Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1806-01-09

t@ss. Or. Nsenen opSssn
Are we, sir, alreadycoine to this !: You
THE Vice President Mr.. Clinton was IN
the chair] well remember the effects
s.vroupht by the injurious proceedings OF
,he British Parliament IN 1874. You bore
= noble and manly part IN the struggles OF
fr=euen against oppression at that day.,
Thirty years ago, you and your patriotic
associates could form.a general non-imPor-
sat,on agreement and despising the iuxus.
r;es of the mother country and superior to
her nrowess, yoa, spirits of freedom, at
chieved our glorious revolution. II the
case requires 1t, may we not do THIS again
If we must curtail our commerce by our
own statutes, it is certainly better Poiicy
70 retalia.e upon an adversary IN that way,
Than 70 abandon 10 har, as the proposed
bill conte mplates, lucrative portion OF our
trade. Surely, laboriug as we do, uader
all these ADVERTISEMENTS, proPosltion Tor
les,ening our navigation and torbiddlng
our ships to frequent the open ocean,
would hardly have been expected from one
of our own body.
For nv own part, said Or. M. think
the ST. Domingo commerce is no great
thing in itself We might do exceedingly
well without it; aud l am very far from
approving the means by which it has been
carried on but, / dislike the idea of for
bidding it at the mandate OF atoreiGn pow
err. Like oer revolutionary patriots, let
us put our foot here, aad hence refuse TO
bulge. Ii is not for US TO legislate at the
nod or bidding of any nation. L hope we
understand our business better than TO re-
gister eslicts for them-while we pay due
respect TO others it becomes us also to sc.
specs ourselves. The precedent is dam
gerous one. If we agree to lnterdict this,
intercourse, we may at the next session
be Informed that We ought TO withdraw
from some other important port or region
When VIC are found to be so complying to
one nation, we shaltbee subjected to alike
request or menace from another, until, sir,
ou1 flag shall be furied ia. one foreign port
after another, and nothing be left us but the
coas,ing trade at home. The sad conse-
ouences have been ably portrayed by
The the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. S.
Smith,
There was another reason evincing the
unseasonableness OF the proposition at the
present time. This was disastrous and
eventfal era of our commerce. The mer.
chants in every seaport of the nation were
assembling TO consider their losses from
the rapacity OF the belligerent powers, and
submit them TO the consideration OF con.
gress: Il would be better to wait for the
statements that such a practical class OF
men should make. Our judgements
woa.d be aided by the facts which their
memorials would contain.
DR.. NJ. then considered the prohibition
in the constitution "a congress, as TO the
layiag Of export duties; and said that the
expectation of our domestic productions
so necessary TO our country and so eau
tiousiy guarded, ough, not to be interrupt
ed by any spontaneous regulations OF our
own. He was an advocate tor the mare H.
bYeum. He wished wide and open mar.
ket for the beef. pork, fish, -four, rice and.
cotton of the country.
He then adverSed 10 the operation, winch
restrained commerce would have upon
agriculture. With the ceasiug of exports
this great spring to the planters and gra.
zisrs' industry is at once taken a@av
the plough would stop, and it would
be melancholy to see the fair and enchant-
ing face of our country, degenerate to the
savage state, aud yield naught but the IN
thrifty crop ofweeds and brambles.
Turning then TO ship building and its
cluster of attendant trades and arts, he
feared that it would fall into neglect
Tha, Employment which gives perhaps, the
greatest idea of the skill of man, would be
discontinued, and the inhabitants of our
seaports be forced back TO the country to