Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-05-02

taken up again this ses.ion. On the same
Recommendations bill originated in tho
house OF representatives, authorising de"
,achmen. Of one hundred thousand militia.
Amongst other things contained in this
bill. j, provided that volunteers might be
accepted 10 lieu of drafts, who were to be
convened and encamped ten days in each
wear, for the purpose Of being instructed in
discipline and camp duty; to receive pay
and rations, and at the close Of the service
to be entitled to a musket and equipments
as bounty to hold themselves in 'eadi.
ness a. moments warning to enter into the
service, and liable to be employed out Of
the jurisdiction of the United States-I
voted against this bill because I thought it
would subject the militia to be harrassed
unnecessarily, as the crisis did not seem to
Justify the necessity of placing such force
in the hands of the executive; because it
would produce waste of near three mil
lions Of dollars ;, because the constitution
forbids the employing the militia without
the limits of our territory and because
was apprehensive, from the Zeal manifested
by the friends of the bill, in retaining the
clause author ising the president to employ
them out of our territory, that their object
was to effec: the eonques, Of Canada.
The militia constitutes the physical force
of the country, and ousb. not to be placed
at the disposition of any government for
purposes of conquest. They are designed
for nobler purposes, the preservation of or.
der; the defence of the liberties of the
country against domestic violence and in.
vasion. They never we're intended to be
used as the mere instruments Of ambition
for despoil:ng Others of their rights, but
for The sacred duty of u Tending their ewn.
And in this light they were evidently view
ed by the authors of the constitution, or
they would not have limited their use to
the exclusive purposes Of s*ecutins the Lavs,
suepressins instructions or repelfng inca.
SLAMS, nor would they have provided that
officers should derive their commissions
from the states. 1t the venerable cages
who framed that instrument, had intended
to give 10 congress 60 monstrous and so
dangerous a power, they would have said
so in plain and Ineligible language. Bu.
they have carefully and studiously avoided
it, 40 is NANTES. from the whole structure
OF the instrument. The bill lies in the Sc.
nate, and entertain strong hopes that il
will not pass 10 that body.
The embargo and non intercourse laws
have 50 completely drained The treasury,
that it will be necessary in order to preserve
the public credit 10 borrow abou, four mil.
lions Of dollars for the service Of the present
year. While On the one hand it 10 matter
Of deep regret, that we have fallen from
state Of prosperity 10 our financial affairs
unparalleled IN the annals Of asy nation, to .
state Of insolvency !, IL probably fortunate
on the other hand, as X has contributed to
keep U, out Of war. That we have been
saved from the calaritits Of bloody and
unnecessary war, 10 a matter Of comfor, to
the real lovers Of peace, and seems to be a
rroviden.ial interference Of heaven in our
behalf.
Effort. are making to retrench the public
expenditure by reducing the army, and I
am in great hopes tina. object will be accom-.
pished before the session CLOSES. L ought
to have said the remnant of the army left to
Us after the ravages Of disease in the pessi.
lensialclimate ofNew,O Orleans, where about
nine hundred of our fellow citizens inglori.
ously persisted.
Such, sir, are the leading subjects ofle.
gislaive considerations which have been
agitatsd during the session and such the
part I found myself constrained, in the ex.
ercise of my best judgment, to take. The
propriety Of my conduct is chee!fully sub.
mi,ted, unds, the persuasion that it will be
viewed with the indulgence due to the in.
Projections of our nature.
Your obedient servant,
JAMES BRECKENRIDGE.