Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-04-13
ARISTIDES No. 2.
REFLECTIONS on the Aate ldsv co1acef1san.ss 6
judgments and exscutio1ass
FCoNTINUED.
CONTINUED.

IN q republic not ODly 70 justly 49, 49,.
ously require suspension OF the regular OK
ec3tion of its most necessary and iunda-
mental laws It cannot be denied that cases
nf this kind may sometimes occur, and that
,rs nress,,re of extraordinary calamltIes may
demand a resort to extraordinary exPedlents
- save the commonwealth, (which the ex-
IRENE necessity of the occasion will justify,
and when every citizen, SO tar from con-
demniug. would uphold the government IN
such a resort = but the first enquiry in the
present instance is, has such case occurl-
ed? And next, if it has occurred, mas 1t
been produced by our own folly Could 1t
have been avoided by a temperate and wise
conduct, founded on a Judiclons estimate OF
,,,r present and future interests Let Us
view the subject in these aspects
Il must be acknowledged that an extraor-
binary event did haPpen--the total lnterdlc-
,;on.of all our foreign trade for an unlimited
t;noe and which actually continued tor more
tbon fourteen months, and when removed,
1opIv partially still LETT our. commerce IN
der heavy restrictions, by the acts o. our
nat;onal legislature, acts, however, which,
Being approved by the legislature Of Nirgl-
p;a. rendered them responsible TOR the guilt
Of having advised them.
et ms first view the case naked and I'M
oarnished by any political circumstances an
t;cetent or subsequent to the occurrence {:
xvhat was it? 1t was an embargo voluntarily
imposed on our trade BY ourselves, the ei-
feet of which was to retain wlthin~our coun-
nv al our resources. An invading enemy
lad not. with irresistible force, spread desc
lat;o, over our land Our territory was IN
touched by hostile et,and our property re-
NAMED safe In our possession. The mea-
sure itself was viewed as a temporary expe-
d;ent toscontinue bat "a short tirae, not as
forming part of permanent system, at
least such were the objects avowed by its
/. t,rime mo0er. Under this impression the
holders of the vast monied capital, which
was formed by the embargo in our country,
did not cease to employ it in the purchase of
the products of our agriculture, atprices
from 20 to so per cent. lower than the ordi-
nary prices, counting On full remuneration
for The loss of tine, when commerce should
AGAIN resume It's wonted activity: but can
t,l;s seriously be called circumstance suth-
ciers in itself to justify the legislature in SO
complete suspension OF the payment OF
debts and fulflment of contracts as their late
acts have produced, especially in favor OF
those who have the ability to pay, (tor none
others can give the security required) and
the really necessitous arc left the only VIC,
inns. How often does it happen, even in
times of universal peace, that our exports,
either from domestic Or foreign causes, OK
perience depression equal to that which
has existed under the embargo. 1t would
be an endless task if the Legislature were to
vary its laws to suit all the mutations IN the
commercial world, and thus to take under
its management the individual concerns, OF
the citizens. This would be a species Of
despotism inconsistent with freedom, aud
destructive of all confidence between man
and man: 1t would amount to declaration,
that the people are incompetent to the care
OF their personal interests, and therefore not
qualified to Judge ofpubhc concerns, or tul-
fl tie duties required ofthem by the consti'
tuition of their country,
The legislature has but one thlngto teach
the Ciuzens-that they are not to enter into
engagements which they cannot fulfil, nor
contract debts which they cannot pay; and
this lesson cannot be taught so efectually in
any other way, as by the punctual and mex
orable execution of the laws made forthe de-
fence of property
1t must excite no unreasonable doubt, in
the minds OF rejecting men, of the fitness
of our citizens for arepubliean form of go
vernment, when it is observed that Oh the
smallest prNation oil. property or comfort
they Go not hesitate to violate the most sa-
cred principles of their political association,
by weakening the obligations of justice and