Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1809-01-16

GiTHt VI HaDSaS Sol puo, PSiAstiS a.
am touch Of military power. dc
mot btlieve the country fate under
',his army, / dorot beliege the per-
f,ns of the members of this House
ARE safe under il and | would pro-
ten againa it at the hazard of my
head
Such are my own feelings, and ]
could with, and would itrive it |
knew the way TO the hearts of men,
to recall the feelings of 'o8 and 90.
Or is it true in all cafes, even with
the warmelt patriotifm, that tempera
mufantttr, ct mas ma'qnv cuniLIs |!
Perhaps, however, MAY not fee
clearly fome argument may be
found in favour Of this propolition.
What courfe, he afked, was to be
given to this army Was itate Of
war expected bstween this country
and France 2 There was now no
point at which we could come in
contact with her. Formerly, when
the French government had des-
po,ic influence over that Of Spain,
the Spaniards on our weRcrn from.
tiers could have been Get in motion
aglinlt us. But now we had MOTH
ing to fear in that refpece- Were
we to have war with Great Britain !
Was that at length determined on !!
Had il been iettled out Of doors
that we were to have war, and were,
she Houf;. now called upon to vote
what could only be legitimate con-
fquence Of declaration of war ?
This army NUT be intended to be
employed out of the country, for to
ielf defence he militia were furely
competent. Was this nation to 60
TO war with Creat.Britain & Spain 2
Was this force TO te employed a.
xainR Canada, o, in giving legiti-
mate form to the Burr project' Was
it TO 90 to Mexico? /? Mr.. GARDENER
iaid his mind had been truck with a
kind Of horror which he could NOT
e1prefs at this projected army, and
he could not ct itill and give a lilent
vote when projea which he be-
lieved to carry with it 10 many mif-
chiefs, perhaps fuch utter ruin, was
fet on foot.
He did not believe, he faid, that
the public liberty would be more fafc
in the hands of thofe who now direct
ed the public concerns, than it had
been formerly in the hands of other
rulers. There was fact which till-
ed his mind with alarm, csmmupica-
ted to him, and that years ago, by a
man whole, mind was as pure as tha.
of any human being thar ever exiited
"a fact coneerniug the opinions as
10 what ought to have been the form
Of fgoyfIa@sns ard &&6S iS i%S6l Rs p1obs5i,
was to be high IN power in this coun.
try, which had made fuch an impref
fion on him, that he could not but al
this moment view this project with
increaled horror and dread. He
would however FAY no more Of that
at prefent. But in his plain & hum.
bic conception the public liberty was
in danger; I; and here, within thefs
walls, within this fanctuary Of Amer.
ican independence, it was that the
public liberty was to be fayed. Il
was here, BY recurring to fira prin-
ciples. TO that great principle, tlia,
free Rates ihould be JEALOUS Of militia.
ny power, that he looked for its falva.
ton. AT time when, under pre-.
tepce Of enforcing the embargo, an
unconiiitutional power was propofed
ts be placed in the hands of executive
officers, when an arbitrary power
was to be exercifrd on mere fufpi
cion, when with all this was coa,bin.
ed itrong and overwhelming militia.
ay force, he could not at fuch peri.
|. cd be Glent. Yes, fr, (Eaid he)
, do in my foul and coniciepce believe
that it ever there was time when
we fhculd make folemn raufc, and
look around US. and furvey our con-
dition with cool and calculating eye
this is the period and for one
have not helitated to give the alarm.
l would place inyfelf here, upon the
ramparts Of the conititution, aud give
the alarm to my country. Iwould
place myfelf here, on the fignal-tow.
er Of the public liberty, and found
Ahe sncEn Of alarm tn the ,n.;ni,