I hope I am as ardent an advocate for peace as any man living; but I would not be carried away by the desire for peace to commit an act which I believed highly injurious, likely to have consequences of a permanent character, and indeed to endanger the existence of the government.  Besides, I believed that we could have struck out the cessions of territory, and had peace just as soon.  And I would be willing to go before the people and leave it to them to say, whether they would carry on the war any longer for acquisition of territory.  If they would, then they were the artificers of their own fortunes.  I was not afraid of the people on that subject.  But if this course had continued the war somewhat longer, I would have preferred that result, rather than that those territories lying on our southern border should come in hereafter as new States.  I should speak, perhaps, with more confidence, if some Whigs of the North had not voted for the treaty.  My own opinion was then clear and decisive.  For myself I thought the case a perfectly plain one, and no man has yet stated a reason to convince me to the contrary.

I voted to strike out the articles of cession.  They would have been struck out if four of the New England Senators had not voted against the motion.  I then voted against the ratification of the treaty, and that treaty would have failed if three New England Senators had not voted for it, and Whig Senators too.  I should do the same thing again, and with much more resolution.  I would have run a still greater risk, I would have endured a still greater shock, I would have risked anything, rather than have been a participator in any measure which should have a tendency to annex Southern territory to the States of the Union.  I hope it will be remembered, in all future time, that on this question of the accession of these new territories of almost boundless extent, I voted against them, and against the treaty which contained them, notwithstanding all inducements to the contrary, and all the cries, which I thought hasty and injudicious, of “Peace!  Peace on any terms!” I will add, that those who voted against the treaty were gentlemen from so many parts of the country, that its rejection would have been an act rather of national than of local resistance.  There were votes against it from both parties, and from all parties, the South and the West, the North and the East.  What we wanted was a few more New England votes.

Gentlemen, after I had the honor of receiving the invitation to meet my fellow-citizens, I found it necessary, in the discharge of my duty, though with great inconvenience to my health, to be present at the closing scenes of the session.  You know what there transpired.  You know the important decision that was made in both houses of Congress, in regard to Oregon.  The immediate question respected Oregon, or rather the bill respected Oregon, but the question more particularly concerned these new territories.