Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-03-30

Liverpool or London, or TO have an asscr..
ted cargo of prohibited goods placed in a.
nv street of Baitimore or FhiiaIeipnia.
Whether these habits w,l! ever be check.
ed, it belongs not to ms TO predictr=out
they certainly will never be checked by
high duties operating as premiusn on
smuggling.
But it may be said tina. the nation II in
that situation in which il is necessary To
act, to do something. / agree, sir, that it
is-although hold it not TO be the least of
tbe qualifications of n statesman TO be an.
prised when it is necessary not to act, A
proposition is now in substance; and l
wish to bring it in form: submitted TO this
nation whether they will encounter sys-
tenn of additional taxation and loans, or
whether they will make reduction in
their Improbable establishments. think,
1t have not forgotten, that the Secrets.
ny of the Treasury, in his annual report,
has stated, that by an adequate reduction
in the army and navy the necessitous state
of our finances may oe relieved. But per-
haps, sir, it may be said, shall we, in the
present undec ded state as respects the
belligerents of Europe, make any move
ment which shall indicate disposition on
our part TO submit to those belligeren is /?
Certainly not. But, Mr.. K. asked, was
there any one who heard him who serious.
ly though, Of war, or b ,lieved it relation
IN which we could be placed He for
one did not. War with whom War
with France !-Carred on where BY
US here, and by France in old France r.
For she had no possessions in our neighbour.
hood, War with England Carried on
where? In the hospitals at N. Orleans
Granting that our situation with either of
the belligerents was hostile one, Mr.. h.
said he for one would in that case still
be ready to accede to ms proposition for
he saw no use in keeping up an establish.
ment, costly set of tools, which we
could not If we knew how TO use.
1t is possible, however, said Mr.. r.
that all this time L may be under a mis-.
take I; that there is a system, that there is
a plan, that there is a concert and indeed
II the old maxim be true, ars est celare
artem, ours must be one OF the most ref
ned systems--it eludes not only sight but
touch, & would elude even chemical an.
alysis. / would 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 as
We piease-go back to that ground Of it be
possible 20 regain iO which we have so
we
must we may begin upon the system of
loans and taxation, but the people of the
u. :. will tell us 20 stop, and we must
oeey. Wili the people of the u. S. con-.
sent 10 keep up expensive military and
naval establish ments, OF the very exls..
tence of which they arc igncrant until
they are made acquainted with them by
burthensome taxes and debt entailed on
their posterity-and for whatl To what
earthly end IT you cannot keep your
army alive in time of peace, ask in the
name OF common sense what will YOU do
with them in time OF war /? Is there
~ an who hears me who feels one atom of
additional security to his person OF prop.
erty from the army Of the United States ?
Has 1t ever been employed 10 protect the
rights of person and property? Has it e..
yer been employed but in violation of per-
sonal rights and property-in the violari.
on of the writ OF habeas curpus and as a
new modern instrument of ejectment Sir.
go through the country, & quito eyey free.
holder in the land this question-Arr
yon willing to pay one third more of duty
and an hundred Ter cent, on that third,
upon sugar, coffee, &c, fer 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 under
taken the famous expedition of a British
army against Flushing, where they had an
army as we'll as climate TO contend against
THAT expedition, which even their own
ministry dare not defend, but quarrel a.
inongst each other VINO shall have the
blame Of 1t, was surpassed in disaster bv
the mortality of tue American army. And
yet, sir, Tor this shadow this skeleton--it
is indeed a skeleton of an army, the oeo.
PIE of the U. >. are TO submit to loans and
taxation. With respect to the navy, /
say nothing of that. Its exploits are al.
ready registered in our Journals. And the
fact Of the friga,e Philadelphia having run
ashore on the tai OF the Horse shoe, is
the only one in our naval ANNALS for sew.
eral years past.
With respect TO war--we have, thank
God I! 10 The Atlantic, a fosss wide and
deep enough to keep OF any immediate
danger to ouf territory. The belIigereats
OF Europe know as well IS we feel, that
war is out of the question. No, sir--if
our preparation was for battle, the stale
physicians have mistaken the state of the
faIent--Ne have been eaibargo.d and
non-inIefooursed almost into a consump.
ton, and this is DoI the time for battle,
Al indeed he stare vas about to under.
go inocculaiion for the small pox, this re
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