LESTER BURRELL SHIPPER
70
him what he had already told so many Democrats, that a proposition came from Great Britain he would submit it to the Senate. Archer told of a conversation which he had had telling if
with the British minister in which he had urged Pakenham to use his influence with his government not to insist upon free navigation of the Columbia. This conversation with the
Virginia Senator
made Polk doubt
the accuracy of Buchanan's
information, which was imparted with some excitement to the President, about a Whig plot to throw the whole responsibility
upon the President
if
the advice of the Senate should be
asked.
On
the fourth and fifth of
March a new
interest
was roused
Senate debate by a speech of Haywood, who explained that while the President was constitutionally authorized to in the
make treaties he could not unmake them; conventions could be annulled only by mutual consent or by law and the President had chosen to follow the latter method. 22 The President, continued Haywood, had receded to 49 on a compromise and still stood on it as such, he would never enter a long war in order to determine the meaning of the Nootka Convention. While partisans had raised the cry of "All Oregon or none," or "54 40' fight or no fight" this was not the attitude of the President; if it had been, he, Haywood, would have been forced to turn his back upon the Administration He would vote for the President to give notice and if Great Britain would not yield her demands south of 49 then the United States must fight.
Both Hannegan and Allen attempted to obtain from Haystatement as to whether he had authority, directly or indirectly, to speak for the President, and, when he answered
wood a
ambiguously, pressed the point, whereupon Haywood said, "I have not assumed to speak by authority of the President." "Then the Senator takes back his speech?" asked Allen.
"Not
at all," replied
Haywood, "but
I
am
glad to see
it
takes" 22 Globe, XV, Appen. 370-6. Haywood told 'the reporter that he wished to report his own speech and it appears much edited in the Appendix, bristling
with capitals and
italics.
