Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-01-21
SENATE OF ruE UNifEDSrATES.
FRrpAY, Dec. 20.

\ A@S I've
De6afe on ire motion Of Or. LOGAN 70,
ieoue TO bring in a 6iH 10 susiendtte com.
mercfal intercoarse 6etsveca tie Uui,et
states and So. Domingo.
Ccoasinued.)
Gen. $. SsrTTH-
Mr.. President. Had tile honorable
mover produced any new document, O,
given us any new information, / certain
| " should have given my vote iha, he
| should have the leave required. Or hso
The Senate been composed Of the same
members as those OF the last yesr,I should
nave coptented myself with giving silcn,
vote on the question. An addition being
made to the Senate of several new mem,
| ners, 1t may not he proper 10 state, that
TINS subject was at the last session pre-,
sented 10 the view of Congress by the
resident. A bill was predicsted there
on, end after great consideration and
lengthy discussion passed into law
has The mover produced to the Senate
any document 10 shew that France IL not
s@'stled with what has been done DOES
'he gentleman know that any new com
plain has been made ? ] know of none. & J
therefore think i, FAIR {, presume thar
france has BEEN fully satisfied with ,bs
law already passed. The gentleman has
SAID that both the French ard Brush mi.
nisiers havr considered The trade to ST.
EDom'nSo IS contrary 20 the law of natl
-ons. see no,hing Of The Kind in The
note trom-,he British minister. I have
10 doubt oil the 3 iiis,, icing disposed 10
in'epdict' that brahch of trade as thew
have done aliaost all our other most Ia
erauve commerce Had the gentleman
srought forward bill TO interdict al,
trade viii Great Britslu, he might have
produced many more reasons in its sun
port than he has beeD pleased TO Offer in
support oil The BIZ proposed but what is
this law ei nations? is il The written law.
rths! law assumed By the nations who
have Tie Most power? 1.-THE gentlemen
mean The written law mus, behave thew
are mistaken. have somewhere read.
tina, when pert of 8 s,ass separates itself
and Is capable supporting that separa
ton, forms foe Itself government, and
iufly eoeducss rs own aH.irs-that olher
nations do not infringe this law by trad
ing or commencing friendly intercourse
wiki such part.
we are told that a celebrated French
general since here has said, thai had gen.
LIE C'erc succeeded, he meant TO have
landed all the blacks Of St. Domingo on
our southern shores. This may he--bu,
sir, IT is not probable. If such however
had been his intention, they could not
have arisen from resentment on accom-,
of our commerce, for we had been of the
greatest utility TO him and his army, and
had then carried on no commerce that
was not fully sanctioned by France
! might say, that owing 10 the supplies
from the U. S. the colony of ST. Domn-
go had been preserved to the mother
country until the arrira! of gen. lie Clerc.
---Unisss, MIR President, the honorable
mover shall produce some new informa-
ton, shall be under the necessity of yo-
ting against leave 10 bring in this bill.
DR.. MfTcHELt, in speech OF cous;-
derable length and detail, stated his oh
JCSboHS to SiVIHE icafe.
Ele compIimented his friend from
Pennsylvania, for The purity of his mo-
tives in bringing forward the present mo.
lion. But he could not refrain from an
expression Of his surprise, ard even his
regret, that the subject has been moved
again in the Senate.
During the last session Of congress, the
whole of The Intercourse with St. Domin-
so had undergone full Investigation.
While the bill regulating the clearance
oil armed merchant vessels was under
discussion, that part of our foreign com
! merce had been minulely examined. ii
wouldbe remembered that the bill had
been committed, recomnitted, amended,
and modified with the utmost labor and
skill. Besides the talents which the Sem
ate afforded, all the sources of executive
Information had been drained, to aid their
researches. And the letters Of ti,S Brit
ish and French ministers, complaining
OF the conduct of our merchants in for
cling this trade, were opened TO our view.
The crude material OF the bill had been
hammered at and worked upon so Ella.
borately, as TO have al last received the
complete burpish of law. With all the
knowledge that could be derived from sc
many quarters, the bill was at length
! passed to check the violence of our nsyi
( gators, and TO restrain the adyenturou.
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