The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-01-27
-Gonnressa
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
FRIDAY, Jan. l6.
Deso.e on Mr..


Mr.. ASTON believed that no man in the
Houfe was more difpofed than himfelf to re.
ceive any Information from the executive 90.
vernmest, that would enable them to take the
neceffary feps aSain1 foreign or domeGic e.
nemies. But where did they meet with any
grounds to ju0ify the opinion that foreign
attack was medtated /? The contrary was his
opinion. He had heard of no circumfance
which fulfilled the belief of fuch an attack
being mcditated particularly by Spain on the
wet Tide of the Miiliiiippi. What was known
on this fuhjea? Thattb commanding officers
on the part Of the U. S. aid Spain had agreed
not to violate the intervening territory, until
freih information was received from their, &C.
vernmeRt. There was no ground therefore to
believe that an attack would be made from ,ha,
quarter. On the contrary, if ne wfpaper in.o.
nation was to be credited, the attack was To
be from our own territory and was contem-
plated againit that very nation. IF this were
true what right have we TO believe in foreign
attack from any other quarteri, Did evidence
exi't IN the hands of the executive OF any flch
foreign attack being contemplated. /? If 70. is
there not the ftrongef reafon to believe thai,
we fhoud have received information of /. with
out demand. Let any gentleman examine
this fuhjeet, and fay if it is not wife TO leave
The buinefs where it now is. Whether the
neafnres. adopted at the lat felton,, or thofe
which were propofed, were the ben, it is not,
laid Mr.. Alton, for me to fay. Time will de-
termine. But this, may fay if we had then
pafied an act for rafting a few regiments, there
would not have been one of them by this time
on the Mifiifippi. We might have got. as
would have been no regiments of men.
We have been further told of the pelicv of.
taking a manly attitude againR Spain. We.
had refolution offered to us, which in nv
opinion amounted to declaration of war--not
merely for defending the country on the from
tier, but for carrying on war asaint Spain.
What was the Gtuation of the country when.
this refoution was fubmitted Defencelefs
lndeed--We might have acted here, but Spain
would have acted there. IF the perFons alluded
to by the gentleman from Virginia are now in
eombination with Spain, might they not have
alto been IN a combination then, and had we
afrmcd hoitile attitude might they moi have
acted with more effed than they can now ,
There is not doubt in my mind, that as foon
aslt Is proper, information will be laid before
~ ''ss.-s.sr-"i'h W
be carried 10 ybe Prefident he will deem him
fylf hound to communicate the whole infcr.ra-
ton in whatever terms it may be couched. I
have no apprehension and frcln no dread of any
force that canbe brought againA us in The
Weftern country. Our force there will be able
10 cope with anyt that iha be embodied againft
the u. S, and the momeht the man at their
head llall declare hmfelf hottie to the union.
re very forces which he has RATED will turn
their bayonets asainft him they will defert
him. 1fthiss all the ground that can be af.
hgncd, think il beh not to carry this refo,n
ton Immediately to the PRECEDENT. In a few
days we ihal probably receive another wefterp
mail, and ifthe Information then received l,all
no, be satisfactory, or frrions danger appears TO
exit, we may cali for that information which is
not now neceilary.
Mr.. ]. CLAY fa;d this was the firft time
that he had ever hear, Il Rated that ne " fp,per
was proper for legislative action.
For this reaion we are to wait, il freros until
we get two orthree more nswIparers from the
weftern country. lie would ak if there ever
were ideas 70 frange fuhfni'ted to aisginstiye
body! He faid, he k'tewtha it was very faf,i-
onahle for the m2ioriiy TO exprefs a FIJI! conf;
dence in the executive magifrate but he
would ak whether this was correti doctrine
The confitetion vehed the i.r portant power
of declaring war in the two branches of the lie. !
;iliatnre. When, therefore, the peace and fsfe- |
ty ofthe cosntry were placed in the hands Of
the two Houfe', did it contemplate that in the |
rxercife of thefe powers they lhonld dcoend !
IN newspaper information? The gentleman
Iavs, If we had par,l alaw for railino addition
al troops at the lat FELTON,, we G,0uld not have |
got the troops by this time. Mr.. G. c,id this !
was The fri time he had ever heard drIav al !
bgned as infiicient reafon for onittinc to do ,
any thing. The gentleman f'ys VIZ have every
-ca!on 20 believe that Spain en.ertans no hraiie |
intentions towards us. BIZ; take TIE rentr.
mare own fource of INFORMATION, .h- new: ,
papers, AID we have every res!an 10 .y';, We.
hat from the year I7ss, that CovetnY- en-. has ,
been in confpiracy againR the peace and uni ,
iy OF he u. s. We know with what deter
minaiiou the minifter of Spain, in 1883, en,Ies
gnUred to make our minifters 1ccede ~ mcre
limited boundary of The ". s. ,han that eRah. /
lined ~ treaty. Spain has never Ion FIGHT of |
This objed, and fometimts by fair and fotne !
times by foul means has continued to purdue
Il.
What is the ohjetf Of this rcfclu,ion. We !
find that great alarm exits, particular.v !
nm the Atlantic board. We find gentlemen |
from the weitward either ignorant, or pretend |
ing to- be ignorant of the exiftence of any thing
alarming. Under thefe circumstances, the
Houis are without official information. We !
are told that becaufe we have confidence in
the executive, we ought to rely on his giving |
us information as foon AZ it is proper. MIR. C. |
iaid he would fubmit whether this comported
with the dignity Of a reprefentiye, and whether
i was proper for him to depend on newspaper
Ma. ASTON f,id that all he had obferved
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