The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-02-04

u
qualities which fitted them for service unfit
ted them for taking care of themselves; of
all men on the earth they were the first that
would divide their purses with those in dis
tress: to be proyident and saving was not
their character: when called to public SER
vice they exposed their lives as if of no worth
always ready to give away what little they
had earned. 1t was for these men, said Mr..
ID. that you protested to have laid the en-
oargo; to secure to them protection. The
protection you have secured is the utter de-
privation of employment. Those who I'M
derstood The character of a seaman, need not
be told how. peculiarly difficult it was for
him to employ himself in any other branch
| OF labor. 1t was true that many of the men
employed in merchant vessels could cultivate
land; but as it respected the great body of
the seamen, 1T was more difficult for them
to procure employment Except on beard of
a vessel) than any other men. Their very
/ habits at sea were not favourable to habits
of industry OH shore: he therefore thought
their case peculiarly entitled to attention.
1t the corporations of our cities had manifest
LED generous attention to the distresses of
Ithese men, he was not disposed for that rea-
son to withdraw from them any means of sup
port which it might be in the power of the
House to afford. He thought with an over
flowing treasury and SO much solicitude as
men by laying the embargo, that it was but
right that the House should provide them
employment on the principle of humanity.
| ME- taylor said the scope of the argument
OF the gentleman who introduced the bill, and
OF the gentleman last up, was, that these men
We. in distress, and therefore should be en-
Iployed. If they were to be employed, Mr. L.
wished 1t to be for some service. AS to their
beng confined forty fifty in boat, and
eating up the money ofthe planters who suf-
tered equally with them, he could not agree
Itoit. Taking it up however as matter of
charity, 1t was contemplated to employ 1900
lseamen The seamen of the u. S. amounted
TO between SO and 10000 Suppose one half
lof these to be employed In the fisheries and
tcoasting trade, $4,000 remained: and he
wished to know whether they ought to select
twelve hundred of them, and leave the other
twenty-three or four thousand to that distress
which had been depicted. If it were mat
ter CT necessity to support these virtuous peo-
pie, let gentlemen come forward and drain
the treasury to support them. But others
suffered as well as sailors and if they were
10 support all who were out of employ, they
would not leave cent in the treasury. He
would now call the attention of the House TO
the famous g,in-boat bill, this was said Inv lis
advocates to contemplate great superiority
OF the new establishment over the old that
1t would require but very few regulars, the
rest being supplied by a naval militia. We
blow hot and cold, said Mr. T. We depart
from the very principle laid down, on the
passage OF that bill, and now are going tn
raise a naval standing army; for whether bv
sea or land 1t is standing army. saw il is
not eXPedlent. If the gun-boats were now
all ready for service, under the state ofthincs
which now exists, should not be i'm favor of
employing more men than would be sufficient
| DO that take this measure on principle il an
pears to be departing from the principle On
which we set out; and if it is meant to be
done IN charity; it is doing nothing There
tore; unless gentlemen can shew me that such
! number OF men is necessary for taking care
OF the boats, having at the same time an eve
to a naval militia, l shall vote against the bin
ON the table.
! Mr.. Chandler asked for what purpose the
bill contemplated these seamen to be raised
| The Sneaker said, for the service of the U.
States.
| Mr.. Chandler said ne had understood that
to be the case and wished things to be called
| by their proper names. He thought, as this
was the case, that these men were to be rails
ed tor the service Of the u. S. and not mere
| ~ tor the sake of supporting them, as gen.
tlemen seemed to fancy. This number was
declaredto be necessary, and was only con-
4 Sipie'tSu W VIC CdIicu lDtO service. nj the
public exigency required, and not otherwise
MIR. Dazyson said he was extremely sorry
that he could not express himself to the COM
| Prehenslon of gentlemen. He had indeed
mentioned that there were number of sea-
men unemployed; he had given it as a rea-
son why that number should now be raised
as when unemployed they could be got with
out difficulty. He had not considered the bill
as contemplated to afford charity to seamen
but II gentlemen would bring forward mo-
ton OF that kind, he would go rs far as anv
body. But the present bill contemplated no
such thing; the fact was, that the vessels now
built were not manned. The simple cues
ton was, would they or would they not give
the government men sufficient to man these
vessels for actual serviccl
Mr.. Quincy was glad that the motives on
winch the bill was founded had been explain
ed tor really he had not been able before
distinctly to ascertain them. As ne now nm
derstood the object of it was that the vessels
now lying i'll our harbors without men should
be Immediately manned. Would this be pro-
duced by the bill on the tablet He thought
not. lie could not correctly understand the
operation of the bill, for it had been read but
once or twice, and then the hearing of it was
almost precluded by the noise and inattenti-
on which prevailed; but it did appear to him
that the President had not any right given to
him to employ these men except in case of an