The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-12-08

Su' III oiuSf 10 an accommodation OF these diff
ferences, every thing which the most liberia
1 policy warranted; if a similar dispos;tio,
had existed OH the part of Britain. the,
would have been long since settled Mr.. II
concluded by hoping the House would not re.
fer the petition, or give the world an opportu.
NIFTY to say they were now dcliberatinp abou,
the repeal Of such law.
Mr.. Cro7oningShiehd held it to be an incon-
testble right the citizens of this country to
petition congress on any subject whatever
but he found on looking over the memorial
these sentiments; they say that their A.
larm and anxiety increased by reports (per-
hnps unfounded) of the nature and extent Of
the demands made by the government of the
United States cannot but be great, while they
are wholly destitute of information from Of
hclal sources calculated to direct their con-
duct. Nor could Mr.. &. himself tell spec;.
tlcaily what the government of the United
States demanded from G. b. The President of
the is. had informed the House tl,athe wonjd
at proper time lay before them such infor
nation; they were in expectation of such in
formation, and this memorial asked them
| before they had received such information To
repeal the law prohibiting the importation
OF certain articles. Though there might be
some doubt as to some provisions of that law.
IL shouid be no lnduccment for them now to
| lSPeai IT, Choer what circumstances was
that act passed? The u. States had made re-
monstrances to Great Britain on her apqres-
sions for several years without effect: that
act was passed to induce her to do us Justice.
HAD she done 1t! No; the outrage ON the
chesapeake had been since committed This
mad been known to her several months. and
inc aamlrai under whose orders the act was
committed had not been punished. Onr 90
vernment had done all that remained for it to
90, by asking redress from Great Britain
10 this no answer had been given. Should
tne Petitloners ask OF the House in this stua-
ton torepeal the act, or even to susuend If
for a longer timer Was it grateful to their
feelings! He thought not He would not have
OBJECTED to the reference of the petition, had
1t not been couched in such terms as those he
mad quoted but as it was, he thought it his
duty 10 object to the reference The most
delicate way of diSposing of it would be to
let 1t lie on the table. The suspension of this
act expired in the next month and they
would CT necessity consider the propretv of
permitting 1t to so into operation, or Of a far
Their suspension. Mr.. &. said he must con-
tess tor his own part. that he could not fatter
h'ihseH from the rumors now aioat, and from
What he thought he knew of the disposition
CT Great Britain, that she would do us Justice
SO Tar as was required. He though they were
almost at war. From information which he
haq received, Great Britain was arming or
az least intriguing with the Indians on our
frontiers. Her vessels were arming on the
Lakes; she mad called out her militia in Can
ada and Nova-Scotia and this was done
he presumed, by express orders from the Bri-
tish government. She had manifested by her
attack ON copenhagen that she would violate
;heu'rai rights without Pretence she had
outraged Denmark who never injured her.
world but on the mere ground of necessity.
lie thought Congress ought at this moment
10 arm the nation, and be prepared to meet
the event. He could not sit still and hear
such language as the petitioners had used g.
they were alarmed at the extent of our de-
mands. What were theyl 1t was not in the
power OF the House to say but from the
known character and conduct of the E.xecu-
i've, they had no right to infer but that they
were reasonable and Just. He felt conf
uehce IN the Executive, and had no wish pre-
natnrely to know what those demands were.
hese were the ideas which occurred tn him
at this moment ; he could, therefore, see no
good which could result from a reference of
the petition
| Mr. 1nfI'to7' said that all the arguments of
the gentleman from Massachusetts went tn
shew that reference of the memorial would
involve an enquiry into the cxpediency of re-
peallng the law. If he thought the refer
ence of the petition rested on that question.
lie should entertain the same opinion as had
been expressed by that gentleman but he
had yet heard nothing which could convince
nm OF the impropriety of referring this me-
mortal. 1t would be no more than a prorer
respect to the petitioners to give it a refer
euceJ as far as he had heard the names of
the subscribers TO the memorial read. he
knew them to be men of consideration he
was not personally acquainted with them,
but knew them by character. They had adj
dressed the House in respectful language.
and had requested them to consider the pro-
prcty OF repeating a certain law. What
lmpropriety was there in this. The gentle
man from Massachusetts had admitted that
1t was question which required consdera-
ton, whether the law should go into operati-
on or be repealed and from the observati-
ons he had uttered, it appeared to be his de
sire to enter into more violent measures than
/ those contemplated by that law. Mr.. NJ. had
never thought that law judicious, or that a
partial prohibition of importation would have
a good effect on our foreign relations, but
that it would merely tend to irritate and
he would rather have seen law passed tc
prohibit all importation, than one Of so futile
a nature. If the situation of the country was
such as to require strong measures, that law
would not be such as ought to be adopted
tle thought strong measures were required