Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-03-03

l'dUu ODlS.stCN ID ttft CltGSS Tor
riety ct reasons, because it delegated TO the
President power which belonged To Con.
lgress only, by making him judge of what
"pledges and precautions" were sutta-
thle"; that it authorised the employment of
lprivate force IN a case in which the public
force was not to be employed, which is a
novelty II contemplated not actual war
but invited individual enterprise il WAS
there. ore mere menace, going upon the
principle that private vessels might be AN
authorised to make reprisaIs where the
lpublic force was not presumed to be EN-
ployed it was therefore measure un-
worthy of the government, and unknown
in the history of nations The CONSTRUCTION
OF the section too was singular, and ne was
astonished that such bill should come
from the Senate. 1t made no regulations
as to what dispositions should be made of
the property captured by these vessels.
whether declared good prize or not, &c
1t was mere vague proposition, and un-
worthy OF the government, as IT proposed 1
war by individuals whilst the nation shrunk
from the contest. He objected also to the
condition on which letters of maroue were
to be issued-that on one nations cea,inp
to wrong her, we should agree to fight a.
mother. He objected to it too. because il
transfe sred to the President legislative
power, by making the issuing letters OF
marque dependant on the events which in
the opioion of the President should render
1.-THE commerce of the U. States sufficiently
safe. Sc.
/ Mr.. j. G. Jackson renewed his motion tn
strike out the whole section, except the en-
acting clause. He acknowledged the JUS.
tice of The arguments ofthe gentiem IN from
Connecticut; but as session of Congress
would intervene, the objection to the de-.
fleet in detail would fall to the ground -
The amendment which he intended to of.
Ifer, would remove the remainder of the
Igentleman's objections.
Mr.. Randolph called for division of the
motion at the same point as before He
Isaid ifthe senate had erred, the error was
not to be remedied by the proposition SUBJ
mitted to the house. 1t was, only putting
a tortoise under the elephant; for the sys-
tenn would be liable to precisely the same
lobjections as the clause proposed to be a..
mended. MIR. K. went into an examination
of the amendment which Mr.. jackson read,
to shew that this was the case. II was In
fact the same point now which the house
had under cons Iteration few days ago--a
declaration of war IN future, leaving il to
chance as to whom and TO how war was to
be declared; with mental reservation at
he same time, that all this was mere pen,
: ink and paper. 1t was complying with the
inject of these very belligerents whom it
proposed to resist, viz. involving US In the
war-setting the nation up to- the highest
bidder, the kindest keeper. Was this Dig
Unity. Was this the spirit of rs? He de.
4 scribed the bill from the senate as new all
Iternative, never discovered by the commit
tee OF foreign relations, who had some time
Iago presented 8 of them to the house. He
y spoke of the proceed ngs of the present S SSH
on 1t has been said observed Mr. that
fthis house has been acting under paric |;
and allusion has been made to particular
lquarter OF the union as the Cause of that pa
mic. trust, SIT, that the members of this
lhouse viii think it more honorable to them.
selves, If they are to be influenced by fear,
and hope they are not to yield TO the wish
!. es OF great and respectable portion of the
union, than, after having expressed dis.
position to crafty that section, to be whpt
IN by an editorial paragraphs. 1t has
| been truly said that the government Of
France was destroyed by the parliaments
: putting the galleries IN the place ofthe house,
> ny legislating under the Kisses or appliances
nt the galleries. This was horrible state
OF things. But If any body OF men is to ie-
gislate under hissings, where is the differ
(ence, whether they come from the gale
ries, or, from really the most worthless part
OF the community? Whether from an indi.
VI v'dual who arrogates to himself not merely
the right, which as an individual and free
man he has of judging of the conduct Of this
house, but OF prescribing what Il should do |!
And when, sir, indulge in these observa-
tons feel rcpugnance at comparing such
an audience as l see around me to persons
Of that description. The foreign difficulties
in which we are now involved, NJ. r. at
Itributed to our own oversight TO the re-
Election of treaty which might have been
formed. The renewal of Mr.. Jays treaty
or the acceptance of that negotiated by Mr..
| Monroe would, he conceived, have placed
the u. States in situation far preferable
to that in which it now found itself. But
instead of that our government had search-
ed the volumes of Puffendorf, Martin, Vat
tel, &c. and produced whole volumes of die
Iplomatic correspondence. He said he could
almost wish that the CITRATE and Barber
would come into the library and make Il
bonfire of all the. rubbish which had led us
to this windmill expedition. With regard
to our domestic difficulties, Mr. II. conceiv-
ed that they were all Of our own creation /;
that they had been produced by i'll Judged
conduct. He compared the present and late
situation OF this country with that of Great