Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1804-09-29


has appeared in several papers. Ii is
therefore open TO examination, and Of
Ter you my remarks upon it. The tile
and introductory paragraph are as fol.
lows:
/" TO Ute Congress Of The United StcecS, il,
" Senate and House Of Rzresentatves
convened.
We the subscribers, planters, mer-
" chants, and other inhabitants of louisa
ma respectfully approach the Legislature
"ot the United States, with memorial of
our rights, a remonstrance agaustcertain
" laws which contravene them, and pe,i-
" ton forthat redress 10 which The laws of
nature, sanctioned by positive stipulaii-
Z" ons have entitled us"
1t often happens that when one party,
or one that thinks itself party, talks much
about It's rights. it puts those Of The other
party upon examining into their own, and
such is the effect produced by your me-
mortal.
A single reading Of that memorial will
shew 1t is the work of some person W no is
not OF your people. His acquaintance
and termination of the American revolu-
ton decides this point and his making our
merits in that revolution the ground of
your claims, as if our merits could become
yours, shews he does not understand uour
situation.
We obtained our rights by calmly IN
Outstanding principles, and by the success.
tu) event oil long, obstinate, and expen-
sive war. But it is not incumbent OH US
to fight the battles of the world for the
worlds profit. You are already partici.
pating, without any merit or expense in
obtaining 1t, the blessings of freedom &C
CURED by ourselves and in proportion as
you become initiated into the principles
and practice oil the representative system
OF government, Of which you have yet had
no experience, you viii participate more,
and finally be pariakers ofthe whole. You
see what mischief ensued iD France by
the possession of power before they un-
derstood principles They earned liberty
III words but not in fact. The writer of Ibis
was in France through the whole Of the
revolution and knows the truth OF what he
speaks tor after underwriting 10 give It
principle lie had nearly fallen victim to
It's rage.
There is great want of Judgment in the
person who drew up your memorial. He
has mistaken your case and forgotten his
o7on and by trying 10 court your applause
has injured your pretensions. He has
written like lawyer, straining ever point
that wo,lll please his client, witt out stu
dying his advantage. find 10 fault with
thu composition of the memoir | for il is
well written nor with the prin ciples oil Il
berry II contains considered in the abstract
The error lies in the misapplication OF
them, and in assuming ground they have
not right to stand upon. Instead of their
serving you as a ground of reclamation a
gainst us, they change into satire Oh
yourselves. Why did you not speak thus
when you ought to have spoken it, We
fought for liberty when you stood quiet in
slavery.
The author ofthe memorial iniuiicious
ly coDfounding Two distinct cases together
has spoken as if he was the mernorialis,
OF body ct Americans, who after sharing
equally with us in all the dangers and bard
ships OF the revolutionary war had retired
10 distance aud made settlement for
themselves. If in such a 81 uaton, con
gress had established temporary govern.
ment over them in which they were not
personally consulted, they would have had
a right to speak as the memorial speaks.
But your situation is different from what
the situation Of such persons would be- and
theret, re their ground Of reclamation can.
not Of right become yours. You are arrIy-
ing at freedom by the easiest means that
any people ever enjoyed it; without con.
teSt' without expense, and even thout a.
ny contrivance of your own. And YOU al.
ready so far mistake principles that under
the name of 'ights you ask for howrrs 4;
ho7ser TO import and enslave africans ; and
10 govern a territory that zve have hurchas-
I'd.
10 give color to your memorial yon re-
Ter to the treaty Of cession Gin which nm
7osre not ore OF the contracting parties)
concluded at Paris between the governs
ments Of the Unned States and France.
"The third article (you say Of the ttea-
"ty lately concluded at Paris declares, that
the inhabitants Of the coded territory
shall be Incorporated toto the union Of
II