Republican ledger, and Portsmouth price current — Portsmouth, N.H., 1803-05-17 00:00:00, page 2

“ Where Liberty is—there is my Country."
EXPERIENCE is the great test of hu
man aETons. \vnh tier aihßance we draw
that final conclusion which finishes all:
which, rot uufrcquentlv, overturns the rea
soning of schools, philosophy, and politics.
She proves that the greatest abilities, united
to the rirß education, and aisled by the Rric
tefi habits ofindußry and attention, are not
always equal to the talk of combining in
one view, all those falls and circumstances
tnat have a natural connection with the
fubjed. When (he functions an ad, to rea
fn against it is vain. When die refutes
her ad nt to a measure, the motive which
induced it may be pure ; but the mcafure
iticii cannot be a wife one. Hr counftls
ought to be hftened toby all classes, from
the man who acquires his subsidence by dai
ly labor, tothat one whogmdesihe destinies
of a nation. When The can afford no aid,
doubts atifa and diversities of opinion cxiß.
Tnis was the case when the lad Coogrefs,
at its frit feßion, repealed the internal' tax
es, and re eßaUliihad the ol I judicial fydem,
by abolishing the one patted in Fehrury,.
Idol. Thele measures were approved by
three-fourths of the people ; a rcfeclible
portion of the reinairingfourth return their
a^ent. Phis cLfs have one comroon in
terest with the nation ; their with is toore
fervetheconftitu ion, the laws, and the liber
% ty of the country—l speak not of the leaders
:of oppoution.
A government, which yields protection,
and abliatns from opprefiioi), which main
% tains order, and secures liberty, which pre
* serves the national faith, and practices eco
nomy, whole basis is the people, and whose
b 90'" ' s their happiness, is the great defid
laws objeaed to, have long since
into operation ; the evils predicted
^^ave not been rcalifed : Experience pro
claims their value : and the murmurs of dif
'rment arc dying away. The time has ar
ed when it has become the duty of the
people to re-confider the objections, and de
cide upon their validity.
Sec. 2. And be it farther enabled. That'
all fails, process and proceedings of what
nature or kind soever, pending in, or made
returnable to the Ltd court, Ihall alter the
laid b:d day of April next, be continued
over until the next court to be held in con
formity to this act.
NAkHT. MACON,
Speaker of the Ha 4 Je of Representatives.
A.BURR,
face-PreJident of the United States and Pref.-
dent of the Senate.
Approved, March 2, 1803.
TH: JEFFERSON,
Prudent op the United States.
AN ACT
To alter the timefor the next meeting of
,%ref.
Be it enabled by the Senate and rUafe of
Representatives of the United States of Ameri
ca, in Congress affimbled, That after the ad
journment of the present session, the next
meeting of Congress shall be on the firft
Monday of November next.
NATHT. MACON,
Speaker of the House A Reprefen/atives.
STEPHEN 1< BRADLEY,
President of the Senate pro tempore.
March 3, 1803,
Approved.
TH : JEFFERSON,
Prfident oj the United States.
AN ACT
In addition to the act, int/tled" An aft regu
lating the grants of land appropriated for the
refugees from the Britjb provinces of Cana
da aid Nova-Scotia."
BE it enabled by the Savate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America,
in Congress assembled, T hat Samuel Rogers,
one of the claimants under the add intided
“ An aft for the relief of the refugees from
the Britilh provinces of Canada and N<)va-
Scotia," shall be entitled to two thousand
two hundred and forty acres of land to be
located in the manner and within the boun
daries of the tract designated by the acd to
vthich this aft is a fupplemem, and Ihall re
ceive a patent for the lame in the manner
directed by the laid lall mentioned aCL
'NATHI. MACON,
Speaker of the Houje of Representatives.
STEPHEN R. BRADLEY,
Prejdert of the Senate pro tempore.
March 3, 1803.
Approved,
TH: JEFFERSON.
- ■— ■»W2Q^ — —^^^ —
VINDICATION
OF THE
MEASURES
OF THE
PRESENT ADMINISTRATION.
By ALGERNON SIDNEY.
Mifcellanv.
We were told that by abolishing the late
judiciary system we Ihould loosen the bauds
of civil society, destroy the constitution of
our country, and defeat the operations of
jullice. But the system was abolished—the
bands of society are not loosed—peace, order,
and happiness prevail—the constitution re
tains its youthful energy—the judges of the
supreme court have sanctioned the law —and
justice is felly administered as heretofore.
All the purposes of society are anfwered—
an important constitutional principle fettled
—and an expense saved equal to the support
of some of tlie state governments#
We were told that by abolishing the inter
nal taxes, we ihould destroy the nation's
credit, violate its faith, dry up its resources,
and deprive the government of the means of
support. But by the economical arrange
ment of the government, the reductions of
expenditure exceed the reductions of revenue,
I more than 200,000 dollars, thus the ,cople
were relieved from annual taxes amounting
to near a million of dollars, and from ahthe
delay, expense and ^mbarrahinents ariling
from the whole fyfieXof internal taxation,
and the government is ^ (hfr ground than
the preceding adminn't ration..
The opeolition has ;mL- vorM io excite
popular difeontent on account of repealing
the excise on carriages and domeflic refined
sugars. After having themselves doubled the
taxes on salt, tea and brown lugar, while
they wefc in power, after having ridiculed
the rights of the pt ple for years, after
bellowing on them every epithet which
they had genius to invite or knowledge to bor
row, when they no longer guide the helm of
ftate,they have attempted to palm themselves
upon the public, as the champions of the
rights of the people, and the advocates of
those in humbler circumstances. They have,
hfely and artfully represented, that the
republicans, whom they usually fligmatife
as poor, have directed their attention to per
sons of fortune, to the exclusion of the
humble and dependent. With forne who
are uninformed they have been too fuccefsful
while the friends of the government, confid
ing in its integrity, and tire wisdom andutility
of its measures, have neglected to. commu
nicate a correct Itatement of fads. The
public mind is correct ; it will pronounce
an inq artial and just judgment when rightly
informed ; it demands a knowledge of the
case ; its claim thall be complied with.
It has been represented that rhe taxes
upon pleasurable carriages, and refined su
gars havs been repealed, this is true so
far as refpeCts the excise ; but falfe as it re
lates to the import.
Whenever a coach, chaise, phaeton or
other carriage is imported, a tax is levied
upon it equal to one fifth of its value, that
is to fay, upon a coach worth 660 dollars, a
tax of one hundred and twenty, upon a
phaeton worth 300 dolls, a tax of sixty, and
upon a chafe worth too dollars, a tax of for
ty televied. Parts of carriages are taxed in
the fame proportion. When a coach or
other carriage is built in the United States,
every material used in# its completion, which
comes from a foreign country, is taxed.
Nothing is exempted but the labor cf cur
own mechanics. The timber from our
farms, the iron from our manufactories, and
such oilier articles as are produced by the
ingenuity and labour of our citizens. Thus
for the broad cloth a tax is paid equal to
one eighth of its value, and for the carpeting,
leather, paints, tailhs, laces, fringes and
other triinmings, fifteen cents for the value
of one dollar. So when a citizen purchases
ahundred pounds of foreign loaf sugar, he
pays a tax of nine dollars ; when he pur
chases a hundred pounds of brown sugar,
the tax he pays is only two and a half dollars.
10 produce a hundred pounds of loaf sugar,
requires two hundred and fifteen pounds of
brown fughr ; the difference in weight is
lOR by the pricefs of clarifying. This two
hundred and sixteen pounds of brown sugar
is purchased by the manufacturer, and he
pays Norita tax of five d.llars and forty
cents ;of him the consumer purchases it,
and pays the firmed!, the tax and the ex
pense of refilling. This consumer, there
fore, lupports an ufeful manufacture of our
own, and pays as much for each pound of
sugar he uses, as he who consumes brown
fu.:ar pays sot two pounds and one eighth.
Now it is a fa&, which will not be con
troverted, that adding the excise upon the
carriage, to the duties levied upon the mod
ex pensive -articles of which it is made, in
creales the expense to such a degree, as to
bdUn essentially the number of purchasers.
So adding to the tax upon brown sugar, the
excise upon that clarified by our own cit
izens, reduces materially the number of
consumers. The excise, therefore, operat
ed dire&!y to the injury of the sugar boilers,
the carriage builders and all perlons by them
employed, either in furnifhing or manufac
turing the materials of our own country, or
in preparing those of other countries for the
use designed.
Nor ought we to compute that the rev
enue of government is lessened to the a
mount derived from the excise on those ar
ticles. Bccaufe the importation^ the ar
ticles necessary for the mechanics, and man
ufacturers, always will be in proportion to
the demand for them, or, in other words, to
thequantum used ;aud the revenue by im
port is in proportion to the importation.
I herefore to afeertain what reduction of the
revenue will in reality take place from the
repeal of these excites,it is necessary to deduct
from the gross amount of revenue derived
from them, the encreafed amount of import
upon the articles of which they are made.
The balance, if any thing, constitutes the
true reduction of revenue. The excise has
not been removed fufficient time to enable
any person to make this ertimation. But I
do not hesitate to fay that, in a little time,
the increased demand for, and consumption
of these articles, will produce an increase
of import equal to the reduction of revenue,
which actually took place by abolishing the
excise. Here let me aik, why ihould laws
be so courtruaed as to injure the interests of
these mechanics and manufacturers, and to
check their laudable enterprise and industry,
any more than they Ihould be to check the
industry of t^e cabinet-maker, the gold-fmitu
the silver-smith, the watch-maker the engra
ver and all the artiiT in the ufeful and ele
gant arts of life ? Why ihould the labour of
one man be taxed,and the labor of ail others
remain free? Is not the farmer willing
that his son, who devotes his life .to manu
factures, or the mechanic arts, ihould have
an equal chance tor happiness with that son,
who devotes himfelf to agriculture ? Are
not the other mechanics, and othar manu
facturers willing that the sugar boilers and
carriage builders Ihould Hand on equal
ground with themfelie< ? All must p^y for
the support of government.
While the ration relies on import for her
revenues, the tax is laid directly on the labors
and products of other countries, and indircß
f on our own citizens, the consumer of the
richest and mod valuable articles pays the
highest tax, the consumer of the plainest
and cheapelt, the lead. For instance, he,
who consumes the richert tea, pays as great
a tax for a fmgle pound, as he, who con
sumes common tea, pays for three pounds
and a third. Each man pays only in pro
portion to what he consumes ; but the farm
r pays least of all, because be lives mart
within himfelf.
The government by repealing the inter
nal taxes has given equal play to the genius,
enterprize and activity cf all. It has re
moved the shackles which retarded the oper
ations of industry. An cxcife system is to
the body politic, what the consumption is to
the natural body. It Reais upon the frame.
It operates imperceptibly. It deceives the
patient from time to time, with the appear
ance of returning health, bu^ it gradually
undermines the system and ends in dilloln
tion. Thus the nation perishes, while the
officers, bloated and swelled by rioting on
her property, expire of adropfy. The hum.
ble and distressed condition of the common
people of Europe, furniihes proof of the
truth of this assertion too impressive and
ineligible ever to be forgotten by the citi
zens of this country.
(To be continued.)
^^©ec&r.XT—-
A letter from unqueftionabl * authority at
Washington, enables us to Rate to our read
ers, that the Spaniih minilter, in the hurry
of his late communication to the Secretary
of State, omitted a very important and inter
eßing article, in the dispatches from his
Government. His Catholic Majeßv has
authorifed the Marquis de la Casa
Yrujo, to allure the Government of the
United States, that in the retroceffion of
Louisiana to the French Republic, there is
an express Ripulation, that the rights secured
to other nations by treaty, shall be sacredly
and inviolably observed. So far, therefore,
as the faith of nations is a pledge for the in
joyment of our rights, we have all the fecur
ny fcr the free navigation of the Mdiiuppi,
which can poflibly be obtained, without the
abfolcte pofsellion of the territory. Wehave
nothing, therefore, but the hope of conqueß,
tomduce us to go to war with France and
Spain. If the powers of Europe are again
to be involved in a bloody and ruinous con
flict,can there be any question as to the policy
we are bound to pursue r Is this the moment
to quarrel for a territory, which we do not
immediately want ? when, by adopting a
fvßem of rigid neutrality, we may derive
advantages from the conflict, of more impor
tance to our country, than even the pof
felucn of Louisiana and the Florida—when,
on the other hand by plunging into n^
vortex of their wild and rumlefe contention,
our country may be laid desolate, our credit
must be deluged, and the broken fragments
of our commerce will be found floating on
every billow of the ocean ! !—No one who
feels an interest in the prosperity of our coun
try, can doubt, for a moment, the courle
which it is our duty to pursue. It has been
marked out to ns by Washington, and
our President is following the dips of his
illustrious predecessor. God grant he may
not be turned afidc from the path of hisduty,
by the threats of his enemies, or the clamors
of a reftlcfs and disappointed tadion!
CHARLESTON, APRIL 21.
AN address was lately presented to the
President of the United Srate c , from the
Frefidcnt and members of the Jeffe-fcra
Monticello Academy, in this State. The fol
lowing letter was returned in anfwer,accom
panied with a liberal donation :—
" IPcfargton, March I, 1803.
"sir,
" Your favour of the 19th ult. was received
by General Winn, and 1 feel with due fcn
libility the tertimony of approbation given me
by the name you have been pleated to affix to
your inllnutior.. Sincerely ahiend to feience,
I am happy to lee it riling in every quarter.
I am a friend to it because I believe it the
only 2gent which can hold tyranny and big
otry in check. The people themfelvts are the
only fafe deposit of their own rights ; and to
make them fete they mutt be informed to a
certain degree. No instance 1 believe is
known of an ignorant people remaining
free after they were organized into a govern
ment. While unorganized us our Indians
they are free becauft they have no Magistra
tes, nor any laws which these magistrates,
can wield until they raise themselves above
them. I fihccrly with you may be able,
either from public or private patronage, to
maintain the iukimtion in a Huiilhing date.
I beg leave to present thro' Gen. Winn,
such an aid as the extenffve contribution
under which I am laid in beh^lf of similar
institutions in every part of the Union leave
at my disposal ; and 1 pray you to accept tor
yourfelfand your associate trustees, ailuran
ces of my great refpeCl and confederation.
Th : JEFFERSON.
“ PHILLIP PEARSON, Esq."
FIRE! troy, may
On Sunday morning last, about 4 o'clock, a fire
was dbcovered breaking out from a Halter's fliop
owned & occupied by Mr. Jonathan Hatch, in the
north part ot the village. The inhabitants were
immediately alarmed, and every poflihle aid and
exertion contributed to check the fury and deiirnc
tive progress 0! the flames; the molt unremitting
efforts proved however ineffectual, till one entire
block ot buildings were reduced to allies. A more
rapid devastation was net er before witntfit d; la
the bunt space of two hours eleven buildings were
hid in ruius.—The block being compact, and the
materials principally pine, rendered the more in
flammable trom the remarkable dry nets 01 the sea
son, baffled every well dir< tied atttmpt of the cit
izens. —Brtenateiy, nodives weie left, nor any
perlon materially injured, though many were im
minently exposed, and fever 1 barely eleaped the
flames. Tin fire w..s driven obliquely by the wind
on to the range of buddings on the opposite of the
Itreet ; the *h Ie of which, we announce v it'd
surprise, were nrracatoufly saved; all erf them
being more or So-burnt and damaged. Tie win
dew glass of lc b rat, e+pofeu to tire interne hear
was melted 0. crocked.
The names of the filterers, and an eflimate of
the lots Inflamed, are as Inflows :—Audrey Hemp
bill, ? new untirih d Home, ann fir p, 1256 dol
lars ; Jonathan ft ten, a (hop including his fleck
and tools, 1,00 debars ; John Raymond, a house
occupied by Motes, Co^ben, 125 dollars ; David
Ciornby, a boule, 250 dolus; ifme Scowls two
boules occupied by inndell and 1 hr mas Letfley,
1200 dollars ; Henry Connrad, 2 • oufes, one oc
cupied by Mr. Hart, 1000 dollars ; D del Stovvel,
one house, 1200 dollars.—Total 10ft,6820 dollars'
Including the deftrudion of furniture, &c. and
damages, the whole loss may be moderately clli
maied at. 8000 dollars.
BOSTON, MAY 12.
Capt. Gould, who arrived yesterday im
the brig Catharine in 38 days from Bordeaux,
informs, when he left there, transports were
fitting out LT St. D imingo, and that there
was a press to man them. Capt. G, also
informs that the probability of war between
France and England w as Rill great.
The “ j urnal ax Commerce;' of March
27, fays--“ T'be Dw of Algiers having re
ceived 86,000 dollars from Spain, and very
conliteruble prefects from Denmark font for
citizen Thaiuvillc, Comninary General of
the French Republic, and told him, that all
nations lent him money, and that the firft
Confid has negheted, and had sent nothing.
That France formerly fcnt him presents.
Citizen T hainvide then reminded him of the
article in the letter to the Firß Consul, by
Gen. HGin, in which the Day renounced all
claims to prefn:„. This reply threw the
Day into a violent pallicn, witii Litre thre
atening. Upon the arrival of this news at
?aris, the Mimiier cf Marine uacd out two
frigates for Algiers, under the command of
citizen Gordon with orders to take on
board the CommifTarvGential ; nd his family,
and to inform the Dey, that il he once de
clared war, he ooh remember, shat he could
not tell where it would end. Upon the
arrival of the frigates ;he people crowded
the palace cf the D^y to reprefcut to him the
evils which threatened them. The Dey,
sent for Thainville and demanded the inten
tion in fending the fregates. He told the
Dey the orders from France. D> you wilh
to have war with me r said the Dey. No,
replied the commilTary, but the First Consul
is too powerful to be your tribitary. After
some dispute, the Dey added, He (hall pay
nothing: I wiili to be at peace with
him. Write to him that I recall my de
mand. So the affair ended. The Com
milUiy was conducted from the palace of the
Latest by the Mails.