The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-04-01
s0fat of G5ueerlt.nsnt.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
TbHy/aap, March 6.
DEBATE
On Mr.. GREccJ rsjoAiaio1.
IcoNTIEUED.]

Mr.. N. WILLIAMS. The fubietf now
| under confederation calls for difplay of all the
| knowledge and experience of commercial men
and ftatefmen: And although do not profef.
TO be of either clafs, yet if | fhould chance 10
befow a mite of information upon a fnbiea of
fuch vatt Importance to This country, it will no
doubt he faVorably received by this honorable
committee.
The refo!ution row under dicufFon has for
IFS principal object the protection OF the active
commerce Of our country; it therefore becomes
| us perhaps, before we enter into the merits of
the rDeatnrc propofed, TO enquire whether com.
| MERGE is of itfef 10 important to Va, as to de-
mand our protection. This Grh enquiry might
ieem uunecetiary, and even extraordinary, had
we not witnefed 70 recently upon this floor.
the very light and trivial manner in which the
commerce of this country has been treated
and had we not heard the very orange opinion,
that it ought TO be left to take care of tfeIf
II is poiIible that the agri, ultural clafs,
which embraces very great and respectable
part of the population of our country, will look
for fome evidence Of the benefits to he derived
to them from the protected enterprife of our
merchants. Thofc benefits, however, are 70
obvious to an attentive obferver, that very hit
tie need he urged To render them apparent. 1t
has been juhIy fiid that agriculture and COM
merCc are hautinaids to each other. Indeed
their intereits arc itrongly and durably interwo-
ven. Commerce has a direct tendency to raife
the price of the produe of the farmers labor,
by feeking in every part Of the world the beft
markets for our articles Of export; snd by bring
ing back and fcattering through the country
that circulating medium, which cherifhes nduf-
try and fweetens the tolls of the laLourer. IF
we had not III active commerce among our
| own citizens, II is evident that foreign mer-
chants and nations only, wonlG be enriched by
the profits of our agriculture, would convert
us into mere dggers of the foil for their benefit,
aud would thereby gain the means of niulting
and degrading smore abundantly. The price
of our produce viii leiIen in the proportion
that we cnrtdil the means of transporting it to
| the bet foreign markets, and the means will
afiuredly be curtaiied if we withdraw our pro-
lection from the enterprise of our citizens up
on the OCEAN. Declare to- foreign nations that
the active commerce Of this country meets no
longer the fonering care of government, and
you will foon hear Of their tenfoid iafoence up
| on the feas and our yelIels frowned from the
enjoyment oftheir rights there, will find an afy-
lum in our h7rbours only, where they will be
| left to rot. The produce of our oountry NUT
| fhare iimilar fate, unlefs we content to- diff
pofc oft to foreign merchants and fpeCuIators,
at any price they may pleafe to- offer for it.
But what is not lefs important, If we have re-
gard for morals and happiness, horrid picture
here preien's itfelf; that moment you ftagnate
the vent of Jour grain, eSenfve inland