The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-10-07


.uncquivocal assurance, that he will change
the present system. are driven 80 the ridicu-
ions necessity OF saving, that he "sviH sfaad
la better cicnce" of cxtricating us. than his
competitor.
It's a peifecs novelty IN political reasoning
to say, that measure is 70 be copdsinuci
Without considering The causes and reasons
which p-oGnoed it. Howeve" great the dis
trcsses of the embargo may be. no man vii,
place them iii competitions with the suffer
ingS OF .he people. during the revolutionary
| war. Fad the Unitcd States reasoned at
that period. as The committee, now do, our
Independence would never have been at
chieved. If they Fad only confined their
views TO the actua! c1';is they endured, with
out iookng back on their original cause, it
would have been preposterous to persevcre
II. contest which brought them to the brink
OF rain. But they We're animated through
their arduous trials, by the recollection, that
they were contending for National Iadehen-
dence anu every thing that the human heart
holds dear. They kept their eyes stedfast-
iy nXed on the cause of the conflict, and
preferred The worst Affections which the i'm
agination could conceive, to u base submits
sion to tyranny. The cause of that contest
| and of the present, is the same; it is Matt
anal INDEPENDENCE. ] trust that our conduct
VIII prove that we are the legitimate chit
lien of these illustrious men, who poured
forth their great souls in defence of their
country honor and that in the extremity
| of our sufferings, we shall never forget the
| noble cause in which we are engaged.
But 1t is urged as an unans Syera6ie cb-
lection to Mr.. Madison, that he ''stands
committed by his writings and acts on e.
very question between us ard foreign ma
" TONS"
When men differ on plain principle Of
conduct, it is evident that one side or the O.
| Their must be warped by the unfortunate in
passion: prejudice. Z! r. al.
| action which appears highly meritorious to
one, seems only worthy of censure to ano-
ther. one of the parties must have ASSUME
ed g false standard of morality.
That Mr.. Madison stands committed. on
every question between lis and fr~eign ma
ticiis, is undeniably true. If he has com
nitted himselfi in bad cause or uyton wrong
| principles, this would afford an unanswerao
Die objection to him, But if the cause is good
one, it he has placed itupon correct grounds,
then his committing himself is not cause
tor censure bat appreciation. In the present
contest with foreign powers, the question
| relates to the extent OF neutral rights. Ii
! Mr.. Madison has claimed greater privileges
ior ncutrals than the law OF nations will
warrant; if he has made exorbtant de-
inands On 6elligerent powers, which they
ought not, III Justice, to grant then indeed
IL woula be improper TO place him at the
head of our affairs. On the other hand. if
he has made a firm and manly stand against
the Entertainments or foreign nations, he
mas double claim on our gratitude as well
as our justice, that he shall not be aban-
doned. Had the committee therefore boldly.
l led ri RI,
Madison has committed himself, were I'M
tenable, however VIC might have thought
them mistaken, they would at least have
been Ineligible. But they have not done
this. They have thrown out of the questi-
on the '7srat or zvrcns Of the subject. They
have asserted that the mere circumstance
OF Mr.. Madisou's being committed, is a SUI
! iicient objection to him. In what system Of
ethics the gentlemen have found this dec
trine, it is impossible to say. But there is
a moral sense deeply implantedi in the heart.
abandoning faithful officer whose onlv
crime it is, to have vindicAted with ardent
zeal and unrivaiied talents, the dea. est
/. rights of his counti.i
But is Mr.. Madison the only man who
stands committede No Tie legislature Of
the union are placed in the SAME prcdica-
nent. Nor is this all The whoc Ameri-
can people have pronounced Ulcer Judgment
on the questions between US and foreign ma
tions. No nan Can have forgotten thai ten
pest OF addresses and renonstranCes which
assailed the executive from every quartcr.
when this 5ubjcct was first agitated And
it is fact worthy of being recorded, tiiat
among those who are now rrost clalaurors
against The government, and Who speak in
the gentle strain Of concession towards To-
reign nations, there are ma.y who were
formerly the loudcst in their indignation al
the WI ongs We had received. 'fnc object
OF he committee then viii hot be answered
By mere change Of the President They
must effect revolution in Congress itself
and throughout the country. But surprising
this end attainabe, would the cominitece
wish us to retTace orr steps and descend
: from the high ground we have takens Would
| they visa to scs their country, after havjpr-
! committed itself on every point in dispute
! with foreign nations, meanly retract it,
principles, because il has not fcrtitude e.
nough to bear the evils of III embargo -
When they arc presented with national de-
| graduation on the one hand, and an EMBARGO
or war on the other, will they hesitate as 70
the choice?
The situation of Col Monroe is place.i in
contrast with that of Mr.. Madison. We are
told that he Is not committed by his ucfs o..
| 5offHhgS, on the questions be.ween as and
, foreign nati1ns < therefore he is left witt,