Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/79

 Political Beginnings in Oregon. 67 establishing the post. General Jesup favored the measure from a military point of view, as enabling us to secure the entire territory at the end of the period of joint occupation and also as a protection to trade at the present time. Mr. Trimble, who supported Floyd, concluded his argument by saying, ' ' Our rights will cease at the end of ten years ; instead of our people having the exclusive right, we shall be excluded entirely, when, if we take possession, as we ought to do, the rights of the British will cease in 1828. This measure was recommended by Monroe in his last mes- sage in 1824.^ It finally passed the House, but was lost in the Senate, not, however, without a tremendous effort on the part of Benton of Missouri to secure its passage. In the beginning of his speech he made four assertions which he attempted to prove,^ to-wit: 1. Our claim to sovereignty is disputed by Great Britain. 2. England is now the party in possession. 3. England resists possession by the United States. 4. The party in possession in 1828 will have the possession under the law of nations, until the question of sovereignty be settled by war or by negotiations. He argued that some action was necessary to prevent the territory from falling into the hands of another nation.^ He thought that the tranquillity of the public mind was due, not so much to indifference, as to the fact that they supposed their title to be undisputed. By estimates based upon the Missis- sippi trade, he made clear the immense gains that were possi- ble, for the natural advantages were all on the American side. While it took three years to make the circuit from the British headquarters, it could be done for the United States 2 Annals of Congress. 17th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 812. 3 Richardson, Messages of Presidents, Vol. II, p. 250. 4 Seventeenth Congress (1823), 2nd Session, Annals, p. 246. 5 "The Republic, partly throug'h its own remissness, partly from con- cessions of our ministers, but chiefly from the bold pretensions of England, is in imminent danger of losing all its territory beyond the Rocky Moun- tains." — Benton, Debates in Congress, Vol. VII, p. 363.