Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-04
IMPORTANT LETTER.
Extract efa letter fran tie Hon. JAMES.
SLOAN, member of Congress trom Ns7y
G9ersey, to his friend IN, PHILADELPHIA.

/ - 4 y
1 1 shall now proceed to very importan
communication which Iwish thee with al
possible speed to. lay, or cause to be laid be.
fore the peaceable citizens OF Philadelphia
It's that within short time past, the lea
ders. of the dominant party in our house
have thrown off the mask, and ayow thelI
determination to keep on and enforce in the
most rigorous manner, the embargo laws
until they are ready to declare war doubt
less with England) that is to say, we will
SO Cypress the people with unconstitutional,
ruinous, and tyrannical laws, enforced at
the point of the bayonet, as to compel them
to submit to foreign war, as the lesser evil.
To prevent this greatest OF all evils, spirited
bus decent memorials from your city (Which
ranks first in the union) would be very ef-
fcacious as our opponents alledge that the
people approve the embargo laws, otherwise
they would petition for their removal. The
4 Chamber of Commerce have had a meeting
at which the subject OF memorial to con-
gress was agitated, and as am Informed
on the ostensible ground of former memoir
ais having been treated with contempt /; but
on the real ground Of speculation-many
merchants having, after the passage OF non
| intercourse resolutions in our house, made
such great speculations in foreign articles,
that there interestinduces them to wish the
embargo to continue for :. considerable time
longer but | hope the great mass OF clti-
gems, whose suferings areincreased by those
speculations and who wish to prevent do
restic connections, as we'll as foreign war,
will be aroused to sense OF the imminent
! danger in which they stand, before it is too
>late. If the late law tor more vigorously
enforcing the embargo laws, does not awak-
en- the free citizens OF the middle and east
ern states, they will deserve indeed, to be
| made" hewers of wood and drawers Of wa
ter" to southern Nabobs, who are now SO
flushed with the success in the election OF
another Virginia President, thatthey appea,
determined "by a few bold strokes, to si-
lence all opposition" But hope they will
speedily cause their all powerful voice, to
penetrate our splendid walls in such man
ner, as to convince the present dominant
party, that they will neither submit tamely
to be ruined by unconstitutional oppressive
laws; nor compelled to go to war unneces-
sarily, and therefore unjustly with any natl
on on earth.
" I expect ere this comes to hand, the
papers will have announced the loading and
departure of brig from Bath, OF superior
force to the revenue cutter, who fired to
bring her too, but instead of obeving, re-
turned the fire and proceeded Oil her voy-
age. thus has species ofclvil war $50 call
ed commenced, which I fear if the plan OF
enforcing the embargo is persisted in much
longer will increase to dePlorable height
Thus have I, from asense OF duty, unbo-
somed myself to thee, with view If posi-
Die to arrest the progress Of the ruinoas
measures adopted by the majority now IN
power, which it is evident, are more InJurl
Gus to The peace and interest of these y.
States than those so loudly complained OF,
in 'e8, '99, and 1900. The people have
been basely imposed upon, with the idea
chat keeping on the embargo, IS the only
means Of preserving peace; whereas, the
reverse is the fact-she present measures II
persisted in, will require large military
force to execute them, and from the tyran-
nical manner in which every petty deputy
collector is authorised to act, it is morally
certain, that opposition of avery serious &
alarming nature will soon be made. Where
as do not entertain doubt that were We
to adopt my friend Mumford's resolution,
we might peaceably enjoy lucrative trade,
with this additional pleasure, that IN bene-
fitting ourselves, we shouldrelicve the wants
of divers friendly nations, now contending
against the unjust demands of Bonaparte,
whose conduct latterly, cannot, IN my OPT