. Through all the discussion there ran the note that the real reason for action was the fact that the region belonged to the United States, it was bound to be taken some time, and consequently it might as well be done immediately. The opposition to immediate action was based upon more widely diverse grounds; to some, action, irrespective of the merits of the case, was premature; others thought the whole thing impracticable on account of the distance of the country from the settled! regions of the United States; some pointed out that the title was in dispute and, at any event, notice of ab- rogation of the convention of Joint Occupation should precede legislative action; others said that the title of the United States was so good that no act was needed to affirm it. Some wished no action for fear of offending Great Britain, and others believed that Great Britain had scrupulously lived up to her agreement and so no pressing need of any action existed. To some the Oregon Territory had been presented as a sterile region, not worth the trouble or expense it would) bring upon the country, and others would do nothing to drain off the pop-