The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-01-13

that of foreign nations. He believed 1t would
be found that the ddties on tonnage and the
discriminating duties ON imports had Carried
this system as far as was eXpedient; and he
could NOT see any benefit toresult from pro,i.
biting foreign vessels from entering our
tcrs
Mr. SGscycr said that he too was opposed
| TO this section and to the whole blll aitoge
Their. because it was not strong enough; 1t
was cooperating the spirit of the nation in
mere commercial regulations. After every
insult for so many years past, our wrongs
were now to be expiated bv restrictions on
our own commerce. Weinvi.e aggression by
continuing the same system. If this was
the neplus ultra of resistance, he said he
could not consent to give it his vote. 1t would
not satisfy the people, ard it Ought not; they
were tired of this mocEery of resistance Of
these commercial restrictions and resoiu,i-
ons of appreciation. The least that could
have been expected from the committee OF
foreign relations would have been a bill au-
! thori>ing the issuing of letters of marque and
reprisal. No repatriation had been obtained
for the affair ofthe Chesapeake. no release
or our impressed seamen, nor any revocation
| or modification Of the orders in council: and
yet, for the mere pittance. the slight vestige
| OF OR former trade which the orders left to
us, the House was called upon to continue
to carrf IN commerce with Great Britain
and France. 1t the conduct of the nation
were not more energetic, he sid we should
forfeit the little character we had acquired,
J and call down on us the contempt OF every
nation on earth; we should become con-
emptible even in our own eyes, for it was
impossible for amy man to contemplate the
state in which we are, and the measures
which had been and were proposed to be TIA
ken. without feeling absolutely debased--
We had, he said. tried this system for seve
raj years; it had done no good, aud it was
time to try some other. Gentlemen were
now persevering contrary to the evidence OF
their senses, to the impulse of their feelings,
! and. he believed, 20 the wishes of the natl
| on. Whilst no French ships and scarcely
| any English ships now came into our waters,
| the formal prohibition of their entrance
| would but give a pretence for the indiscri-
inmate capture of all our commerce, with
| out producing any benefit whatever to the
United States Mr. Sawyer concluded by
moving that the committee rise. with vie v
| to postpone the subject ill the Sd Monday in
| February
Mr.. Macon adverted to the very opposite
reasons for which the two gentlemen who
preceded him had opposed The GILL; The
gentleman from Massachusetts, thought 1t
was 50 strong that it would ruin us by draw
ing upon US countervaiiins acts; and his COL
league thought its weakness would only
vibrant further aggression on us. The com
mlttee OF Foreign Relations he said had
been wei aware of tine situation in which
they were placed The message of the 29th
OF November had been understood to be a pa
CHIC one. Ii had been acknowledged ON all
hands, that the non intercourse was totally
useless. 1t was necessary that something
4 Sh nallH he u H.
greed to report this bill. The gentleman
from Massachusetts had told the House. thar
If they adopted this bill. and Great Britain
and France should countervail its provisions.
the United States would suffer. At pre-
sent, Mir NJ SAID, they captured and con
dcmned our vessels, and they could not in
lure us much more in that way. The real
/ question was, whether, as the President in
his message had shcwn disposition for fur
ther negotiation, Congress would lend him
their aid in 1t. Suppose Great Britain did
countervaii, and say that our ships should
not so IT, her dominions, then the bill had
provided that neither Amelia Island. Hall
lax oraDy other intermediate port shall be a
place OF deposit. But as our exports were
the most bulky, is i. were to be agreed that
each nation should carry its own products.
we should carry fifteen or twenty times as
much as Great Britain would, and the ad.
vantage would be greatly on our side.
Inc Dill mad been reported IN such I, form,
Mr.. NJ. said, as that such parts as should
not be agreeable to the House should be
STRUCK out. His colleague had thought the
blu too weak. If Congress were to adopt
the Dill, did 1t prevent them from ADOPTING
more energetic measures, Certainly nor
| his bill differed wholly in its nature from
the non-lntercourse law, because it took off
the restrictions from ourselves and put them
on our assaiiants. Ii appeared to him un
der thepresent situation Of the country. that
the committee must have been unfort,luai e
indeed " it had reported a bill for issuinp
| letters tot marque and reprsa for, last
winter, when matters stood much the same
as they did now, the question had been tri-
ed in this House with perhaps as few votes
as any thing ever received which had been
talked so much about. When the question
had oeen stated on issuing letters of inarque
ana reprisal forthwith, instead OF at "A distant
day, where then had been the energy cal
led Tor! A reference to the Yeas & NAYS
on that vote would shew how few had voted
In the affirmative
! MI. M said 1t was evident from the whole
tenor OF the bill that its object was TO take
the restrictions from our own nation and Law
them on u. Britain and France and it was
an OBJECT worthy OF consideration in the pas
sage OF this bill, that it was such a one as
the hAtlOn Could stand to for any length of
ufne. Al The committee were 70 strike out
every clause in the bill but that which re-
peaieo the non intercourse law, he should be
opposed TO rising ill they agreed to that
one. At every place IN the nation where
even boat could Come, the people were sa.
tAle0 Inn init 4. 4