Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-09-17

- sa' force repeal of the orders Of council ];
81. he 3 x;;stenee was at the time unknown.
r also deserves consideration, that these
orders not having been taken as 2 measure u:
Of coercion against neutrals, out as a Deii:.
cerent retaliatlng measure upon france, =
;;nonroh,hle that their repeal can precedc
10. y :. rsneaI &C that decree on which they are
.n nsfs founded. This yielding on the
par. part Of England, would be an ackpo Js
ment Of her inability tocnntend with : rance
n His species Of warfare, and would leave
the latterpower at full libertyto exercise her
'nsurped control over neutral commerce, IN
such manner as might most senslbly WOUND
Great Britain, unres.rained by the aPple.
hen.ion. that the same weapon might DC
tu,ned against herself. But however this
argument might be disregarded BY our rul-
ers. who. from the year 1896, have eeen
anxious to try their strength IN commercial
warfare with England, the first IS conclusive
on the point. The embargo could not have ;
been extended, to the total deprivation, OF I
al commerce, in order to obtain arepeal or
orders. not known at the time to be IN exist
ence. 1t might be SO extended tor the pu!-
pose of forcinga surrender OF other princl-
pies, but not of this. {.
Neither can its extension be ascribed to
hope, that it would compel Bonaparte to re,
scind the Bcrfu decree. Our rulers Will
never attempt to act openly and directly on
his fears. Such a system would oontradlct
all their opinions respecting him. but II
they had proposed so to act, the mocitica-
ron suggested would have been more ope-
rative than the measure i'll its present form.
He would have perceived in 1t the coun-
teraction instead Of the support OF MS ia
yorite system of warfare on BRUSH com
merce.
Discarling the first reason, then, as nav
ing been obviously imperative, let us pro
coed to the second. 1t is, that congress was
restrained FROM modifying the embargo, in
such manner as to effect It's avo'yed OBJECT,
without running the cultivators OF the soii,
By the fear that such naodlhcauon, While
it diminished the pressure on ourselves
would also benefit England, ard consequent
" be offensive 10 France.
Ought our conduct to be so influenced oy
such motive!
It viii BE- readily conceded, that the mo-
aitlcatiou proposed would have the effect
suggested, and that neutral nation, III inc
general, cannot safely frame such CONNER
cialresulations, as viii benefit one Ct two
belligercnts and iniure the other. If the
regulation be made without sufficient mo
tive of It's own, and with a view tc It's effect
on the beliigerents, it becomes an OBVIOUS
departure from neutrality, and : measure OF
hostility. But if the regulation is dictated
BY plain and important national interests II
it is framed with an obvious view to the state
of the country, and affects belligerents Incl
dcntally i consequentiallv, it ceases tobc
departure from neutrality, and to furnish
Just cause OF offence.
OF this latter description would be the
modification in question. If the injustice OF
belligerent powers, especially OF France,
with whom the system originates, coupels
us to relinquish the transportation IN our
own bottoms, of the produce Of our indus
try, We are obviously driven 70 the necessi-
~ Of selling that produce to those n:sg Will
come to cur own market to I1Sehase at.-
That theshome market is leffpI5ei to every
competltor,is measure appareAslxSr dictated
by our substantial interests. L IS not a
eopted with view to its effect upon belh-
gerents, but to its effect upon ourselves. II
one belligerent is in a situation to coa.c to
that market, with more facility than the O.
Their, this casual advantage arises from saas
es not produced by Us, and gives norighr to
the party, who finds himself unable 70 reach
our market, to say, that il shall, OF that ac-
count, be closed against all the world. No
nation has right to say, that because she
cannot purchase from us,we shall sell 10 no
body; or that to promote her comparative
interests, with a rival, she wishes to destroy,
we must sacrifice our own. This is de-