The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-05-02
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POLITICAL.
WAsg1NcroN, April rs.

Inc preuictcU period mas ut length ar1lV-
Cd for dispassionate estimate OF the .mea-
sures, recently taken by the administration,
! in regard to our foreign relations. 1nasmuch
| as the great mass of a community are not gf-
ted with the faculty oeaccurately associ ating
causes with their effects, and as they are too
generally plny'd upon by set of men actuated
| by personal, and often sinister motives, II
ought not to suipriZe US, that temporary
| delusis:on is frequently excited, productive
| of impatience at, ii not hostility TO, the nes
sures best fitted to promote their interests.
II is, perhaps, inseparabe from free go
vernment, to have a body of men constantly
/ In opposition, who, not contcnted with vir-
| tuous resistance OF encroaehment and oppres-
sion, geuciaily endeavorto effect their pur-
poses by rlisrepfesenting the motives, tratlu-
eng the characters, and diStortiug the a.ea-
| sures of those who hold the reins of, power.
n mourntul experience proves that these
| men, in the jealous pursuit of tneir uilJeCia,
viii Totally lose sight of the duties which
| they owe to their country, and even espouse
WITH ardor tic most unjust conduct of foreign
governments. BY these means the public
judgement is obscured, and considerable
portion of the community are leu to ascribe
| all the evils they eadure to those whom they
have constituted rhe guardians OF their RICH !,
| instead ot Imputing them to the UNJUST Con
! duct Oh foreign power, which, but Tor the
measures they conde mn, would have oppres.
sed them with ten fold violence This has
| been strikipgiy the case with respect to the
! embargo. those who imposed it, have been
represented a abandoned to French influence,
| as untriendiy 10 commerce, as hostile to ii
6erty. Grea and respectable sections of the
union have swallowed the poison, aud have
been almost enflamed into a uaroxism OF pas
sion. ready to Sc Elk lis criminal qualification
III raising its arm againstit own government.
But the bright day of Judgement and retribu-
ton has at length arrived, when virtuous
nation will not withhold the tribute of its
warmest thanks from an administration,
whose sole ambition has ever been to advance
the happiness of its constituents, even at the
sacrifice of its present popularity Thanks
to the sage, who now so gioriously reposes IN
| the shades of Monticello, and to those who
shared his confidence.
In pronouncing this judgement every sug
gestlon OF magnanimity recommends a for
bearance from opening ANEW the wounds
which have so grievously irritated cur friend
ship with Great Britain Generosity re
CURES that we should drop veil over them
Justice, however, does not less forcbly call
upon us, to estimate right the causes which
have led TO the existing state of things, as
opening to us a copious volume of experience,
| that may serve in future to irradate our
way.
In the first place, then it may be boldly
alleged, that the revocation of the British
| orders Is attributable 10 the embargo. The
! Nom intercourse act, connected with the par
tial repeal OF the embargo, had not taken
place when Mr. Oakley left England, nor
was 1t expected to iake place. On the cen
trary, there was every manifestation, on the
part OF OR government, in al it's depart
ments, TO adhere to the embargo, or to take
/ Y inEsg lta,.. -
had passed the two Houses of Congress by
great majorities. Mr.. Canning had, more
over, short time before, virtually put the
veto or his government on the proposition of
ours to raise the embargo as to England, and
retain II as to France, provided England
! fesclnded her orders AS this is the precise
proposition submitted bv the non intercourse
act, 1t proves that there must have been some
other cause for this Veto at the tirae it was
pronounced by Mr. Canning Mr. Canning,
III tact, assigns cause, by declaring that his
government would not rescnd her orders
TIL France had withdrawn her DEGREES -
! And yet France has not Withdrawn her de-
crees to this day, AS the effect, then, is
produced without the cause then assigned,
| 1t is evident that it must have flowed from
some other cause. That cause is the embar-
! go No other cause can be assigned. That
| 1t was quickened into activity, by the dis
asters attending the British arms in Spain,
may be true. But this proves nothing more
! than that the embargo was an instrument,
calculated to influence the conduct OF foreign
governments TO us through the medium If
! contingent events. IF | withheld my friend
ship from any one, it is not the particular
| act that Injuries him, but the effects flowing
from it. So, in the case Of the embargo, il
was the almost inevitable effects expected
from 1T, that recommended it as a measure.
the best fitted, in all human probability, to
vindicate our rights by sokeHin ahEeGt ~
the interests If Mo8e zvho Uiola'cd Them -
In this and in this way only, was its efficacy
commended for. 1t was said, that, while il
secured our property by drawing it into our
own bosom. it would for a time avert war du
ring which time it would probably teach
those who aggreSsed upon our rights, that
their own interests dictated removal Of
their aggressions.
Let us go back to the period, when the en-
barge was laid AZ that time England stood
alone, Gor Sweden is too trifling to form an
exception) among the nations of Europe. A.
far as a consolidation of power, unknown
| since the days Of Charlcmarge, could effect
it, the trade Of the continent was sealed to
her. In this posture Of affairs. she issued her
Orders in CouBcil, interdicting to us all con-
tincntal trade. The embargo was tie con-
| sequence.