Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1804-05-01

occasion neither the friend nor the enemy
Of Judge Chase. | am the friend Of this
house wish their proceedings to be cor
rect and hope they will not do hastily
what they may hereafter regret.
(Io be Contmued.3
From the UNITED STATES GAZETTE.
{" Nam ct 3,ialquam isei47as, coelulto, rra6i cor.
$ .Jaleris, mafarx farfo, etas If
SALLUsT.
The United States have for, a consider
able time, been engaged in a war with the
regency of Fripoli. Instead Of being near
a conclusion, the recent success Of the bar
barians in capturing the best ofour frigates,
has rendered the prospect Of peace more
distant than ever. Our officers and sea-
men, during the whole course of the war
have uniformly displayed a determined
zeal in the discharge Of their duty, and
proper regard for the glory Of their coun-
try. 1t is not my intention, in the course
Of the following observations, to censure
their conduct in the slightest degree l
design only to examine whether the pro-
traction of the war may not be attributed
to the improper conduct Of administra-
ton.
1t is worthy of enquiry what are the
views of government in the war. Is it by
conquering the Tripolitans, to avoid the
ignominy Of tribute Or is tito lessen the
enormity Of their demands In either
case the conduct of the administration is
marked by want of wisdom and energy.
Experience has demonstrated that an at
tempt to conquer the Barbary powers will
be fruitles8. IfCharles the Y, who pos
sessed the treasures of two worlds, whose
armies were Injured to labor and thorough
ly disciplined in tfe long and bloody wars
which his ambition excited in Europe, and
whose dorninions were within SIGHT ofth
African coast, was unable to make a per-
manent impression on the barbarians the
suppostion is rational, that an attempt on
the part Of the United States to eHecta con-
quest at the distance OF more than three
thousand miles, and without any of those
resources which were possessed by the
Spanish monarch, viii only betrav tie
weakness ofgovernmeut ard the sncapa-
city Of It's administrators, Let us howe
yer, for moment suppose that We could
succeed in effecting aIanding; that in an
encounter with the natives the valor Of our
troops should prevail and by lnfusing ter-
rorinto the bafbarians, produce submission
to the United States. Does any rational
man suppose fnat' the conquest would be
permanent that the neignbourirg powers
would calmly behold, in the obstruction of |
TripoG, the prelude to their own ann;hila-
ton? On the contrary, the expectation |
OF a.similar fate would arm the whole. coast
of barbarians from Barea to Morocco.
The supposl,ion, however, Of the subt,lis- |
sion OF the inhabitants is chimerical. They |
must be utterly extirpated before the coun- |
try could be firmly annexed to the United |
States and am persuaded that the phi /
losophic Jefferson would revolt at nea- |
sure so repugnant to philanthropy. II !
the inhabitants are ealtirpated, the United |
States must incur the expense of hume ,
ous'army, which must be permanently es- |
tablished IN the country to prevent its &C. !,
cupation by new tribes Of NIahomctans. !
This would be 50 entirely repugnant to the |
economy OF our administrator, that Mr.. !.