The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-11-05 00:00:00, page 2

f cannot pro tot. I deem it no sacrifice
of dignit), to say to the Em lathan of the
deep, we arc unable to contend with you
on your own element, but if you come
within our actual limits, we will shed
our last drop of bloo.l in their defence.”
1 would not engage this great agricul
tural country, the real Farmers and the
Mechanics, in a war for the protection
of such cjuisoeul citizens as seamen, nor
to enable a few merchants to tread tin
Turkish and Persian carpets, and burn
the perfumes of the East in their vault
ed rooms.”
W’hat is the character of those men,
for w hose security we are to be involved
in war P Are not sailors citizens of any
and < very countrv ? Do they not become
En;di 'linen, Frenchmen.Swedes, Danes
md Americans, for the best wages ?—
i'h v are literallv citizens of the world.
They have no particular countrv,
speak of a m y ,rity of them) unless
when .Lo
at the four seamen taken horn to * Che
sapeake. One is an Am wican, wh >, in
violai: > t oi his duty as a neutral, ha l
entere 1 into the service of a beiliiv rent.
One 1 -> an American mulatto, one a Pe
ruvian, an.I one an Englishman. l’or
such characters we are to wage war.—
For such characters th • American Far
mers and Mechanics are to spill th ir
blood and spend their propertv. Tor a
few him Irecl such men, six millions of
souls are to suffer the deprivatl >ns and
horrors of war. I am determined that
my voice shall be heard—.
“ Vociferating no, forever no 1”
We will no sooner be eng iged in war
for the protection of those seamen, *ha 1
the great majority will desert us. i'hev
svill become citizens of some venal
country, who will give them highir wa
ge-, ard upon whose n -utralitv the-', will
r> ly for protection. W c -will then find
the value of those principles which we
now exclaim against. (Jar comma oe
will dwindle, if for no other cause, !<>r
the want ol marina . Other neutral
nations will reap the harvest of wealth,
in wnk u v. e h •. r w. Ho\v<d during our
iv. miaul . v. t ,ii hen be comp* lied,
cither to abu ton the ( -can, hi a
c > gr e, or to cnfv.c- the win doc?r nts
agai t which i will b ...
It nn-.v oe (<.ikecl, il I o d ! . j-1 no
f) otecticn to our c .t / ns c: ; d in
commerce h Certainly I would, i would
ende. "our, by tr« aty, to liKlK i . t. the
rigorous » rccuti-n. oi this priutipl. . ]
would make ision to compuuuti
them, in some degree, for their losses. I
•would extend the aid anti assistance of
the government to them indi\ i dually. 1
would require our foreign ministers and
consuls to point out to them, and assist
the mi in resorting to a legal mode ol're
dress. The English claim no right to
impress native Americans, l'ue officer
who does so, does it at his peril, lie, is
like (ien. Wilkinson, liable to an action
for damages ; and to this action every
individual should resort and t th ’pro
tection of the government. The Far
mer may think as he pleases ; hut was
the < isc mv own, I should feel a perfect
confidence that a Wcstminst r jury
would give me ample remuneration.
Who gains In the earning trade?
T1 merchant, aud th tan alone.
The community at large have no inter
est in it. Even the impost duties are
draw n hack. X .r is it of a durable na
ture. It is tht mushroom, the fungus
of war. ’ A* th. first dawn of a general
peace it will be annihilated. Idle mcr
ch tuts, if they felt the warm glow of ge
nuine patriotism, would not a«k their
< itry to wa ; wa for this trade.. That
| patru. i ;m which demands a v ;r in sup
i port oi this trad e, has been j>’sllv defin
ed, a the heroism of track and trait! —
the public spirit of sordid av arice."
I n ■ Fakmkr does n t uniter.->tan ! the
doctrine of search. The r: pit to search
for enemy’s property, and to sh ee if, if
found on board a n utrd, . an acknow
ledged principle of t'ne law ol nations.
It i > not ‘•k the llriti >h nssum 1 right."
It was not, as the Fakmkr asserts, a
*l r. ov doctrine” in 17*J3. it was the
practice ol maritime nations long before
we !>■ came a nation.
ill Fakmkr asks “ what would hr
our situation under such submis ion .v"
T.et e\p r’ance ans.vti. .Ev, r since v. -•
have been a nation, w have submbfi d
: i these or similar in ouvetii iuen. Vet
nc have increased in v, e'.dtlx and pros
perity beyond all fort »c r e v.implc. 's' j
nation t v -r attained t u: same If -h stand
ing in th same period of time. Yet the
Fa r ■ ii R- would a and n the j alii oi
peace, upon which we inve Unveiled to
our pr K-ent gr- atm .% an l embark in
war, upon the “ dreaming c.dcakuioa.i >f
j in -atiate nv u ice-.'”
j I ur. reminded by tie* Farm.' a, ].r
I an myself i:ivo’r i-,t V. . that upon t:
1 nan i ision I was for war, and ih u
: the errors <d other, do not justify nr
trio . S trill sk the Far * a pi
1 'lU.iLv'm ■ JLhu not th; v ar mciburcs o!
the Federalists furnish the principal
Aver.pons with which they were driven
from cilice ? He knows they did. The
Federalists attempted to commence a
naval war, but the people determined a
gainst th in, and ejected them from of.
lice, 1 iiis was a manifestation of public
opinion ; a declaration by the people
them selves . gainst naval and offensive
warfare. Am I inconsistent, if 1 re
nounce opinions-explo led by the people,
and acquiesce in their decision ?—due
how stands the account ot errors with
the Farmf.r and his friends ? They ei
ther misled the people on the subject of
war, and procured them to eject the Fe
deralists from office without cause, cr
tin v are now endeavouring to goad them
into a naval Avar contrary to their wel
| fare an 1 interest, and in direct contra
diction of former principles.
Hut there is no inconsistencA*. We
have been invaded. “■ Who will sa\’ we
i have not been invaded, Avhen our citi
zens have been m h red within our
own jurisdiction ny a national lorce r
Hi is i. capital. It is in fact an admis
sion that ii the attack on th • Chesapeake
does not am >unt to invasion, then the
Farm: x and his fricn.ls arc not consist
ent. What ' we have been invaded Ly
an attack upon the high seas ! We have
i been invaded, but no hostile foot ha:
been set upon oursh .res! W c hav- beei»
invaded by an enemy, whom we can on
ly lind by traversing the ocean 1 We
hive been invaded. By whom/ Uy
what ? Not 1 -a Ian 1 armv, but, gi ntlc
r . h r, by the Briti h trig: tc Leopard t
and t veil she has not, like gun-boat No.
1, invaded our corn lie1 Is, hut remained
on her own element ! !-Hut what h_s.
tni . argument to do w ith seamen and
tile carrying trade ? / yr- c t hat the (ti
‘ach nj'sn ‘he Chf'.i. J>cch:\ t’nough no in
v sio , *»(■•«•; mi h width we are
tr.uiul in hon'.ur ii.:. If this ont
mge is ’.’jo/, (tv.il reparation
ivaile, kk i v 'jtic ~u> stillJjT war." idy
ssay , 1 owe vi t, W( ri predicat* d upon
he principle that tins reparation would
he math .
; 1 tuinnot conclude w ithout relieving
j trie Far ii k Iroin !us apprehensions oi
i mv designs a . iin-: the redoubtable Dit
j :»ne. ly quotations from the Aurora
( '•! ir&8, vv -re not ini ndtd to have any
j ariag ii|>on the connisUmty oi’ this
, ,*e t ir. m. J his paper was at that tirue
* li*' 1 l v II njanru Franklin Bache, a
% u ’ ' >n \ a un J (.'/<' its and science,
and a r.uti,t? Amcntun. A do rot.know, .