Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 20.pdf/66

 LESTER BURRELL SHIPPEE

58

way on

general grounds the southern Democrats and Whigs,



especially in the Senate,

were opposed

to anything

which was

likely to precipitate a crisis, specifically they wished no notice or, if it had to be given, one in such terms as create the least

and felt that not more on compromise than suggested in previous offers. The western Democrats and Whigs were for the whole claim, come what may, while the bulk of the northern Whigs urged a moderate course and compromise in opposition to their Democratic colleagues who The backed the extreme demands of the Administration. North and South wished to avoid war, but the West professed to believe that Great Britain would recede from her friction

they were opposed to demanding 54



the United

States

was bound

40'

to

position if this should not be the case, then, they preferred war to the surrender of any portion of Oregon.

The Message was accompanied by

those documents which

had passed between the two governments and which in bare outline afforded a view of what had taken place that is, the reopening of negotiations, the British offer and Calhoun's reception of it, the American offer and its rejection, together with the statement of claims on both sides. 8 Nothing of the correspondence with McLane or anything which tended to show that there was any hope of getting a better offer from Great Britain accompanied the Message. The challenge was accepted by both branches of Congress forthwith and dis;

cussion started early in January. In the lower House the campaign was opened by a sevenbarrel resolution by Bowlin, a Missouri Democrat, by which the respective committees on

Naval Affairs, Military Affairs, Indian Affairs, Public Lands, Militia, and Post Offices and Post Roads were directed to take into consideration the parts

of the Message dealing with Oregon, while the Committee on Foreign Affairs was given charge of the specific portion relat-

ing to the giving notice to Great Britain. It was the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs which gave vent to the pent-up feelings of the House. 3

Given in Sen. Ex. Doc. No.

i;

H. Ex. Doc. No.

2,

agth Cong.

ist.

Scs.