Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 20.pdf/77

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON not be dishonorable to the United States and that

69 it

might be

proposed by Polk, for he insisted that the next proposition must come from England. As to the free navigation of the Colum-

when the point was brought up by Calhoun, the President stood by the Message. Recognizing that this course would probably fail, for it

bia,

would require a two-thirds vote

to carry the resolutions

in

Executive Session, the conciliation faction attempted the next day to attain the same end by changing the form of the resoluColquitt introduced an amendment to Crittenden's resolutions containing this sentence "That it is earnestly desired that the long standing contro-

tion for notice.



...

be speedily settled, by negotiation and comversy promise, in order to tranquilize the public mind, and to preserve the friendly relations of the two countries." This modification received the support of many Whigs and

Haywood it appeared possible that a combination of Whigs and Calhoun Democrats might succeed in taking the whole issue into their own hands. When giving an account of the to the with whom he was in such frePresident, proceeding quent communication as to cause people to think he was in some manner the spokesman of the Executive in the Senate, "he was excited and spoke in strong terms of disapprobation of the course of Calhoun" and his followers. 21 Even Colquitt,

to

him about the delay in the Senate, withdraw his amendment and vote for the naked resolution or any other form that was reasonable; he agreed with Polk that the split in the party was unfortunate, both as affecting the Oregon Question and other Demo-

when

the President spoke to

said he

was willing

to

cratic measures.

Whigs

as well as

Democrats went

to the President to use

their influence for a conciliatory course.

Senator Archer of

Virginia requested an appointment and took the occasion to say that he and his colleagues were most anxious to settle the question and avoid war. While Polk maintained that he stood

by

his

word

in

21 Ibid., 260.

the

Message he

gratified

Archer very much by