Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-02-11

TUEsDA7, FEBRUARr ii, 1906.

ments, which this writer has incidentally
advanced in favor Of concession on OF,
part, can have, and l am ofopinion the
reader will have, no hesitation in reject
ing them, and that. TOO, net without some
small degree of disdain. What! shall
we be told, that" our maritime strength
Goes not SO much depend on our power
OF seisnre as on the freedom Of our com
:" merce ." A phrase, (,his latter) which,
II II mean any thing, msans, that our ut-
mos, preiensions. as to commercial mari
time rigs. should be confined TO the
buying and selling and carrying as much
as We can and, that we should interrupt
nobody so long as nobody interrupted
US. Upon the change ,hi, doctrine may
90 very well but, ii once adopted and ac.
yea upon by our government, il would, in
'"e space OF two years of war, transfer
every sailor, that could get or stay abroad,
'n'o The service Of neutral states; would
deprive us Of one half of the use of our
navy; would, in short time, annihilate
the navy itself; and $50 short sighted Is
commercial atarice!) would bring swift
run on our own merchants, surprising
them not TO be expneed to ruin i'm com
mon with their de(enceless country-
we ought not" says this writer, sci.
" 'her IN Justice or policy, to drive Ameri.
ca 10 measures freprisal" The Justice
The reader will now Judge of, and the poll.
-cy we VIII speak little fur' her Of present.
~; ou', tor. America to make reh~isais,
she >Tnast FIRST be at zpdr. "a situation
@nich might, of itself, produce in her a
different wav of thinKina) and size mus,
.nd us gliding her, enemy, BY carrying to
ms ports, III aDindireSt maufier. the pro.
uuce OF his cs'pnies,-" If she should Law
f" an embargo on all exports to our IVES,
India Islands, fer only six months, what
"wouid De our and their condition And.
even without that a6l of vengeance, a
non importation agreement fin Ameii.
cal OF British manufactures f,f one
year, would be loss 10 this country ce
seven millions sterling."-First, OBJ
serve, that this argument Of American
vengeance is a sweeper. Ills applicable
10 al! cases AID 10 all times. II subjects
us to nope rs capricicus as that of love ::
and 10 fear As constant as ,ha; OF death,
II, IN all likelihood, originated in the iron
o'ed mind ofsome one Of tbs sc ,grcat s6ih.
t"feya to America" who. as This reader
may have perceived from the public
prsnts, have been with MIR. PIrr omen.
;noathed, seized, doubtless, with pa;rio.
TIC terror, lest their American debtors
ahcn'd, 20: second time) think a war.
budget To be good settlement CT the ba-
!Hnces OF their books. But, Sir BaIaam,
DC tranquil. Cease 10 tremb;e, Ikou tjmid
rasn! 60, nash Thy fears and count tbv
bags. i"r, beassured, that the Americans
love money as we'll as thou dost and, tba,
the measures OF Vengeance" Of which
thou speakest would in'aIibly rednce mir
merchants to begga.y, and, if adopted for
such a reason, might. perchance, throw
tbe'r statesmen Out Of bread, by a COM
Pie'e overthrow Of their goyernment.
Granted, that a six months prohibition of
trade with cur islands would proJyce
great and terrible mischief TO those Is.
lands, aud, OF course, to US. But, Sir Ia.
laam, do you not know, tina, the ware.
houses OF America are always full of
goods prepared for those Islands? And
do you duly reflect on the consequences
OF presenting those goods fror, being
shipped off! On The ruin Of he merchant
who has bought the corn and the mes,
and the fish and the lumber On the
suspension OF the mills and tIie fisheries
and The saw.mjlls ? On the reduction
IN the price OF the farmers produce, al
the sEIHe moment and from the Same
cause, that the price Of his coffee drunk
daily even by labofefsl and his rum Uhe
common drink of the country and his
nolasses tof general use) aud bis sugar
are all augmented in price! And as In !
f" the noninp nriation agreements" at
the bare possibility of which YOU seem I
so terrified, do you think, that II would !
have no terrors for America Granted, {
that you and your brethren ship seven
millions worth of British manufactures
annually to America, YET unless they be !
all rotten, except il he ell EreEt, a non
importation agreement for year could
not possibly produce seven rr,.lions worth
Of iose. Your brain is disturbed, Sir Ba- /
laam, or you would not forget, that
non-impoIta,lon agreement would rip.e
tho price of British manufactures, the
coats and the shirts OF he men and the
gowns and the petticoats 81 The women,
an those things, in short, which make
them dllsrin appearance from their saw