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

I commences; you have dispensed will
, -FOUR Internal taxes, and yeur only in
ternal resource is derived from the sal,
J | Of your public lands. Whatever ma,
j ne the productiveness of that funt
thereafter, it is not now more than e.
i qualto one-twentieth of the demands
of the government; hence, sir, the go.
Ivernment must either afford protect,
on to commerce, or renew the inter.
,,al taxes. Can you doubt, sir, which
| of these alternatives the government
would choose? We are told sir, there
lare prsjudices against navy. know
ehere are, sir, and believe have par
taken of them as much as any gentle
naniu the u States, and stand as much
committed to the nation upon that
point. But the circumstances of the
country at the time of discussing the
question of creating a navy, formerly
and at the present time, are extremely
different. Oar commerce then was
comparatively small to what it now is,
the proposed expenditure upon the ma
Ivy would have been nearly equal to the
whoie annual product Of the revenue
derived from commerce. Therevenue
NOW derived from commerce is nearly
Iquadrupled, and besides, at that time,
our commerce was almost exempt
from foreign aggressions ; its present
prosperity & unprotected state has To-
lvited aggressions from abroad, and un.
less 1t is protected, it WILDE destroyed.
Whatever my prejudices or opinions
may have been, or may now be upon
this subject, l am not so weak and OBJ
stlnate, as to suppose that those preju-
dices or opinions can control the prac-
teal progression of human affairs, nor
that there is any consistency in apply
ling the same opinions to different
state OF circumstances and events and
the control of prejudices and opinions.
Mr.. President, notwithstanding all the
existing pretldises against navy,
now confidently express an opinion,
chat If you continue to draw your re-
venue through the medium of COM
| merce---if that commerce should con-
TIME to prosper and increase, and if
foreign cupidity and violence should
continue to exist, you will have a navy
to protect your commerce. consi-
der the effect as certain as any other
| fleet produced by Irresistible causes,
When this effect win take place when
I the prejudices will be overcome,
whether this year or the next, or at
some more future time, will not pre-
tend to say but that it will happen at
some time, is as certain as that any
other effect will happen that is impel-
led by irresistible causes. The extent
ot this protection will depend on the
discretion of the government, and
there is security against It's being
carried too far by the great preponde~
rating influence of the landed and me-
chanical interests in the United States.
The present measures, dictated by
the present state of things, are in my
Judgment peculiarly favorable to the
lacceleration of this result, and L am
lsurpri2ed that our eastern friends in
stead of encouraging them should be
throwing distractions in their way.
| A result at all times so desirable to
them, and so well calculated to give
them that weight in the scale Of the u.
MON, which they now seem to think
lthey do not possess; but which they
are anxious TO possess.
Whilst upon this part of the subject,
Mr.: President, permit me to express
Imy deep modification and regret at
the unfortunate differences of opinion
(which exist between the eastern and
southern people respecting our foreign
relations. viii not examine into the
causes of these differences of opinion,
because itmight excite unpleasant fee
lings in some gentlemen, which / wish
particularly TO avoid, These diGeren-
ces are the more to be wondered at,
when we all know, that our interests
are common IN that respect; and that
in relation TO each other they are pc.
culiarly mutual and reciprocal. Me-
yer were there people, whose occupa-
tons rendered their interests more
mutual and reciprocal than the eastern
land southern people of this union,
whose wants and supplies were bette r