Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-03-10
ever be hreuethened
ydnin!0ration

the peope are ien6ble Of paying.
Ne were next told, that to get an ar.
my an Indian wal was neceaary. The
remark was extremely bald, as the hon.
gentleman did not aliedge Jingle reafon
/ for the petition. He did no, undertake.
/ TO fate, thar it was wanton war, OF
provoked by the government. He did
not even venture to deny, thar it was a
war OF defence, and entered into IN order
to protect our brethren on the frontiers
from the bloody fcalping knife, and muir.
dereus tomahawk OF the favage. What
| ought the government to have done =
Ought they to have eiliinated the value
of the blood which probably would be
lhed, ard the amount Of the devafasion
likely to be committed before they deter
mined on reGaaneel They railed an army
and after great expence and various tor
tune they have fecured the peace and fate.
,y of the frontiers. But, why was the
army mentioned on this location, unleis
TO forewarn US of the fate which awaits
them, and to tell US, that their days are
numberedl / canrot luppcie, that the
gentleman mentioned this little army, dit.
tributed on line of three thoufand miles,
for the purpofe of giving alarm to three
hundred thouiand free ard brave yeoman-
ry ever ready to defend the liberties OF
the country.
The hon. gentleman proceeded to in
form the committee, that TIE government,
ayailing itfelf of the depredations of the
A4gs,;"s., created a navy. Did the
gentleman mean to intimate, that this
war was invited by the United Statess
Has he any document or proof to rem.
der the fufpicion coIourable! No, fir,
he has none. He we'll knows thar the
Algeline asgreiIions we're extremely
embarrdiiing TO the government. When
they commenced, we had n, marine
force to oppofe to them. We had no
harbours or places of faelter in the Me
diterranean. A war with thele pi-
rates could he attended with neither no.
no, nor profit. 1t might cot a great
deal of blood, and in the end it might
be feared that corteR 70 far from
home fubjett to numberlels hazards and
difficulties, could not be maintained.
What would gentlemen have had rhe
government to do )? know there ara
thofe who are ready to anlwer-aban.
don the Mediterranean trade. But
would this have dore! The corfairs
threatened to pats the S,reights, and
were expected in the Atlantic. Nay,
CIR, i, was thought that Our very COATS
would not have been fecure.
Will gentlemen 60 farther and fay,
that the United States ought to relin-
quiih their commerce. believe this O..
p,nion has high authority to fupPort it.
1t has been laid, that we ought to be
only cultivarors of the earth, and make
the nations of Europe our carriers.
This is not an location to examine
the folidity of this opinion; but will
only ak, admitting the administration
were diipoied to turnthc purfuits of the
pe,ple of this country from the Ocean
to the land, whether there is a power in
the gov eminent, or whether there wou d
b. # we were as itfong as the govern
mens OF Turkey, or even OF France, 10
accomplish the object With fea
coat of 1900 miles, with innumerable
harbours and inlets, with people enter
prizing beyond example, is i, poilible to
fay, you will have no thiqs or failors, nor
merchants, The people of this coun-
try will never conftnt to give up their
navigation, and every administration
will lind them!elves conitraired to pro-
v,d, means to project their commerce.
In reject to the Algerines the late
administrations were ingularly untortu-
nate. They were obliged to fight or
pay Them. The true policy was TO hold
a purie in one hand and fword in The
otn1. This was the policy of the 60
vernment. Every commercial nation ~
Eorope was tributary to thefe petty
L..:,o. II wae mr. o1eeued MI