Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-04-15

70 purchase the Country, vet that tney
were adequate 10 give the business this
direction; that If they chose, they were
at liberty to do it. But unfortunately for
,his new doctrine. and the previous one
brozc.ied, and unfortunately FOR the whole
sysienl gentlemen s,eppsd forward to
enforce, one gentleman asserted that
he was ready IN his own person 10 vouch
thet The course in question was in Gen.
sonance with the secret wishes of the
executive and this is one Of those rea-
sons which calls mast inperiously FOR the
motion which am about to make
What ras stewards done the House
will perceive. pass over the motion
made to restrict the purchase 10 the coun
try no; in dispute with Spain, and TO
exclude from that purchase the coun-
try IN dispute, thereby testing the prio-
cip'e, whether we were actually buying
land or peace. In spite of every obsss.
Gle, OF all opposition, and the con,radiclo
~ votes given, the bill was sent to the
Senate, and on the next day, the i7th of
January, after the bushes, was ous 1f
our possession, We received dispatche.
from our Minister At London, which had
arrived before Christmas. twill be rec
objected that 1t was attempted to be IN
simulated by individual members, that in
a,much as we received the original pa
per and not copy, the dispatches had
Jusi arrived, and there had not been ti,ne
for transcribiDg them. Blu, in returning
from the House, was 40 we'll convinced
to the contrary, for I had myself received
letters from London of comic moor,ns-
Gus date, that made enquiry of the sec
rotary OF state, and was told that they
had been received the week before Christ.
nia:, at the same time with my lctters.
While am up. l will undertake to
rectiiy .triv,el inaccnrscy (for ! wish e.
very thing which l state ,op ;lus floor to
be literally exacf) which ON Some former
occasion escaped me. said that the
existence of these dispatches was an.
known to high cabinet minister; al
though it's certain that l So understood,
| Il IS 90 less SO tia, was mistaken.s Hut
though their existence was moi unknpwn.
re- their contents were. That minister
had no reason TO believe that they con
| tanned on the contrary he had every req.
soa to believe that they did not contain.
any thing relative TO our differences with
SPAN; ard as to their being sent to the
House, ne knew nothing of it unti after
they had been received They were no
sooner opened here ,bsn they cxcued an
| miscellaneous sensation, and produced =
declaration that the coarse We had taken
wsa wrong; they PRODUCED also en- i'm
preston that II would b. IN vain on the
subject otour differences With ENGLAND
10 assume a manly attitude 10 ward, her.
1t we became Sne pande,s ai,d caterers of
lthe ias,iu appetite OF France.
The qscsiien i, nov reduced TO this
| poipt--whettser the public shall read the
secret journal withou, understanding one
word about II, or shall read il inteliigibly,
For II is impossible 10 decide how far the
report Of the select committee is coosis-
ten, With The message of the President.
unless that message 10 also publish.
ed A difficulty may be raised, by say
ing this i, confidential message. But
this is got over by the publicity given TO
The proceedings on it Il was confder-
lIal fbecsuse ihe proceedings on ia were
so. For ins,anc---isr US suppose thai
the uni!ed STATES, were preparing for
son,e strong and decisive measure sgainst
SPAN whichii wsspoli,ic TO conceal from
her MI taken b,ti as TO aoy thing decisive
M The message, no man can contend that
u contains any thing of THE nature.
| When spssk of the message, / do not
aliude 10 the cemmunicaIlons Of the mi.
mister OF the United States, with the au.
thorlsed agents OF Spain. Though see
no reason why even those should not DE
published, az the negotiation ha. been
entirely closed by the Abortion in which il
has terminated. however restrict my
present motion To the message.
1 ne public, from this vague amid esuI.
tory sketch, may scqaire soae PRINCIPLES
by which 10 app,eciate lhe conduct Of
mcmbeisin this House. They viii see
what members were disposed 10 have a
dopled that course which The most au
lhenuc Information from Europe recon
mended. They vii. see who were indis
posed TO seliug through tie intervention
OF any foreign power, and more especially
IN the shape OF a bribe, and when such a
course was not asked for by the Exscu.
i've. They will see who were these
members; and l believe there are now
but few who would be wiling to take the
resp0ns biliiy on themselves which pro.