The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-12-17

own. a system was adopted and has Scr.
csnfirvcd, highly i.lSt in itself and prone.,
4 which coad'tced TO the immense neutial trade
carried on by the merchants of the United
:, Ssates-l mean the system OF granting drn w.
backs on re-eXportation of foreign goods
by which system the nation has been greatly
enriched, ard thereby aided IA the payment
! OF the national debt, but which agricultural.
men may permit them selves innoccntlv 20 be-
lieve, has contributed to- conduct the United
States TO the present crisis We, the MGR
chants ought, therefore, to be cautious how
we charge agricultural men with hostilit.
to commerce. Had congress been Justly
chargea6le Herewith, they had a fair oppor-
tunity OF shelving it in 1906, when your ia
bles groancd with memorials from the sea-
port towns. They might then have said, what
have the agriculturists to do with your yeu-
trail commerce? We viii protect the COM
MERGE carried or in native exports, but will
not entaDgle the natiCn with those of foreign
origin. Did they do so' No, Sir; they, as
well from tue south as from the north, did
declare their Willingness 10 support and pro-
tect all the fair commerce OF the Union.
They treated the memorials with respect,
and this house acted thereon.
''Of SO senator's present only seven members
voted against the resolution OF advice to the
President. Three Of those were from the
East, two from the South, and two from the
West. Those gentlemen feared that ve
should be Implicated in war for that trade
which the supporters thereof now wish us in
a great measure to relinquish For were
the embargo off, it could no longer be pursued
to any port of Europe.
but, say gentlemen, protecting duties have
been laid on foreign goods to benefit the ma
features of the union. | sincerely wish there
had been, but know of none, except on shoes
and on ship-building; this latter, presume,
.v'muerUiai men viii hot con. plain OF. The
duties heretofore laid were to obtain revenue,
NOT to protect manufactures. Nor did lever
until now hear any gentleman from Connec-
ucut complain or oppose any aid contempla-
ted for our manufactures. The complaint is
novel to me, for / should suppose. if any state
in the union is in situation to benefit by
manufactures, Connecticut, from her pcpu-
lation being full, will be that state. Some
small duties have been laid to protect cur "a
gricuture, such as hemp, indigo and sugars,
and a protecting duty has been laid on fish
imported from foreign countries to secure
the consumption OF our own country to the
labor of its own fishermen, to which little
opposito was made by agricultural men.
In truth, Mr.. President, there has been no
act OF hostility shewn by Congress to the
commercial interest, and much, very much
of real friendship has been apparent in all
the acts of chat body
win you then, Fellow Citizens, permit
your prejudces to be excited by such idle
misrepresentation, as the federal dema-
gogues of the East have fmEloyed. No; it
is impossible. You will consider the embar-
so on its own merits only. You will trace it's
causes to the aggrcssions of Europe. The
holy spirit which animated yonr Sires, will
continue tofrc the bosoms of their Sons
A FREEMAN.