The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-02-03

| II Great Britain would continue her course
OF bossilities ayainft us, he would at a Con
venient and proper time, be decidedly in
favor or war, rather than to submit 20 her
lawless prctensions and aggressions He be
iieved. that rather than submit, the United
States ought, must and will 20 to war for the
preservation and maintenance Of their rights,
etc. lie drew this conclusion with conf
.dence and certainty, from the character OF
the dispute between the two Countries
What is the real character of that disput1,
particularly as it respects commercial
rights! independently of aggressions vital
" affecting the character and interests Of
the United States, continued without atone
ment or relaxation. and which are too well
known to require repetition here, the real
character of the dispute respecting CONNER
Cial rights when stripped Of its DISCUSSES
and embellishments consists in this :-whe
Their the United States or Great Britain.
shall regulate the commerce of the United
States! Or rather, whether the United
STATES shall regulate their own commerce
consistently with the law of Dationss Or,
shall Great Britain regulate it. in contraven
ton OF the law OF nations. The right co re :
gulate commerce is perhaps the most impor-
tant. right Conhded to Congress under the
constitution; and that congress might pos
sess that rower was certainly the primary
ton.
Ii is known that the inesficiency of the
commercial regulations of the several states,
and the extremely inconvenienr influence of
the conflicting systems OF the different states
upon each other. trst suggested the necessi
W OF general government, for the purpose
OF regulating commerce by oae uniform and
emclent system; OF course the power 90 re :
gn.ate commerce. may be considered as >he
foundation OF the constitution itself The
people of the United States have delegated a
Congress charged with Ike sacred trust of
protecting and exc rcisng this great consti-
tutional power. How then can that Congress
abandon 1t 70 the exercise of foreign power,
without an almost unreasonable infi3eiity to
the people, by whom they are delegated p
Great Britain not only claims, but actually
exercises the power of regulating, and even
OF. restraining and prohibiting your Gem
merce at pleasure; and so far has she car
RED the exercise of this power, as to sub
stitute her own Illicit commerce in the place
OF your lawful, but prohibited CONNIE rec !
Yes, IN utter contempt OF your rights and au-
thoiity, and in utter disregard of her own
Character, she is now in the daily habit of
granting licences TO her own subjects to
Commit treason against the common law of
the land, by authorizing them to carry or
an illicit commerce with her enemy, in sub
stltution of your Ia wful commerce He believ-
ed 1t impossible for the u. S. to submit long
To this unexampled state of things: & there
tore that they ought must and will ere long
so to war o assert and maintain their viola.
ted rights, their injured interests, &c. &c.
iif no other expedient will answer the ob
lject
|. MIR @. said that this view Of the subject
was addressed with peculiar force to the com
mercial parts of the Unted States and this
state of things if persevercd in by Great
Britain, mus and will awaken them in
spite OF all their prejudices, 70 a sense Of
their. own danger and interest and whence
yer that shall be the Case, they must and
will unite in measures of protection and
redress
Mr.. G. said it was astonishing to him.
how gentlemen representing the commerce
al parts OF the w. States could ever for a
moment suppose. that himself, or the PEG.
pie in the scene of country from which he
came, could desire to enter into an unneCes-
sary war with Great Britain. That par. 81
the Country, above all others, found an n
tcrest in an intercourse with Great Erraiu
particularly at the present moment; the ar
ticles 1t furnished were at this time pay.i-
cularly suited to the British market They
were principally tobacco, -four and wheat
ne whole OF which were now in brisk de.
ubdbu loi tuS DTitiSn market, particularly
the best James river tobacco, which was so
peculiarly suited to that market, as now to
command from z to dollars per cwt. where
as Maryland tobacco, which was consumed in
the prohibited MARKERS of the continent.
was in little demand and comparatively low
in price. Indeed from these causes, there
mas been peculiar activity in the CONNER
cial scene in that part OF the country for
some months past; and gentlemen, who
supposed him disposed to plunge into an unne-
Cessary war with Great Britain, could not
give him credit for even the most superfici.
al consideration Of his own interest or the
interest of that part of the country. But not
withstanding these considerations, he was
not willing himself nor were the people of
that part of the country willing to submit to
the abandonment of single attribute of ma
tional sovereignty still less were they dis
posed to abandon the great constitutional
right in question.
Mr.. G.. said he thought war iustifisble
only in case of self-defence That as he had
often done before on that floor, he now so
lemnly protested against war merely for the
acquisition or territory, or any other object
OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or ambition but what is
war of self-defencei When any attribute
OF national sovereignty whatever, is attack
ed by foreign power, is then becomes a
case of self defence to the party attacked
in the case between the United States aud
Great Britain, not only is national attri-
butte assailed, but the highest national attri