Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-01-14

i;dered it as nv particular misfortune TO
be oppofed, ! am now inhabits OF coffei-
pondence and friendihip; and i am con-
cerned for the necefity which has given
birth 90 this relation.
Whether the delegates of thoie itates
fpoke thetlapgunge ofther conitituents
whether it may be conf Tered as the per.
nancnt interelf Of fuch l}a,es to repreis the
growth and increadog population OF the
Wefiern Country, are points which | can
not pretend 70 determine. mutt obtefve,
however, that always iuppoied It would,
for variety of reafons prove injurious to
every part ofthe conlederacy. Iheie are
well anderfooa and need not be dllated on
here. If, however, fuch ihould be the
intere(t OF ieven fates, let gentlemen con-
template the consequences in the operation
Of the government, as it applies to this
fubjeet. I have always been OF opinion,
fir, that the American fates to all national
objects, had in every relpett common
intereit. Few perfons would be willing
TO bind them together by a itronger or
more indiiToluble bond, or give the ma
tional government more power than my
felf. | only with to prevent 1t from DO
ing harm, either to ttates or individuals I;
and the rights and interets Of both, in
variety Of ineances, in which they are
now lett unprotected, might, in my OPT
Mon, be better guarded. If | have mli-
taken any facts, honorable gentlemen will
correct me. If omitted any, as II has
not been intentional, 70 | fhall be hap
py with their afitance to lupply the de-
fee.
Mr.. Monroe added feveral other obier-
vations, the purporr of which was that
the intereR of the Wefern Country would
not be as fecure under the propofed,c onlti-
tuition, as under the confederation btcaufe
under the latter fyRem the Miailippi could
not be relinquihed without the content OF
nine itates, whereas by the former, he fald,
majority, OF feven aates, could yield it.
His own opinion was, that it would be
given up by a majority of the Senate pre-
ient 10 the lenate, with the pleildent,
which would put it in the power OF leis
than feven itates to lurrender it. That
the nothern fates were inclined TO yield 1t.
That il was their in,eret to prevent an
augmentation of the Southern influence
and power and that as mankind in ge-
neral, and fates in particular, were 60
yerned by interea, the Northern fates
would not fail of availing ,hemlelves of
the opportunity given them by the coniti-
tuition, Of relinquiihing that river, in or
der to depreis the Wettern Country, and
prevent the fouthern intere& from prepon-
derating.l
Mr.. Henry then arole, and reqnefed
that the honorable gentleman MIR. Mon
roe) would difcover the ref OF the project,
and what Spain was to do on her part, as
an equivalent for the cehion OF the Milf
fGppi.
MIR. Monroe. Mr.. Chairman, do not
thoro'ly recollca every circumtance rela-
tive to this project. But there was TO be
a commercial ntercourfe between the Uni
ted States and Spain. We were TO be al
lowed to carry our produce to the ports
of Spain and the Spaniards to have an ca
quail right of trading hither. II wass I'll
pulated, that there fhould be reciprocity
of commercial intercourles ard benefits
between the lubjeets of Spain and the Ct.
tizens!of the United States. he manu-
features of Spain were TO be freely I'M
ported and vended in this country, and
our manufacturers TO be carried to Spain
Sc. without obfru6tion, and both parties
were to have mutual privileges in point of
commercial intercourse and connection.
This FIR, is the amount of the project of
Spain, which was looked upon as advan-
tageous to US. thought myfelf, that it
was NOT. | conidered Spain as being
without manufactures, as the mott flow