Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-06-25

Duihl8 tue list wal between Great r.
tain and France, the United State, WI
regarded in manner as the common y.
fpcrty of the contending powers, andy
trade of our citizens was, wherever WIG
with, made their general prey; freeu.sI
without observing ire mere forms Of off, l..
which. when resorted to, were only ma,
the external cloak to cover robbery; and !.
almost every instance the name of us,;..
when used, was only used to give a SAN.
ton toplunder, to legalize piracy. n.
English and the French strove with emul,
ton which could load us with the heayiss
wrongs; and not only did they particin,. |
between them the spoils of our merchants.
not only did they glory in trampljns u,s,
our nationalrigh and diguities; bur. even
the Inundated Spaniard, who trembled Al,
ternately at the frown ofboth, encoura..d
by their impunity, dared to initiate ,6j,
outrageous example; till, reused at Ia,
by sense of wrongs, our nation ASSUMED
atone and position which by clearly ind.
I eating what she was capable of doing, OBJ
tain cd temporary relief from expressions
and even compelled other nations to assum,
towards her the language of respect.
The aspect of strength which she then
displayed, has long since ceased to be pr..
scented to her enemies. The manly gov
of indignation, the resentful frown Of TO-
suited honor, the exulting consciousness Of
native energy devoted to the defence of its
dearest rights, which then overspread her
countenance and gave 1t beauty and lustrs,
have been supplanted by the paid and sick.
ly hue of dastardly timidity, whichtrembles
at the sound of its own voice, and shrinks
even at the shadow of its own arm. We
need not fiattcr ourselves that this change
has passed unroticed nor need We wonder
that we are now suffering its inevitable
consequences. When we ceased to be at
all an object OF apprehension, we ceased al.
so to be an object of respect. It is in vain
that we are told of the attention and differ.
ence paid to Just nations: it is not left h|
be ascersained at this day, that nations
know no rule or restraint bot that which
the sword imposes on them.
Our glorious and peace.loving Congress,
in their great wisdom, in order to preserve
the property and liberty of their fellow cit.
zens, to compel foreign nations to pay lo|
our flag that inviolable reverence which is
dac to The symbol of "just nation," and
as Mr.. Johnny Randolph would say, "a
uin2leate The injuries" done or to be don:
in disregard of our neutral rights, passeda
very energetic lazp, which threatens to do
the devil and-all to those who shall infringe
any of its injunctions, by committing out
RACES upon the persons of sailors undsr the
protection of that flag. No doubt those
gentlemen considered that this mode Of
enforcing their rights to justice and to re.
spect. would prove equally economicalan and
efhcaejous. That no British or French
ship Of war, public or private, would have
the temerity to violate law of the United
States, and incur the risk Of being hing P
By the neck, as a terror to evil. doeIs; ae
cordlng to the severe chas.isement enacted
by tina, Respondent addition to our criminal
code, entituled " An act for the more tt
fectual preservation Of peace in the porA
and harbours of the United States, and ID
the zuaters mnder their jurisdiction" iram'
ed for the purpose Of furnishing offences
committed on the Mgh-seas. But though
the Congress may, as often as the whloa
seizes them, declare the whole ocean
formed of waters under their Jurisdiction
they will find to their cost, that their 50
vereignty over it would be much better"
cured even by the authority of six sevenV'
four-gua ships, than by the promuiga''y
OF ten thousand such statutes: aye, aD
that this manner of maintaining their rlSa4s
would still be much more consistent VIZ
their beloved economies.
While our democratic newspapers az
daily Boosting Of the sacred and anes'h1 -
Piled regard paid to the United States y
foreign nations, they are giving the pIam
cal lie to their own vaunts, by daily
norris of acts Of tba most atrociouG In"