Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-12-26

1
States, that we would repel with lndlgnity
and indignation, the disgraeeful golden al.
lurement, even If it could be realized. y
believe, and every sensible farmer will i be-
lieye. that he has for the last ten months o.
tained more for his surplus plenty under the
| embargo, than he could have done III any
other state of things, which was IN the
choice Of the government. Let US suppose
that the immense mercantile eapltai winch
| is admitted to have been saved py the en-
barge, had been seized and carried INTO
foreign ports, and there condemned !; wat
yauld have been its effects upon the mer-s
camille capital Of this country !! L Wou 9
have SIS crippled our merchants, that they
would not have been able for a long time to
purchase the surplus produce OF the ma
ton.
Eutthat is not all, these merchants would
have claimed indemnihcation from the go
vernnlens for losses which, in that case they
!, would have urged were sustained by us
cu!pable neglect--and they would have
plunged us into war, to repair 50 great an
1 injury inaictedupon the nation--thie foreign
lplunderers too, would have loid US, that
] they cared but little about war, as they
4 had taken from lis sufficient means for de-
fraying its expence. Thus in that state Of
things, a war would have been inevitable
! and would YOU tell the farmer that ne would
get more for his surplus produce IN time OF
war, than he has received since the embar-
| &c? Sir, the farmer knows too well the car
! lsmities of war, to be thus deluded By these.
visionary golden dreams. In the event ot
/ war. he would no. have received as much
| for his surplus produce, as under the en-
| barge laws: hence, 1t obviously appears
! from fair estimate OF pounds, shllllnSs
and renee; (s;nce we are compelled TO re-
sort to that standard, as the only orthodox
| test Of our national honor, national sens
| bihty, and eveA national independence ;
/ yes, sir, even according to that sordid stand
ard. the farmer weule. have been the loser.
| Besides, sir, to say nothing of the increas-
ed taxes, and other burthens indispensable
TO the support of war, who can count lis
chances, or limit its duration! Who can
] calculate Its demoralising consequences =
But calamitous as war is, the American
farmers would with eagerness encounter all
its terrcrs, rather than surrender their own
liberties, and the nation's honor, independ-
{ ence and sovereignty--letu Us then Tor tlme,
SIR, bear our present privatlons--lct war Ut
the last experiment.
stance, winch s vii fa, mention another eleum-
the farmer, for the difference in the price Of
bis surplus plenty nov, ard in ordinary
times. When the price of produce is low,
tho temptation to raise large crops Will be
lessened, andthc farmer will turn certain
| portion of his labor to TIE Improvement CT
his farm. The high prices ofproeiuce here
. totore have induced the farmer to impose
too much on His land; too great demands
/ have been made on it, and it has been IN
some degree exhausted. The embargo has
| appraised the farmer Of this important cil-
cumstance, and taught him his true inter
est IN this respect. ! have obselveda great
change in the appli, alton OF labor III this re-
spect, and have 10 doubt general senti-
ment exists i'll favor ola still greater change
IA greater portion of labor is also ccnyelt-
| ed MTG household manufactures, which will
lessen cur demand and dependence upon TO
reign nations. In both these respects, be-
iieve the operation Of the embargo is favor
able to the farmer, at the present moment,
and will certainly be favorable to posterity
by transmitting to it a more fortified soil
for cultivation. 1t viii BE favorable at the
present moment in this respect that before
the adoption Of the embargo, the farmer
was tempted to apply too great . proportion
of his labor TO the annual increase of crops,
and too sa.alla portion Of it to the rt: na-.