Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1808-02-18

We leave to those who are In lhc habltuai
exercise Of defending all the measures OF the
administration to prove that the assurances OF
monsieur Decres, ought to have satisfied the
American government our oplnl on IS, that
| they ought not. Here we ere naturally car
ried back 20 time, wien France attempted
to enforce similar decree, it is dated the lth
January 1898, the first article OF which is IN
the following Words 6 The character OF a
vessel, relative to the quality ofneuter, or enc
my, is determinedby her cargo. In conse-
quence every vessel loaded IN whole or In
part with Engliah merchandise. is declared
lawful prize, whoever the owner OF the said
merchandise may be" The decree OF the
9lst of November, 1866, in other words, is
conformable in spirit to the article above quot
ed, and the agents of the French government
are carrying it literally into execution. Tic
administration of the time We have mentioned
perceived that this and the other DEGREES of
the French government, were calculated to
produce great loss to our commensurate they
were in direct violation Of solemn treaty,
that by submitting to them We should degrade
our national character, and finally provoke
retaliation. There could be no hesitation un-
der such circumstances, audit was determln-
ed to resist pretensions equally injurious TO
the honour and the interest OF the nation. -
The result of this manly determination is well
known; eur differences with France were fl
nally composed, by the very treaty to which
we have so often alluded, and from which we
have extracted the Q and l4th articles, and
in violation of Which, those former monstrous
pretensions of the French government are re-
newed and carried into execution.
It is now more thon fourteen months since
the decree of the 2lst November 1906, was
passed, and alb out twelve months since it was
known to our government. Our ministers in
London we're appraised Of it in Dec. 1906 by
a note from the British government remarka-
ble for its can dour and respect that it France
did attempt to enforce this decree the Britain
government might be compelled to retaliate.
Nearly twelve months after this notification
from the British government to our ministers
in London, this retaliation is made, but under
qualifications that evidently prove that neces-
sity produced it.
The government fthe q S. respect to
It's own honour was bound TO resist this de-
cree, whether it did so or not, and to what
extent, is secret that is profoundly concealed
from the nation.
The President incilently notices the de cree
in his communication at the opening OF the
present session of congress in the following
words
" Our differences with Spain remain still
unsettled ; no measure having been taken on
her part, since nay Lost communication to con-
gress, to bring them to close. But under
state of things which may favor reconsi-
Iteration, they have been recently pressed,
and an expectation is entertained that they
may now soon be brought to an issue of some
sort. With their subjects on our borders 10
new collisions have taken place; nor seem
Immediately to be apprehended. TO our for
mer grounds Of complaint has been added a
very serious one, as you will see by The de-
cree copy of which is now communicated.
Whether this decree whieh processes to be
conformable to that Of the French govern
ment of Nov 2lst 1906, heretofore commu
nicated to congress, NIL akso be conformed 10
that in its CONSTRUCTION and QthAcG$ion to tts
United States, had nat been, GscertGined Gtfbc
dare of our last communication. These hesse.
ger gaze reasoafo feet sucha cogformity."
Although the president does rot positively
say that the French government had given
him satisfactory assurances that this decree
was not in its application to affect the United
States, vet we must conclude that he intend
ed to impress that belief-In making this
conclusion We are inevitably led to another,
and which is, that the French government,
in 'dition to its violation ofevery principle Of
reason and national law, in addition to the vio-
lation of a solemn treaty it has added subse-
quent treachery and deception.
1t has been the constant aifn of the admit
nistration papers, to impress on the minds of
the people, a belief that all the misefies they
now suffer, and those greater, which they