Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-04
sCONGR ES S..
HOUSE OF Representatives,.
TUESDAY, Ja'iuary II.
DEBATE ON EXTRA SESSION.
[coNTINUED.]
Ilir. 9uiney's speech e0ntinued.]

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manufactures, and their dependence upon
us for supply and consun,ption--the great
ness of her debt-her solitary state engaged
with world In arms--the fortunes and the
power. of the French emPeror-thc certain
effect of the commercial prohibitions OF
combined Europe upon her maritime pow
err such were the uniform considerations
in support of this policy, adduced by the
friends Of. administration on this floor, OF III
: this nation.
There, on the contrary, the considera-
lions urged as tie motive for 1t were alto
gether different. Let us recur TO the, lam
guage which cur minister was directed to
hold to the court of Great Britain, on this
subject. The secretary of state, in his
lett9r.of the Esd of December, 1907, ITO MR.
Pinkney, thus dictates to him the course ne
is to pursue In impressing on the British
cabinet the objects of the embargo. - |
avail r.yself Of the opportunity to-inelose
{ YOU copy of a message from the president
70 Congress, and their act, SIN pursuance OF
1T, laying an embargo on our vessels and
exports. The poky ndcaeseso Of the mea-
sure are explained IN the message Itself
But it may be proper to authorize you to
assure the BRITISH. government, as has been
Just expressed to its minister here, thattde.
act is a measure Of precastion onty, called
far 9y fhe occasion that it is to be consider
ca as ,seither hostile IN ITS character, nor as
justitsmg, or iauiting, OF. leaaiGe to hostility
7vith am nation suhate0er, and particularly.
as opposing, no obstacle zvhate0er to amie1s6le
negotiations and satisfactory aaItstme1its
ssrttA Great Britain, on subjects Of difer-
eace betzueen the troo cotntries." Here our
administration expressly declare that" the
POLICY aid castses Of the measure are explain
: rd IN The message itself" And in that mes
sage the /" dangers with which our vessels
cur seamen and merchandise are threaten
ed and !. the great importance of keeping
in safety these essential resources, are the
soils causes enumerated as explanatory of
that policy. At the court OF Great Britain
then orl ministers was directed to represent
this measure as merely intended to save our
essential resources But administrator
: were not content with the direct assertion of
this motive, they abjure any other. They
expressly direct our minister to assure the
British government that the act is "A MEA-
SURE OF PRECAUTIoN1 ONLY, ard C that at
opposes no obstacle Ttysatevcr TO anicab3e ne.
Socidtions between the tao countries" Here
then the friends of administration, speak
ing, as is well known, It's language, allege,
in this country, that the emba: go is a mea-
sure of coercion, and that if persisted in
Z vigorously, it will reduce Great Britain to
our terms. Whereas the minister of the
United States, speaking also the language
of administration, is directed, unequivo-
cally, to deny all this In Great Britain, and
to exclude the idea of coercion, by declar-
ing it to be a precauti0n only. Certainly
never was there apolicy more perfectly cha
racteristic. 1t is precisely that policy, which
one deeply skilled in the knowledge of the
human character, described as 8 a language
official and language confidential" A
language for the ear of the American peo-
pie. An opposite for the ear of the British
cabinet. IF this had been, as the minister
of the United States was directed to assure
the British cabinet, /" measure of precau-
ton only why were the friends of admir-
nistratlon permitted to advocate it as a mea-
sure of coercions WHY is it continued af-
ter all pretence of Precaution has ceased
Did not administration know that if it were
supported here, on the ground of coercion
that this fact would necessarily be under
stood in Great Britain, and that il, must
form s an obstacle to negotiation nstwith-
standing all their declarationss IF there-
J fore it had been truly " measure of preoau-
hsn only" wssh not administration have