Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-10
CON G. r E S S.
HouSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
FRIDAY, ga'suafy 20
Z Fir. Bacora's Speech concluded.


The een,lenaan's address had to me a
meaning most solemn and portentous, tax
en- in connexion with the times and circum-
stances under which it was delivered. but
what are the mighty means BY which this
crisis is to be produced, and what IS the
powerful lever By which these commotlons
are to be raised--the old stale topic of a
perpetual embargo-like the gentleman
from Virginia, nauseate the subject
The idea of a permanent embargo IS worn
out, and / thought had By chs time been
discarded from the mind Of every nan both
in this House and in the nation. am not
about TO enter upon wlrc-drawn argu-
ment To shew either from the particular
terms of the law or the general construc-
ton of language whetherit is SO or not
These views have been long since exhaust
ed. What then are the new arguments ne
yer before produced which are now offered
by the gentleman to prove that such must
have been the original policy OF the law -
It's that it was recommended By the Ike
cutive as precautionary measure, while It
was supported by some members On THIS
floor as a coercive one. On this point let
me bring to the notice Of the gentleman the
temporary embargo CT 1874, recommended
as | have always understood, by General
Washington, and held out to foreign ma
tons as a mere measure of precaution, to
secure our vessels and our merchandise
from belligerent aggresslons and plumber.
But how was it supported in this House
1t was supported as the present law has al
so sometimes been, as a measure OF coefclve
policy. We have but few OF the debates
which took place ON the former occasion.
to revert to, but / have IN my hand the
speech OF a gentleman of distinguished ia
Tents, and a predecessor OF mine, who then
had a seat in this House, giving MS views
of that measure Mr.. Bacon here read the
following paragraph from the speech OF Mr..
Setlgwick on his Introducing a resolution
empoweringthe President to lay ar enabar-
90 on the 18th day Of March, 179A.
!" The reasons on which this idea Of an
embargo were founded, are that Great
Britain cannot supply her West-lndies, ex-
cept from the United States; If this is IN
any degree true in peaceaole times, how
much more forcibly must it operate now.
They have considerable military force
there to feed in truth, without supplies
frcm this country they must inevitably a
bandon a project, with them favorable
one, the conquest of the French West-ln-
dies--in this situation Of affairs he believed
it would be found proper to Put INTO the
hands of the President a power to lay this
embargo and in moment to prevent al
supplies going to the West Indies.
The sentiments Continued Mr.. b. here
advanced) prove that the idea OF an embar-
go in this country being considered as a
measure of coerciye policy in respect TO TO-
reign nations, to Great-Britain in particu-
lar, il not a novel one-that it is no fanci-
fal notion of the present day, but owes its
origin to the politicians of the old school,
i have introduced them however more par
ticu1arly to shew, that the auspices under
which this measure of embargo was intro
duced and recommended to the nation, and
the views with which it was supported,
were the same now as in 1794-that they
were both precautionary and eoercive-
and will the gentleman say, that President
Washington or the Congress of 1874, were,
asheas we are, instrumental in deceiv-
ing the nation, and yet his argument will
equally apply to both. cases.
But the gentleman affects to consider our
neglect in providing general efficient means
of hostility as certain indication that we
have no idea of interposing any other mea-
sures of resistance to the violations of our
rights than the embargo, and says that we
have not even sufficient spirit to fit out our
little navy. On this head can answer on
ly for one, and can say with truth, that /
have always been ready, at least to an e.
quail exHnt with my colleague, to lend my