Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-01-03
I1lr. @uiacest's 9heech centi,,uca.
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| rebcal mast, jfom the sitpati0a Ct Eurobe,
! 97ecessariig BE- octuQi sft5misSio1ato enc fhs
! agpreSsarS, and aOGr 1vih tie other" IN
| the name of common sense how can TINS be
true The trade to Sweden, TO Spain. to
/ China, are not now affected by the orders
or DEGREES Of either belligerent. How is It
submission then, to these o. RS, fer LIS to
trade to Gottenburgh, when neither France
nor Great Britain command, nor prohibit
II? Of what consequence is tito Us, IN
what way The Gottenhurgh merchant dis
noses Of our products, after he has paid us
our price an not about to deny, that a
trade to Gottenburah, would defeat the pur-
pose Of coercing Great Britain, through the
want of our supplies. But reason on the
report upon its avowed principles. Il gen
tle,nen adhere to their systen, as q mea2 d
coercion, let the administration ayow il as
such, and support the s*sten ~ arguments,
such as their friends use every day OF this
Aoor. Let them ayow as those friends do,
that this is our mode Of hostility against G..
Britain. That it is better than 6 ball and
runnowder." Let tllera slleW that the means
are ADEQUATE to the end. Let them exhibit
to Us bevond the term OF al this suffering, a
haDDy salvation, and glorious victory, and
the people may then submit to 1t, witlout
n,,1rnror. But while administration sup
mort their system only as a municipal regu-
lst;on. as mean of safety and preservati-
or, those, who canvass their principle arc
not called upon to contest with them on
ground, which not only they dc not take,
but which, officially they disavow. AS par
tial repeal would,not be submission to either
so also it would not be war with either. A
trade 20 Sweden would not be war with G..
Britain, that nation is her ally, and she per
mits it. Nor with France, though Sweden
her enemy, she does not prohibit IT.
All but say the committee Lpage 13] "a
sqeQsstrs zchich woud suhply eaciu&ivehJ enc
ofhe bel9gere11tS, zv0uld be zi'ai' aD5A tie
6tley.'' This is the state secret; this is the
master key to the whole policy. You must
not only do what the letter OF these orders
prohibits, but you must not sin against the
spirit of them. The great purpose is to
prevent your product from getting to our
enemy, aud to effect this YOU must not on
" SO act, as to obey the terms OF the de-
crees, but keeping the great purpose OF
them always in sight, you must extend their
construction to cases, which they cannot by
any rule of reason be made 20 include.
Sir, l have done with this report. |
would not have submitted to the task OF
callyassing it, if gentlemen had not thrown
the gauntlet with the air OF sturdy defiance.
willingly leave TO dis house and the natl
on. to decide whether the position took in
the commencement Of my argument is not
maintained that there is not one OF the
principal positions, contained iii this twelfth
page, the heart OF this report, which is true,
in the sense and to the extczlt assumed BY
the committee.
1t was under these general impressions
that I used the word $ lset2lsomc," which
has SO often been repeated. Sir, 1t may not
have been well chosen word. Il was that
which happened to come to hand first.
meant to express my disgust, at what APP
peared to me mass of bold assumptions,
and of i'll cemented sophisms.
I said, also, that Z" the spirit zuhich it
5reatied zoas dissvacetuL" Sir, Imeant no
reflection upon the committee. Honest men
and wise men may mistake the character of
the spirit, which they recommend, or by
which they are actuated. When called up-
on to reason, concerning that, which by a.
doption, IS to become identified with the
national character, am bound to speak of
1t as appears to my vision. may be mis-
taken. Yet | AJAX the question--Is not the