The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-11-13

4 L
cited, have any wish to hold up the idea that
you or ought to be personally satisfied about
the propriety OF laws, before we attempt to ex
ecute them. We have no such discretion We
are mere agents, appointed to apply existing
laws to Individual cases: and what have said,
ana what am going to say. is principally in
tended TO guard against and 70 discountsnance
disposition and views towards foreign pro
vince, which our situation as an oppressed PEG.
Pleas people daily growing stronger Than
Oh. oPpressors-and as people cut off from,
ana unconnected with. and umnfuenced by all
0tner sections of people in the American repub.
'ic' mas natural tendency to generate in our
MINDS and to render acceptable not only to the
anandoned outiaw--out even To men Of decent
cha racters and we'll meaning intentions
u Will therefore take view ofthe apologies or
sncoursgements which have been suggested in
FAVOR OF the enterprise.
|! L. 1t has been said that the law does no, annlv
10 military expeditions against West Florida, in.
ssmuca as there IS no acknowledged prince or
state to whom the territory belongs. The United
States, 1t Is said, have refused to e:eive an arr
bssssdor coming iR the name of King Ferdinand.
and have declared determination to receive
none from King Joseph. Admitting this to be
TACT; what does It amount to : Why, merely 70
tms' that King Ferdinand and King Joseph are
hghung about kingdom, and that we, like pru.
cent men, do not choose to NEEDLE with them till
they have done. 1t is not our business to settle
longs to one or other of them: but we ill do no
act which on our p..rt shall imply decision upon
the question, till they have settled it between
themselves We are mere buy-standers and not
Pa., , Tor either But what has this 10 do
with West Florida Because we will not saw >,
"hich 1t belongs; is it concluded that we saw il
belongs to neither, and to no one Unauestion.
aoly West FLORIDA is within the dominons ol ,o,ne
ipreign stste-snd the United States are mt war
WIN no one, Florida must oe within the domini-
1 ,,r OF a state, with whom they are at peace
would any reasonable man allege that because
TWO OF ms neighoors Quarrelled about their right
~ morse, ne was perfectly justfsbie in stealing
nm Whenever he pleasedl Be assured thar The
general principles of law and honesty are the
same aoout PROVINCES as about horses and IL
"oi'u pe JUST as scandalous tor you or me to set
up as thieves and plunderers in the one case s in
the other. :" al
BUT It Is said again, that Florida, as far a,
the Perdido, rightfully belongs to the peonIe of
the United States. i admit that it does; but are
we the people of the United States .--are ten
.'.ous",'o people on the Tombigby the American
! ns'loh Canten thousand or small part of len
thousand, justly arrogate the rights and the an.
thority OF ten millions The public treasure al
SO belongs to the people OF the United States =
h9t Can the people of To,nbigby, or even the
Wnoie state OF Georgia, for that reason, legally
seize II whenever they please Nations act by
Aiowh ava authoriz1d agents ; and If the a,,thn
rized agents ct the American people if the on.
vernmeDt has not seen fit to assert their Linn 70
west fitrldai we, the people of Tombpbv h.ve
no more right to touch it than the emperor of
N19rocco Say not then that treaties have decla.
rSu IL 20 De The property of the United States 3
that treaties are the law-It is the w the,
murderer shall be put to death. But has anv nr;-
vate INDIVIDUAL right to kali him No II would
De murder. The law has its own agents and IN
struments. N III
q. But the object, it is said, is such as canpo,
m tfnf i,<a n
only to deliver ourselves from oDpress;nn 10 7,
Is not only to rid ourselves from that foreign ~,
Iauon, TO escape which the United Colonies revolt
ted from the mother country, bur il ia TO ada !.
ne" province to the American empire No 500.
ner shall we become masters of Florida. than ~.
Will lay our conquest at the feet of our federal -,
II rent. Pc,
But what are the United States A non,.ro,s
ana no nation Is it the q, y,r,
suppose, OF taking possession of a petty Snap;sh
province tina, prevents their occupying Ane
they so poor that they cannot paw 500 men for on
gaging in that enterprise Or are the ner;is &C
It SO great, the dangers so tremendous. that M
500 men could be procured for the desperate oc
casion 0! fortunate nation, that in sncb on a.
trem,y she should enjoy an opportunity of reno.
sing her fortunes on the valor of the redoubtable
champions of Fombigby O iiallowed snot
where yet remain some latent embers of the mar.
tisl lire, which established American ,ndenen.
dence Alas how IS it possible to sneak with
seriousness OF the contemplate gasconade. which
talks of Tombigby's making present Of n nro'
vince to The people of the United Ststes H.
genlemen-iet US cherish more exalted ideas of
the power and dignity oft the federal government
than to suppose that they would in this way. ex
tend The boundaries OF The American empire !. ct
us THINK more highly ftleir power-for tt,ev are
not so poor feeble as to be reduced to the neces.
NY OF abandoning their rights unless aid ed by or
exertons-let us think more highly of their die
nity tor they nave too much self respect to enact
laws and immediately lay them selves under obi
cations to men for violating them. -.
Indeed, much as bath been said of the insults
ana contempt thrown on the United States bv
foreign powers no ndignity ever equailed ti,st
winch Is displayed by those who seem TO cslciI
late that their assertion of their indisputabe right
70 piece OF property, unlustly wahheld de pends
on the good will and courage Of few adyen.
turous men III remote corner of their dom,n;
ons.
But it has been intimated, that government.
thouSh Tor political reasons, il will not come for.
ward, Will IN fact encourage the expedition BE-
lieve 1T not. II is the old story invented by Mi
randa and revived by Burr; and it was the grand
dei1sion that effected the destruction of the fol-
lowers OF both. The folly Of such pretens;ons
has heretofore been SO fully exhibited that the
government could not possibly slew any mercy
To those who should again devote themselves IN
the same delision 1t wO,.id not be believed
liat any man could, at the present day be igno.
rant enough to be imposed upon by such a pre-
tence The fact is, that the thing is i'm possible.
The President himselfbas no more right to make
war upon foreign power than you or 4 /; and. al
though tile United states have claim,