Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-12-30

otisna," In this way cur chief ,nasiis s,'''
[ performs his duty. A storm is anaroacS;a
| The captain calls his choice hands us ,a
deck, leaves tie rudder swinging, and s. s.
the crew to scufIle about altsrnUioss. III:
message, pregnant with memberships aI,e,
natives, is received by this house. An
what DO we? Why, constitute q great com
mittce of foreign relations, and lest the
should not have their attention completes
occupied by tie pressing exigcacies &C thos
with France and G.. Britain, they are en-
dowed with the whole mass; British, sp,
! nish and French; Barbary powers and t,
dian neighbors. And what does this cen,
miltee9 WHY, after seven days solemn con
clave, they present to this house an ii!u:tri
Gus report, loaded with alternasipes--as
thing but alseynalirGs. Tie cold meat
the palace is hashed and served up to il,
piping hot, from Our committee room.
In considering this report, | shall pay NJ
attention to either its beginning, Or its con
clus;on. The former consists of shaving,
from old documents, and the latter Of bird.
lime, for new converts. The twelfth pacs
is the heart of this report. That mean 10
canvass. And | do assert, that there is nc,
one of all the principal positions, contained
in it, which is true, i'll the sense, aid &c the
extent, assumed by the committee. Letus
examine each separately.
Your committee can perceive no oths
alternative, but abject and degrading sub.
mission-war with both nations---or 4 ccr.
tinuance and enforcement Of the present sas.
pension Of our commerce" Here is tr;.
torked alternative. Let us consider each
branch, and see if either be true, in tie
sense assumed by the committee. The first
6 AFFECT and degrading submission" take.
two things for granted; thattrading, pend.
ing the edicts OF France and G. Britain, i,
submission and next, that it is submission,
in its nature, ah;ect and degrading. Nei>hcs
is true. It's not submission to trade, pend.
ing those edicts, because they Go not com.
nland YOU to trade. When yon refuse to
trade you submit, not when YOU c>ly On
that trade, as far as YOU can, which they
prohibit. Again, It is not true that such
trading is abIect anil disgraceful, and that
too upon the principles ayowed BY the adro,
Gates of this report. Trading, While these
edicts are snspe,.eied over oa.~eolnmerce is
submission, say they, because, we haycnat
physical force 10 resist the power Of these
bclligerents; of2course, if WE trade, We
must submit to these resiriet tons: not hav-
ing power to evade, or break through them.
Now, admit for the sake OF argument, what
however, IN fact, | deny, that the bo.lige.,
rents have the power to carry into effect their
DEGREES, so perfectly, that, by reason OF the
orders of C. Britain, we are physically dis,
abled from going to France, and that by the
edicts of France, we are, in like manner.
disabled from going to G. Britain. Ifsuch
be our case, in relation to these powers, tn,
question is, whether submitting to exercise
allthe trade, which remains to Us, notwith-
these edicts, is ''a5ject and aeg-aa-
ing."
In the FIRST place, observe. that submis,
sion is not to beings constituted as We are,
always "abject and degrading" We SUB
nit to the DEGREES of providence-to the
avs of our nature-absolute weakness sub
nits toabsolute powcr-and there is nothing
n such submission, shameful, or degrading.
It is no dishonor, for finite, not to contend
With infinite. There is no loss Of rspata'
ION, if creatures, such as men, perform
lot impossibilities. If, then, it be true, in
he sense asserted, by some of the advocates
# this report, that it is physically impossi-
lie for us to trade with France and G. Brl-
ain, and their dependencies, by reason OF
hese edicts, still there is nothing ".nysot
y degrading" in carrying on such trade, as
hesc edicts leave open to us, let it be never
o small, or 50 triiing; which, however,h