471
WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1846
any other ulterior object; but to secure the best interests and peace of the country. I trust in God the American people have the capacity to select a man for themselves who will promote the interests and glory of the republic, and that the selection will be made with no view inconsistent with the great principles which should govern their independent action. I trust that a measure of such magnitude as the present will never be diverted into material for electioneering purposes. Certainly no views of this kind will ever influence me, either on this or any other occasion, to vote for or against any measure. I shall vote on the questions presented to me in this body upon their merits alone; on the present occasion I will vote in favor of the notice, because I believe it necessary to enable the Executive to secure harmony in our foreign relations. If peace is to be preserved, I believe this is the measure to insure it. If war springs from it, it will be because war was inevitable in any event. My vote in favor of the measure will be an earnest that I have not sought to em- barrass the Executive, or failed to strengthen his hands while toiling for the honor, the interests, and the glory of his country. 'Speeches in Congress, 1840-1849. Extracts from this speech are to be found in the Congressional Globe, 1845-1846, pp. 672-673; and a resume of it is to be found in the Democratic Tclegravh and Tex~ Register, May 13, 1846. The occasion for the speech was President Polk's request for authority to notify the British Government that the United States wished to withdraw from the agreement for the joint occupation of the Oregon Country. ~Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761-August 12, 1849), a soldier, teacher, representative in congress, banker, financier, Secretary of the Treasury through Jefferson's and Madison's administrations, a diplomat-minister from the United States to France and Great Britain for about fourteen years, president of the New York National Bank, a writer of pamphlets on finance and boundaries, and a deep student of Indian ethnology. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland, educated in the University of Geneva, came to the United States in 1780 to fight in -the Revolutionary War; died in New York, and is buried in Trinity church- yard. For brief biographies, see Dictionary of America-IL Biogl'aphy, VII, 103-110; and Biographical Di1·ecto1-y of the American Cong1·ess (1928); 996. As stated above Gallatin wrote pamphlets on finance and tcnitorial limits. He was one of the first to propose that the northern limits of the Oregon territory should be the 49th parallel and the Columbia river, the river to be equally controlled by the United States and Great Britain. He was always a strong opponent to the annexation of Texas, basing his opposition on the expense of annexation to the United States, the spread of the slavery agitation, and the unrighteousness of taking t.e1Titory from a neighbor by force. Nevertheless, he admitted that it was inevitable
Powered by FlippingBook