Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-11-08
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| or 1lr. Paryiance, delivered III he house Of
representatives oats Iuesday, the s5fR at.
| respecting a prosision for carrying mo
effect the lase treaty and con9e,stien 1sith
France.
Mr.. Purviance. am clearly and de-
! cidedly in favor of the resolution on your
table, promising the appropriation. for car
rying the treaty between France and this
country into effect; and sincerely regret
that in doing so shall act adversely to the
general sentiment of the gentlemen with
whom | confess, with pleasure and with
pride, have hitherto politically associ-
ated.
Its true + an, and always have been OPP
posed to the general tenor OF the present
administration. 1t has not appeared to me
to possess that bold, commanding aspect,
that erect and resolate front, which ought
to be assumed by the executive Of a free
people, when claiming satisfaction for a
wrong sustained; it has not shewn that
strong, muscular, athletic shape, which is
calculated to intimidate aggression or which
is enabled to resist it; nor has it appeared
tome to have demonstrated that firm, Dig
nihed, manly tone OF virtue and OF spirit,
which resting on the love Of free people,
and conscious of their strength, can ask for
the prompt, direct, and unequivocal salts
faction to which it is entitled, and being de-
MED, can take it; it has not appeared to me
ike the veteran chief, wiling TO grid his
loins in defence Of his eountry's rights, but
Of | may use the magma c0mp0nere pdrUis)
it has in my mind more rcsembled the MI
litia suba!tern, who directed his soldiers not
to fire on the enemy, lest the enemy might
FIRE again.
Under such an administration it has ap-
peared to me better to obtain the ceded ter
ritory on any terms, than not to have it at
all. 1--we do not possess the spirit or the
means of doing ourselves justice, il were
then better that we bride those who are in
situation to modest us, and prevent them
doing Us an injury which we cannot or
which we will not avenge. There are but
two ways OF maintaining our independence
as 2 nation-men and money-since we did
not use the first we must have recourse to
the last, One of these two we should be
compelled toresort to If France gained pos
session of Louisiana, and we had better re-
sort to it now. deny that they have as
yet gained possession-they have not re-
ceived any delivery of theJfour dedoubts
which garrison and command the country,
nor have they single armed soldier there,
except those few which are particularly at
tached to the equipage of the colonial pre-
feet. Ii, sir, we were obliged to resort to
the necessity of purchasing their friend
. ship, after they hadrprocured an establish
ment, it would not be confined to one IN
stance Of humiliation and acknowled gment,
/ on our part, or one instance only of insult
on theirs. If we purchased their friend
! ship once, we should be compelled to make
! annual contributions to their avarice, and
/: be annually subjected to their insolence.-
Repeated concessions would only produce
a repetition Of injury, and at last, when we
had completely compromised our national
/ dignity, ard offered up our last cent as an
oblation of Gallo rapacity, we should then
/: DC IartneT from COnCll2tlOn tnGI ever he
! spiritof universal domination instead of be-
i ing allayed by the means which had been
Y used for its abatement, would rage with re-
!, doubled fury; elated with the sacrifices
(which had been intended to appease it, it
would grow more ferce-it would soon
{ stride across the Mississippi, and every en-
I croachment which conquest or which cum
ming could effect might be expected; the
tomahawk OF the savage and the knife of
) the negro would confederate inthe league,
/ and there would be no interval of peace
Until we should either be able to drive them
9ors, tlae1r lncatin,a altcnet,er or else nfxiAr