Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-07-30
Fran the Virginia Patriot.

ana VIEWS Aiu CaiCutdlc Oh ulucVCQg re-
suits from the measures they pursue. The
great mass of every party undoubtedly look
TO the public good as their. ultimate object
and give their confidence to those who by
real merit, by disinterested professions, OF
by assidious aa,tery, have gained their es.
TEEN or secured their affections. :,
These leaders always profess TO pursue
the interests Of thepeople. Whatever may
be their designs, they clo,he them in the
sarb Of patriotism, and never fail to repre-
sent their political actions as proceeding
from some principle acknowledged to be
right, and as tending to establish some
point which all adnitto be desirable. How
ever incompatible the act mar be with the
principle in which it. is alledged. to origi-
nate, or with the object it processes to pur-
sue, should it happen to cohpost with the
popular passion or prejudice of the moment,
the exertions Of human reason to rsnd the
veil with which itis covered will generally
be disappointed and the public feeling will
guide the public Judgement. J.
Some great national calamity, such as the
embargo, which presses immediately and
senslbly upon all, may indeedeorrect for 3
time the.political course which motives base
but acknowledged have prescribed. Or it is
sometimes possible that the conduct of our
rulers may be in such open and direct hos
tility with their professions, that The honest
part OF. their followers will perceive the de-
cePtion aud withdraw their confidence.
On this possibility now rests the hope Of
the most wise and virtuous OF our STATES
men. 80
It has been so obviously the interest of
the United States to preserve neutrality in
the war which has long desolated Europe,
that all parties have peofessed to pursue this
object. he success of this pursuit has,
(until the Berlin decree, that outrage upon
all neuHality) been supposed TO depend in
great degree on the neutrality OF our CON
ducts and on the observance of a,strict i'm
Partially towards the belligerents, All par
ties therefore, have put in their claims TO
this neutrality OF conduct and to this i'm par.
TALLY Of disposition. However partial their.
measures might'be, however obviously they
might be calculated to favor one OF the BEL
Egerents and to involve as ir Guarrels with
the other, however much OF prejudice &
gainss one bslligerene and in favor of the O.
sher might be displayed in the discussions
70 which those measures gave birth /; sdll,
men breathing the most invcterate preiu
dice protessed the most perfect i'm PARTIAL
ty. ~.
At length the asgSessions OF France a.
mount to open war. She has assumed up
on hcrselfto direct our government, to take
from US the right of deciding on peace and
war, to declare there shall be no reutrals,
and to whip us into her own ranks.
Those who under shese circumstances,
can endeavor still to promote her views by
ls1oring to irri:ate us against her enemy,
outrage common sense when they make pre-
tensions to ilnpartiality. II is certainly not
the part of impartiality to observe the Same
conduct TO triend and foe. Still less i'm
partial is it to receive the blows Of an enc.
my, and in revenge to menace his enemy.
That this is now the daily practice Of the
chiefs OF one party in this country, has
been so repeatedly and SO clearly shtwn,
that only the Wiltully blind can have failed
TO perceive it. We will therefore suspend
for moment our observations on those
topics which have recently SO muck occu.
pied the public prints, while we ask the at.
tention of our fellow citizens to few inter.
esting facts, which, though less noticed,
seem to US not less calculated to mark the
temper and to devslope the views of that
party which rules the US.
II cannot but be we'll recollected that in
the early part of her revolution, France
charged her neighbors with combining, a,
Pilnitz, for her ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The trea-
ty of Pilnitz, 1t is TRUE, was not commeni-
Gated to the public. The charge, great as
Yt yvas yvoa fntaIly ppp,,onorr.rl Nv,