Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/335

FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 317 "From present appearances it is not probable that either House will, at present, recommend to the President to give the necessary notice for the termination of the Conven- tion of 1818. I believe Oregon to be a poor country, in no way important to England, except that she happens to have settlements in the region, and of very little conse- quence to the United States. The ownership of the whole country is very likely to follow the greater settlement, and larger amount of population, proceeding, hereafter, from whichsoever of the two countries." Nor were the Whigs willing to allow their pet economic hobbies to be overridden by Texas, that firebrand which stirred the country and whipped Congress into fury during the pre- ceding sessions. Here the Whigs were between the devil and the deep sea : if annexation sentiments were avowed it would cost votes in the anti-slavery North and East ; if annex- ation was opposed it would mean the probable loss of support in the border States and the certain loss of the South and Southwest. Hence Clay, while he did not oppose the annexa- tion of Texas since, on his record as to the treaty of 1819, he could consistently take the ground that it would be "re-annexa- tion," would not go so far as to state that he favored action under any circumstances. Shortly before the adjournment of Congress and after his nomination at Baltimore Clay's stand on expansion in general was attacked by W, W. Payne of Ala- bama in the House. 11 Payne said that Mr. Clay's opinions were "in opposition to the annexation of Texas, and to an increase of territory from any quarter, whether Texas or Oregon," and he called on the friends of Mr. Clay to produce evidence that he was in favor of annexation, charging him with playing a "double game to mislead different sections of the Union." Further evidence on Whig sentiment regarding Oregon is found in J. Q. Adams' note 12 relating to the reception of a proposition, in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, to recommend an appropriation for a special and extraordinary mission to England, a project of Webster's. "Holmes," rec- Ti Globe, XII, 680-1. 12 Memoirs, XI, 327-30.