Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-03-28

Hcts W wv - -. e
10 ; although hold Il not to bs the least OF
the qualifications Of statesman TO- be 'ap.
pri,ed when it 10 necessary hot to act. a
propositions isnow y insuhstanee md ! wish
t. bring il in form submitted to this ma
ton whether they will encounter a system
OF additional taxation and-loans, or whether
they will make reduction Ia. their unpro.
6,able establishments. I think, il I have
not forgotten, that the secretary Of the trea-
sury, in his annual report, has stated, that
by an adequate reduction in the army and
navv the neeessitous state Of our finances
may be relieved. Bot perhaps, sir, IT may
BIZ said, shall we, in the present undecided
state as respects the belligerents of Europe,
make any movement which shall indicate
disposition on our part to submit ,o1hose
bslligerents? Certainly not. But Mr.. r.
asked, was there any one who heard him
who seiiously'thohght of war, or believed
it a relation in which We could BE-, placed
He for one did not. War with whom
War with France! Carried on where by
US here and by France,in old France For
she had no possession in our neighborhood.
War with England Carried on where ? In
the hospitals at New Orleans Granting
that our situation with either of the belli-
gerents were a hostile one, Mr.. r. said he
for one would in that case still be ready TO
accede to his proposition for he saw no
use in keeping up an establishment, cost.
ly set Of tools, which we could not if we
knew how to use.
/, is possible, however, saiu Mr.. r.
that all this time may be under mistake;
that there is 81 stem, that there is plan,
that there is concert and indeed if the
oldmaxim be true, ays est cc!are arten',
ours musrb be one of the most refined sys-
toms it eludes not only sight but touch,
and would elude even chemical analysis.
Iwould wish TO ask this house, after all
that has been said or that can be said on the
subject, whether we must not, we' may
make as many wry faces az we please,.go
back to that ground Gift be possible to re.
gain it. which we have so childishly aud
wantonly abandoned We must we may
begin upon the system OF loans and taxation,
but the people Of the United States will tell
US to stop, and we must obey. Will the
people OF The United States consent to keep
up expensive military and naval establish.
ments, OF the very existence Of which they
are ignorant until they are made acquaint-
cd with them by burthensone taxes and
a debt sntailed ON their posterisy and for
what To what earthly end! Ifyoa cannot
keep your army alive in time OF peace, I
ask i'll the name Of common sense what
you do with them in time ot.war! Is there
man who hears me who feels one atom OF
additional security to his person or proper
~ from the army Of the = United
States Has it ever been employed to pro-
tecs the rights of person and property 3
Has it ever been employed but in violation
of the writ Of habeas corpus, and as a new
modern instrument of ejecsment? Sir, 60
through the country, and put to every free
holder IN the land this question--Are you
willing to pay one third more Of duty, and
an hundred per cent. on that third, upon
sugar, coffee and so forth, for the sake Of
the establishment at New Orleans! We
may say what we please, sir, but that ex-
petition which, until ours, surpassed in
folly every other expedition ever anderta-
ken-the famous expedition Of British
army against Flushing, where they had an
army as we'll as climate to contend against
tina: expedition which even their own mi
nissry dare not defend, but quarrel amongst
each other who shall have the blame of it,
was surpassed in disaster by the mortality
Of the American army. And yet, sir, for
this shadow, this skeleton, it is indeed a
skeleton of an army, the people Of the u.
States-are to submit to loans and taxation.
With respect to the navy, say nothing of
that. Its exploits are already registered
in our journals. And the fact of the fri.
gate Philadelphia having run ashore on the
tail of the Horse shoe, is the only one : in
our naval annals for several years past.
with respect to war-we have, thank
God ! in the Atlantic, fosse wide and
deep enough to keep off any Immediate dan.
war IN o,,r servisorv The heiEr.r.o,. &c