Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-12-06
CON G r E S S.
HOUSE or REPESEN7d7,- YES.
NcNpAY. Novenber 2e.

AcsDAr, Novesa6er %.
FOREIGN RELATIONS.
DEBATE
On Tie rrtort IN Part Of the committee 70
4v.s0,n zuas referred 50 ns,tch ct tlse. Presss-
dsnt's message as feiates to tefeign req
tians.
EeosrIauED.]
Mr.. @uiacg. Mr.. Chairman, am not,
in general, a friend to abstract legislation.
DESIGNATIONS declaration of general Princi-
pies is SO oisen the resort of weakness and
Ignorance il IS sofreqnently the subteriuge
Of men, who are willing to amuse, or who
mean to delude the people, that it IS with
great reluctance / yield to such course my
sanction.
If. however, a formal annunciation OF a
determination to perform one Of the most
common and undeniable of national duties,
be deemed bysa majority Of this house es-
sential TO their character, or to the attain
y,ent Of public confidence, | am wiling to
sdu,is that the one now offered, is as uflex-
ceptianable as any it would be likely 70 pro-
pose.
In this view, however, lay wholly out
.of sight the report of the committee, by
which its accompanied and introduced
The course advocated in that report, is, IN
nv o,inion, lcathsorsc, the spirit It breathes
saisrracsful; the temper 1T IS likely to IN
spire. neither calculated to regain the rights
4 we have lost, nor to preserve those wiiichn
r.Essin to as. Its an established maxim
that, in adopting a resolution offered by q
committee In this house, no member IS
pledqcd to support the reasoning, or made
sponsor for siae facts which they have seen
e. to insert in If. / exercise, therefore, 4
common risss, when ] subscribe 70 the re-
solution. not on the principles OF the COM
,aittee !; but On those which obviously result
from It's terms; and are the plain meaning
cf its expressions.
AGREE to this resolution, because, in my
apprehension, It oEsrs a solemn pledge to
this nation a PLEDGE not TO be mistaken,
and not to Be evaded, that the present syy7s-
ten, of nubl:c measures shall be totally aban-
doned. Adopt II, end there Is an end OF
The roliey Of deserving our rights, under
praterce Of maintaining them. Adopt II,
and we no longer yield at the beck of haugh-
~ beIlice-snts the right of navigating the
ocean. that choice inheritance bequeathed
TO us by our fathers. Adopt it, and there
Is ) termination Of that base and abjectsub-
mission BY which this country has for these
eleven months been dIsgraced and brought
to the brink OF ruin.
That the natural import and necessary
Implication of the terms of this resolution
are such as I have suggested will be apparent
from 4 very transient consideration. What
do It's terms necessarily include They con-
tain an assertion aud pledge. The asser-
tion.is, that the edicts of Great Britain and
France arr contrary to our rights, honor and
independence. The pledgr is, that we will
not submit to them.
Concerning the assertion contained IN this
resolution Iwould say nothing, were It not
that ] fear Thave so long been in the habit
Of looking at the orders and DEGREES OF TO-
reign powers as the measure Of the rights Of
our own citizens and been accustomed,
in direct snbserviency to them, of prohibits
inc commerce altogether, might apprehend
that there was some lurking danger IN such
an assertion. They may be assured there
can be nothing more harmless. Neither
G.. Britain or France pretended that those
edicts were consistent with American rights.
On the contrary both these nations ground
those cdicts on the principle Of inperious
necessity, which admits the injustice done,
at the very instant of executing the act O
oppression. No gentleman need have any
difficulty in scrcwing his courage up to this
! assertion. Neither Of the belligerents vii
contradict it. Mr.. Turrcau and Mr.. Err.
vii tcs&l, f ti,es de,