Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/317

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 299 were unable always to agree to the principle of the land grants. Choate and Benton argued this point at length and nearly all who took part in the debate ventured an opinion on one side or the other. The proponents of the feature urged that Great Britain had granted land through the agency of the Hudson's Bay Company. 28 . Most of the opponents of the measure were of the opinion that time would do more for the United States than legislation could; no emergency existed and it was better to be on the safe side of the treaty than to embark into expensive coloniza- tion schemes, a field to that time unentered by this country. Moreover it appeared that Great Britain as yet placed little value (McDuffie) on the disputed region, but if she thought the United States had violated the provisions of the conven- tion she would be inclined to stand on the point and raise her estimate of the value involved. The first actual trial of strength came when it was moved to refer the bill to the Committee on Foreign Relations, lost 24 to 22. By the same majority an amendment to strike out the land grant clause was lost, and the third reading and passage showed the same alignment. On the Monday after its passage Linn asked if the bill was still in the possession of the Senate, and if so by what rule. Archer, who had given notice that he would call for a reconsideration, said that the bill had not yet passed out of the possession of the Senate, and proceeded to move its reconsideration. On the next day, when there was a larger attendance of members, the vote was taken and reconsideration was refused by a vote of 24 to 24. This vote involved a roll call hence it is possible to deter- mine the party and sectional alignment of Senators on the measure. Of the twenty-four who voted for reconsideration all but three were Whigs; Mangum of North Carolina and Calhoun and McDuffie of South Carolina were the three Democrats who opposed the measure. Eighteen Democrats 28 In answer to a resolution introduced by Morehead (Ky.) the Secretary of State stated that the United States minister to England had been assured by the British government that no land had been granted to the Company the only grant had been the exclusive right to trade with the Indians. Globe, XII, 175; Appen. 229.