FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 311 the United States was already compromitted. He called atten- tion to the speeches which had taken place in Parliament the previous spring, when the Senate had passed the Oregon bill, which were in his opinion virtually a threat to force the United States into negotiations. But the Senate, since Mr. Pakenham had just arrived as minister from England, did not accept the views of Mr. Allen, although they were sup- ported by Benton that it was the President's duty to consult the Senators before he acted, and defeated the resolution, 34 to 14, with only Democrats voting for it. On the same day Allen renewed his efforts in another manner by bringing in a resolution calling on the President to inform the Senate, giving details, whether any tribes of Indians within the territorial limits of the United States were in the pay of Great Britain, and to place before Congress copies of any correspondence relating to the subject. There was no action on the resolution. Senator Semple of Illinois brought the real issue before his colleagues by a resolution calling upon the President to annul the convention, and this was the basis of most of the Senate's discussion during the session. 3 The question of "giving notice" as it was thereafter called led to a skirmish between Semple and Archer, as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations ; Archer questioned the propriety of discussing such a topic when the British minister might draw the conclusion that the Senate did not intend to abide by the result of the negotiations, and he stated his intention of obstructing any such move until the negotiation should be completed or aban- doned. The discussion of the resolution on its merits was postponed until late in February, in part to allow Greenhow's Memorial to be printed and placed in the hands of the Senators for their instruction about Oregon. 4 Benton said, "We on this side want no books in this case," and, when Archer told him that the book would support his opinion, "I have seen and read and know more than can be written on this subject 3 Globe, XIII, 119-20; 151, 195-6. 4 On Jan. 16, Archer presented a memorial from Greenhow asking Congress to subscribe to a number of copies of his work on Oregon. Benton objected to spend- ing public money for the work, but in April a bill appropriating the sum required was passed. Globe, XIII, 151; 299; 304; 553-60.
