The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-01-04

ii'.'Sts 10 tire imprrtbDn which pro-
d i >e -e." Look At III, Gtnation in which
t. ihon,2 hive been, had L not heen for
Z '"'' rrze. There is NOTHING to juft fly the
il.a 'h,t It would have heen in the power Of
OR navy to reduce our enemy to terms, unlef'
H., TIE ~. operatioo of fone force on land. ]
believe thar the force under Eaton hid great
e zFe1 than tn. VII lie feet in producing peace.
Yet if we gave Preble med IL, for which mpR
caeerfuliy voted, nv whom pence was not eff.
fet9ei, nail we ref,fe the fame reward - Ea.
ton, who accomplished the Object. 10 not
believe, hnce our exifcncc as an independent
Nation. here has heen 4 comparable enterprise.
F.-thefe rrafons tru!t the amendment will pre-
val.
ia. ELMER. am not very friendly to
thinys of this kind believe may he too
lav;fh in beftowi,g them. But if on this occa-
hon there is to he any thing further than an ex.
p-efion Of the high fenfe entertain Of the
fervces rendered. medal and not fword 10
the proper testimonial. OF this, gentle men will
he convinced. ivy attending to the conduit of
our nation, as well IA that ri other nations. A
fvori is eiven, for the difplay of bravery, to
i.;r;cr off :ers or there fome times given a
, .-e, CONF iMna. w Yecolle9 that on the
Forming Of Stoav Point, gen. Wayne received
a fword, and thofe who headed the forlorn
hope, were rewarded with brevet commiiiion.
To defervc the national thanks, it is deemed
necefI5ry to combine fuccefs with bravery. A
medal is cxprefIive not merely of bravery, hat
Of bravery, fortituie, and wifiom to merit it
there fhould be 4 combination of all three. The
mere taking IF Dcrne, therefore, would not a.
k,ne entitle Eaton to great praifc; but If every
thing connected with the plan and the fuccefs
which crowned it, be taken into confederation,
and any thing other than thanks are beftowed,
j, ought to I've a medal. IF fword food in the
rfoution Mould he againf it, AZ an improper
exrrefIin. Of the public fen.iment.
Mr.. I. RANDOLPH offered a few words in
explanation, experimenting he had been mfun-
dPrR>od hv the gentleman from Msff;ichnfetts
W.. Varnur). II was far from his intention 10
fay that rewards Mould be anportioned amonpff
men according to rank With thai gentleman.
he would he ready to acknowledge merit iva
The private fentnel IS in field martial. II VIZ,
to the dignity of the action, its importance 4. "A
va,ne 20 'he community, that he fhouid Loo j,
not TO the oommiifion Of him who performed
II. ASS Of heroifn mould never pafs unh ID.
ed. but every d,v did not produce 4 Cool. s. or
= 's1utius-It was to prtferse tome prsc, rtion
hrt ween the reward and the nature and vaJue of
the frrvice, that he oppofed the rrfolution, in
its pre{ent fhape. He wihed the Houfe To he
more frugal of the treafnre Of puHlic applanfe,
It vas more precious than that which ali feen.
Ell ready enough 70 guard. In fnch cafes il was
a.wa~s fafet to err on the fide of economy. AL
namc of the nation, was held too cheap re-
commence for ordinary proft fipnal fervice.
Where was this to end The ntmoft p.nury of
appreciation would not 70 iniure the tone of
public feutiment as this laviih prodiga,itv Dv
being too nisgard of praife, enterprife might he
repreffed and in many infances merit ff:fled in
the germ hut too great profuGon of hsnors
won'd a!mof convert them into diiyrace,
would heget overweening vanity fatal T., real
,ha ~.
advantage over the enemy, would conceive him.
fsif Moreau or NeIfon. By fetting up this
tIarf,fion as the ne plus ultra IF military at
rhievement, as the pillars of Hercules heyond
which none NAV pretend 20 pats, we did more
O. check the fpirit Of adventurous enterprif.
than ii took notice Of it at all, But, fay
gentlemen, the rerfou who is the Object of this
vcfn'ution acted in .wofold capacity, civil and
military, and fword is exc 'ufivelv aporonriat-
81 20 reward military frrvces but, without
intending indicrous slludon. If the gentleman
had stfed in AZ MANY capacities as lady Bounti-
fp'. Butler it would not alter hi, opinion az to
hi ra'nre and value ofthe ferv;ce. IF indeed
tie was fnch a political repufion, As the gen.
t'einan from NJ Jcrfey feem-d to fuppore, he
tween medal and fword, like chemical 10.
dies having no affinity to each other, we ffeuld
have ~ give both on this location, and add
vote Of thaks AS BATS in which thew might
unite. Who could doubt that acts of Az great
perfonal prew.fs bad been performed ON OBJ
fcure occafions, as in the moi important en-.
gagements, and vet the one defcrip,ion of fer
vice was genSally overlooked, Whit the other
was literally rewarded.
The cafe of captaia Trnxton had been cited I;
he re membered perfe city TO have voted againlt
it /; Of capt. Prehle's cafe he had no ditinct re-
collection he had no hefitation however, in
flying that the exploit of Tuxten was more
proper fDbject for medal than the prefent, and
th1- without entering into any invidious com.
p tifon Of the conduct and valor OF the refpec.
tive parties, it might he conGdered in the light
of remarkable national event, the irft victory
Of an infant navy over an European force, and
that force too faia 70 he hyperion TO our own
Every Roman hiftory, down to the compend of
Goldfmi,h, had recorded their frft filccefs A.
gainft the Carthaginisn Geet. We might so on
l,vinling honors until thofe who wore the in.
6gnia of national gratitude would become the
multitude and thofe who without them the
Flea f'w--He deprecated this waite of trea-
fIre which was valuable only in proportion as
Il was fparingy ufetl. He hoped il would be
more carefully unbranded, for he feared, unlefs
we retrencbetl in this article Of expence, that.
whilf we boafted OVERLOOKING treafury, we
Nhouid hecnr,e haok r,,pt in rsout