The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-07-14
Foreign Intelligence.
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF COMMONS, April esd, 1904.
MOTION ON THE DEFENCE OF THE NATION.
(MR. Fox's SPEECH CONCLUDED FROM OUR
LAsr.)
In every view of the fubietf it would be
mott political thing TO iniitute this fort of force
In cafe of emergency how much eaiier would If
be to ditcipline men who had been previouiIy
uied to fome fort of weapon, than to diiciplne
men who had never handled firelock, and who
knew not even by which end TO hold it, or whe
Their to draw the lock or the trigger? In the
way of recruiting the army alfo, if all the Young
men or the kingdom were by a general law prac-
tiled TO the ufe of arms, though in the moff I'M
expenilve way, both as to money and time, how
much more difpofed would they be to enter in
to the fervice on any preiiing call of their coun-
try! l know that fome men pretend to deride
the fmock-frocked folder, but they will not
deride them who have felt their power. do
not with you, however, to put an end to one
force IN order 70 create another / with this
experiment to be tried, becauie it mutt be oftbe
utmof advantage TO every part of the fervice,
and IN every pofiibe tate of the country, both in
time ofPeace and war; know that the more
you truit TO the people, the more faithful Et,vice
they viii render You, ard that arms can be not
only put into their hands with fafety, but with
ufe in the way of preventing tumult, of afiifing
the police, and of reitraining depreciation. I
own think it is mott defrable thing to pro-
mote this fpecies ofcivil defence even in time of
peace, that the ns.sitsiy may not be rcforted to
on every occaion- But in time of war what
would be the inefimable value of fuch force?
Suppofe the enemy landed in great and COM
mandng numbers. Let us fuppoie what how
ever we do not believe will happen-that the
event Of battle fhould be difa1rous TO the En-.
gun army. With every poffble refpett for the
bravery OF our troops, the fuppoition ought to
be imagined, and the calamity guarded aeainf.
In that cafe, what would be the confequence if
you had an armed pcafsntry? That the enemy
would reap no advantage beyond the actual
held Of battle. They would even after their
victory remain in fate of politive impotence.
They could not afterward fcour the country :;
they could not fend to any town, village or even
to any farm, for Jingle load of hay, without
detachment and an efcort-they mutt be bro
ken into thoufand parts TO provide themfeves
with food, and be enfeebled by their diviiion-
or otherwiie they mut be confined to the iden-
tical fpot of their glory, while our own beaten
army would have time to recover and to REIN
force ITS ranks. fate it fairly, becaufe we mutt
view both iides of queftion.-The greateft cou-
rage, engaged in the beft caufe, does not always
command fuccefs but let us view the other
iide. Suppofe what is much more likclyto hap
pen, that an army of freemen fighting for the
tecurity of all that was dear to them, fhould
beat the invaders. What would be the confe-
quence of Jingle victory to them? The ami
hilation of the enemy 1t would not be as it is
between contending armies, in martial terrific
lU- ybpra I,., ,v,I,,t 4,
OF the battle but here vanduilbed enemy
could find no ihelter no fuipenfion no breath
ing time no recovery. No rallying point
could he found in :; County where eve
ry man was armed, and where every hedge
was an entertainment. recommend this fDe-
cieS OF defence the more earIeflly, becaufe il viii
be the means of correcting all the errors into
which we have fallen, and mutt take blame to
myielt, IN common with others, for having fuf-
tered an afiertion to fand rs part of the pream-
Ole to the Defence Bill, which is utterly untena-
bic N the constitutional law. 1t certainly is i'm
poHiole Tor the members Of that Houfe to watch
over every word and fentence of every bill that is
brought in. And therefore the particular au
thors of each bill are looked to as more peculi-
arly reiponfble for glazing errors believe that
nlnety-nine out an hundred acts pats without
being critically and carefully examined as thew
oughtto be, by the members of the Houfs. con-
iiitent with their trict and rigid duty. But il is
IN particular way the duty of miniRers, that
no bill ihalI he lufered TO anert any fafe or dan
gerous doctrine, in the perfuaion that it NAV
pais unobterved in the hurry of legination. In Ju-
iy, 1903, the alarm ofinvaion was 70 imminent,
according to.miniiters, that the defence bill mutt
be paied by reclamation, and the zeal Of the
country being arouied to meet the invaiion,
which was to take place in Auguf, no time
was to be Ion in weighing and Judging of tho
Bill. Accordingly find we overlooked moi
ferrous declaration IN the preamble of the bill,
and which certainly if / had feen, fhould have
exerted the Gtmof efforts of my mind to have
corrected, namely, a" that the king has right to
command all his liege fubieds to take up arms,
&c. a doctrine which, to be admitted as true.
ought to have been qualified and defined. II
may be taid that mis- msjefy has the right to do
Jultice but ne is to do iuaice according TO law.
And 70 IS the prerogstiye of calling forth his
people in arms. II may undoubtedly be faid of
any community, that tl.ey NUT pofefs the