Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1801-02-09
LegiAature Of MqDacbulStt5.
ANSWER or TIE HOUSE 0 REPRESENTATIVE
TO THE GOTERNOR'S SPEECH
LAY i pleafs your Excellency,

~ II q COF DAWN - ~ @<1@Ga4s
May il pleafs your Ezcellency,
THE Houfa of Representatives prefent
their thanks to your ExceIlency for the imPor-
tant communicative you have been plealed to
make il your address TO the two branches Of
the Legi1ltcre.
The general fcene Of PROPERTY and pro-
gredive improvement exhibited to our view ia
the various parts Of the Commonwealth, do,
indeed, afford juf cauf7 Of fatisfa6tiOa and mu-
tuI reorganization.
The fruitfunef, If the faaGons, the flcccE Of
our flheries and commerce, together with the
general fate Of health, and many other bleC.
flags Of an all bountiful Providence, during the
lat year, ought TO excite our gratitude which
viii be much enhanced by 2 contraR Of our Gt-
uation with great part Of Europe, where the
horrors Of war have feemed to threaten the ex-
tinguifhmenJ Of individual and focal happi-
Deis.
Rejoicing, as we Do, ia this fate Of public
felicity, we fhall at the rJme time faithfully en-
deavor to lecure and perpstuate the intereRs
and reputation Of our Condiments to check
to the utmult of our power the growth Of vice
and impiety-to cherilh the inRitutions for
moral intrusion and the education of youth
and 10 maintain the principles Of jJRice, and
provide for its equal adminitration in every
part Of the Commonwealth. For we believe
that religion and virtue, jufice and general in
formation, are the only fecuritiss Of free
government.
We cordially unite with your Excellency in
fentment, thar our obligations to fuPport the
Federal Conaitution, require US to attend to
national affairs to endeavour to diffule correct
information concerning them among our fell
low. citizens, to remove groundlefs preudIces
and difcountenance the lpisit Of party, al undue
attachment TO any foreign nation, and to do all
in our power to incraale the relpeaability of
the American character.
The commencement Of the maratime war in
Europe was diaiuguiihed by the policy and
wifdom Of the General Government Decid-
ing at once upon an exact and imPa rtial neu-
trality, it had juf caufe to expect to prelerve
our rights unmoleRed by its religious fulhlment
Of treaties and facred regard to the laws of ma
tons. But the iealouly Of the belligerent pow
ers, loon led them to obaru6 our commerce,
which they julti6ed on fuch pretexts as con-
TRAINED the government to have recourle to
our own exertions for that fecuritY, which it in
vain expected from their Juice. Accordingly
a naval force was created the 1ervices of which
have reltrained depreciation, and opened to
view refources for a day Of aill greater trial.
We entirely agree with you, Sir, that deli
cate aud hazardous is the PTedicament Of
neutral nation. Such petition cannot geEer-
ally be long maintained unlefs by respectable
armed force. With fuch a force its COM
mand, a neutral nation may mott common
" have its reafonable complaints redrehej,
without being mlelled to the eGercile of its
energy.
As we are of opinion that the General Gov.
eminent, in our foreign relations, has uniform
ly acted with moderation, imPartiality and VIII
dom, 10 we conceive, that We 1hould, on this