Arbitration and the Oregon Question
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20609502 |
|---|---|
| Authors | James O McCabe (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1960 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 308-327 |
| Publication date | 1960-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Historical Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0008-3755 • E-ISSN: 1710-1093 |
| Publisher | University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3138/chr-041-04-02 |
| OpenAlex | W1996920683 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 3 |
xF T•Fam BE A THUD Of consistency in the pattern of British policy on the Oregon question in the fruitful, decisive, final years of that dispute, it is surely the adherence to the view that arbitration was the best method of settling it. To Sir Robert Peel, the Prime Minister, and Lord Aberdeen, the Foreign Secretary, arbitration seemed the most reasonable and sensible way of solving the problem, and whenever the progress of the direct negotiations with the United States tended to languish, they brought it forth. But the United States Government was iust as consistently and persistently opposed to arbitration. The British love of arbitration as solution could be traced principally to the fact that although they considered the Oregon territory worthless in itself-miles of pine swamp-more than twenty years of public clamour had given it what Aberdeen called a fictitious value in the publick mind. To give it up voluntarily, in spite of its worthlessness, involved point of honour, and that fact alone made the British Government of 1841-6 seek division of the territory that would not too much resemble surrender. Arbitration was in fact an escape mechanism. As Aberdeen put it to Peel early in the final stages of the negotiation: arbitration would probably mean getting less than what we feel we are entitled to; but whether more or less, we are relieved from all responsibility. As Richard Pakenham, British Minister in Washington, said, the outstanding merit of arbitration was talk and no sacrifice of national honour
Arbitration · Law and economics · Political science · Sociology · Law · Political Systems and Governance
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,03 |
| Citation span | 1995 - 1995 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |