The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-04-17
mo. los.

our coasters will carry to those ports our COT
ton, tobacco, flour. &c. SC. ans! froR, thence
they will be carried in British ships
thus will our ship. owners be deprived of
their present valuable employment for their
alphabetically injurious viii it be, TO the
agricultural interest; for At those places
i their produce win meet with a Confined
/ Market. and the prices they will obtain,
will be in proportion to the difficulties of such
course of trade, and to the little competi.
tion in such markets.
The manufactures of CT, Britain will be
brought to those places, and the prices in the
u ). will be such, that no risque of seizure
Will prevent them from being purchased
and smuggled into the United States to this
ruin of your. finance, the great injury of the
| honest merchant and the destruction of tho
morals of the People. And all this risque
we are to run with the sole 1iegv of employ
ing eight thousand tons of shipping more
than we now employ for, sir. there is not
another motive held out by the bill, and to
add ridicule to injury, vein the 10th section
authorize the president to repeal this terri
bic measure, provided the belligerents shall
Withdraw their hostile orders and DEGREES.
Why, sir, We should BY this bill hold our
selves up to the two nations as subjects to be
laughed at-When our embargo and non in
tercoursc did not obtain for US Justice, can
any man believe for a moment, that this mea-
sure can operate any effect favorable to our
interest
am sverse, Mr. President, to com
mercisi warfare with G.. Britain in such
war, We shall always be the sufferer; the
king and council can in one session of a sim
gle day, do an act which it would take Con-
gress month or two TO meet. We have
mad some experience on the subject. Soon
after the adoption of the constitution, discri-
mlnatlng duties were laid, which operated
rapidly to increase the shipping of the u. S.
it soon called the attention of G. Britain.
and In the treaty made by Mr.. Jay, thew
provided against its increase and were au
thoriscd to csAAterUGH its effects they did
cenntcrvail and secured themselves Gin times
OF peace the carrying (for their CONSUMPTION
and commerce) vt all the tobacco they re-
CURED. and nearly all the other produce OF
the u. ,. as they increase their duties thtir
eounteryail of 10 per cent. also increasts /;
tins increase has so operated on the atti-
Gle OF Cotton, that should peace take pl;Ece
IN Europe, every pound Of that important hr-
ucie waited for Great Britain zyGuiG be cdr
| T!ea III tSTitfSh shifts. am therefore of(o-
piniot that we should as soon as possible "
gree with q. Britain TO relinquish our din.
Icrinlnating duties, on condition that skE
would repeal her countervailing duties let
'he SHIPS OF each enter the ports of the other(
en- terms 9f felTftt sguaHty am not \
fraid OF the competition, feel confident thas
we can meet any nation on equal terms in
the Carrying IF the produce Of our country /;
II we cannot, we do not deserve the prefer.
ence. With this precedent in my view, +
am not wishing again to enter into CONNER
cial warfare with G.. Britain or France, for
France countervails our discriminating t,l
| " on the article OF tobacco, which will (whens
she again enters into trade) give to her ships
the carrying of all that article wanted for
her consumption, being near forty thousand
hogshcadS annually, and She will no dou5.
pursue the system rs to cotton and other ar
ticles.
| have been asked, shall Congress rise and
do nothing! answer that, it is better to do
nothing shan 90 fhGt qubich 7viH only injure
aarselUes. But, sir, I wished to do some-.-
thing, l proposed in select committee to
strike out those sections which would only
do US injury and Fill their place with
sections (Which | had drafted and pre-
sented for consideration suthorisinr the
armng of the merchant ships, not for
defence alone, but with authority to cap-
ture and make prize of any vessel that might
assaii them while engaged in lawful COM
| merce, and to employ the public ships of war
| IN conveying the trade of the nation / met
with no support in this system. there were
In committee four against my motion. Dis
couraSed by so large proportion voting a.
gainst me, neglected or vas deferred from.
making the same motion in Senate. and ths
error regret, although know not whether
should have been more successful in the
\ Senate, than had been in committee bur
shonld have been better pleased with nv
own conduct. had, it is true, an expects.
ton that, in committee Of conference be-
i tween the two Houses, something might be
introduced that would please both branches
OF the legislature and presumed, that the
eonvoy system you'd be su6sikuted
have been mistaken. The conferees met
and the committee Of the Senate submitted
section authorship the President, under
MS instructions to grant convoy to the mer-
chant ships of the u States engaged in law
full commerce." That proposition spoks
this language to the belligerents. The u.
States have taken every pacific means of
obtaining justice from you without success,
We will no longer deprive ourselves of COM
merce. we will opon our trade. and we will
defend Tive are ready to meet the con
sequences that may arise, and will stand pre-
pared for war, il war shall eBsue. Thi,
MIR. President, appeared to your Committee .
course that would be honorable 70 the ma
zion, 1t was unanimously rejected by the
committee on the part Of the House. whom
turn proposed that British ships should be
permitted to bring into the y. States the pro
duce and manufactures of that nation, but
should not be permitted to carry from the
v. States any Of the produce thereof" and