Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1803-11-18
CONGRESSIONAL.

The quantity Of important business bJore
the house fer the last rUeek, las pre-
vented the repor:er from furnishing us
Nth the whole ofthe debates, in their
regular order.- They 1uiH appear as
s99n as they can be prepared from the
notes-TKe cannot, hoIOeoer, any ou-
srdt!aY gratifying our readers rith
the maiden speech Of Mr.. Purviaace.
Jndging from this specimen Of the ta-
tents and eIoquence efttat .gen.lema an,
TOE lao& iorpard Nth pleasure to his
parliamentary career; not dau6fng
bw that it 1uiH6e eminentiy useful to
his country and highly honorable to
himself: Several Of the neru members
haze taken a part in the interesting de-
bates, which haze occupied the house
the last 1Deek. As far as see can judge
from these NE cannot but thi,lk that the
federaLists, tho they have lost a Bay
ard, a Rutledgc ,lda HemphiA, 1uiR
still command a superiority Of talents
and information in the house.
WAsHINcT F EDERALIsT.
Dir. Purvianee. am clearly and de-
cidedly in favor of the resolution on
your table, promising the appropriations
for carrying the treaty between France
and this country into effect; and sin.
cerely regret that in doing so shall act
adversely to the general sentiment of the
gentlemen with whom I confess, with
pleasure and with pride, Ihave hitherto
politically associated.
1t i, true l am, and always have been
opposed to the general tenor of the pre-
sent administration. It has not appeared
10 me to possess that bold, commanding
aspect, that erect and resolute front,
which ought to be assumed BY the execu-
tive of a free people. when claiming sa-
for a wrong sustained /; it has
not shewn that strong, muscular, athle-
tic shape, which is calculated to intimi-
date aggression, or which is enabled to
resist it nor has it appeared to me to
have demonstrated that firm, digni6ed,
manly tone Of virtue and Of spirit. which
resting on The love ola free people, and
Of their strength, can ask for
the prompt, direct, and unequivocal sa-
to which it is entitled, and be-
ing denied, can take it it has not APP
peared to me like the veteran chief, wil-
ling to grid his loius in defence, of his
country's rights, but III I may use the
magma compoaere pa vfs9 it has in my
mind more resembled the militia subal-
tern, who directed bis soldiers not to FIRE
on the enemy. lest the enemy might fire
again.
Under such an administration it has
appeared to me betterto obtain the coded
territory on any terms, -than not to have
it at all. five do not possess the spirit
or the means of doing ourselves justice,
it were then better that we bride those
who are in a situation to modest US, and
prevent them doing US an INJURY which
we cannot or which we will not ayenge.
There are. but two WAYS Of maintaining
our independence as nation--men and
naoney--since we did not use the first,
we must have recourse 70 the last. One
of these two we SHOULD be compelled to
resort to if France gained possession Of
and we had better resort to
il now. ]. deny that they have As yet
gained possession--they have notreceiv.
ell any delivery of the fourredoubts which
garrison and command the country nor