The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-08-14

ShiAuu says ne was not m favor OF any stronger
measures what is MIR. Madison reported to say
by Mr.. Erskine =,
I" He (Mr Madison) said ne did not Believe
that any Americans would be found wiling to
, submit to (what he termed) the entertainments
upon the liberty & the rights of the United
States by the benigerents, and therefore the al
ternatves were embargo or war He confessed
that the people OF this country were beginning to
think the former alternative too passive, and
would perhaps soon prefer the latter even less
injurious to the interests and more congeniai with
the spir, of a free people,"
| We find no evidence, no assertion Of Mr. Frs
kline, even remotely ms;n,.a,ing disposition &c
abandon neutral rights Mr. Erskine positively
| asserts that Mr.. Gallatin did We have the evi-
dence of Mr.. .Erskine above, that lie did not
AS to Mr.. Smith, his name is not once used, un-
less rs It is by implication dragged in by Mr. Gal.
latin; but we have in the avowed despatch, No.
XVI. transmitted by Mr.. Erskine, and by them
published, most explicit and insurmountable
proof, that Mr.. Smith not only did not agree
with Mr.. Gnllatin, but that he was nnreserved-
ly and avowedly opposed TO the sacrifice of those
very principles and rights which Mr.. Gallatin
was disposed to concede; the, words of Mr.
Smith are too clear in their intention, and de-
cided in their construction, to admit of any sophis
teal qualifications or miscoastruction 3 his en-
phatical words are:
&c forbear to express to you, sir, the surprise
forth in this letter of instruction and sspe cally
at the expectation that this goeernnrens would,
as a preliminary, recognize conditions. fyyo of
schieh n:dnifestiy irreconc,abie 70 the die.
nifty and interest of the U S /, however, would
remark, that had YOU deemed it proper TO have
communicated in extenso this letter, it would
have been Impossible for the president to have
perez ived in its conditions, or in its spirit, that
co1ciliatory disposition, which had been profess.
ed, and which it was hoped had really existed I"
In this extract discover, not me rcly Mr.
Smiths own surprise at the extraordinary preten-
sans, but the construction of the phrase surprise
that is felt, indicating that it was not confined
to himself alone The extension of this en- otion
to another, is strictly aud fairly applicable to Mr.
Madison, and IS corroborated by the general te-
nor of what is attributed to him
There was then disagreement, or as MIR
Erskine expresses it, they had differed, although
Mr. Callatin says there was perfect unison in
every sentiment. But this is point of all others
which offers the greatest body of evidence We
have only to ask, how did this dispute arise =
Owe do not mean here to touch the Chesapeake
or our seamen, for these were, it seems offered
up as peace offering on the altar of Moloch-)
This dispute arose out of an usurpation by Great
Britain that had been subject of treaty in 1894.
| and which the British abandoned and for iniu
| RES done under which some actual compensation,
| though Immensely short of tile injury, had been
made. 1t arose out of what has been called the
rule of1756, which Britain had been compelled
to abandon by the armed neutrality i'm 1880
which she by treaty admitted to be unjust in
| 1894, but which she resorted to again, when A
| merican prosperity alarmed her minister's This
| is the true character of the business The die
pute now arose upon the British proclamation of
! Goth Oct. and the orders of council of the 1Ith
November 1907. which declare that all trade''
I-(Mr. Canning's words in his three propositions
are all trade -" All trade in articles which
are ofthe manufacture or produce OF anv coun
try or colonies at war with Great Britain. shall
be dee med and considered to be unlawful -
The reader will recoliect that this is not law
| regulating the trade of British subjects, bu, the
trade OF nations declaredly Independent 1T pro
| ceeds-" and that every vessel trading from or
| to the colonies, together with all the goods and
merchandise on board, and all articles Of the pro
duca or manufacture ofthe said countries or co.
Ionies, shall be captured and CONDEMNED az pr;ze
| to the captors "
Out of these orders, or rather out of The s,,c.
cess OF American commercial enterprise, and the
| envous Jealousy of Great Britain, the question
arose. The public will recollect, indeed the
work ton its excellence cannot be forgotten. that
Mr. Madison published a work, expressly inten
ded TO EXHIBIT the untenable nature of the b ri
fish professions. That work carried 10 the mind
of every dspassionate man the most irresst,bie
conviction There is history connected with
that book, which it is time to turn the nubi;c
mind upon. The public cannot have forgotten
| the manner in which John Randolph befyoyed
hmseG his corfederates on that occasion nor that
IN the same memorable speech, in which, with
notorious lie on ms lips, he denounced that work
and also revealed the oracle, of whose perfidv he
! was but the echo In the same memorable sneecb
on Mr. Gregg's resolution for prohibiting the i'm
! portaton of British manufactures, 5th March
| 1906
| Mr. Randolph, in the face of Congress, and in
strain of querulous hypocrisy, thus expressed
himself:
| "The first question asked when l saw the
| gentleman's resolution was, 8" Is this the ,,,ea
sure of the cabinet % Not OF an open declared
cabinet, but of an invisible, inscrutable, uncon.
stitutional cabinet, without responsibility. I'M
known to the consti'ution-and, sir, the first
question asked on British relations was, what
IS the opinion Of the cabinet ?-What measures
will they recommend to Congress The an
swer was (and, says Mr. X andolph-fropa
cabinet minister tool sir, there rs no eabi
net"
MIR Randolph spoke in the same speech of
; backstdirs influence, did this cabinet minister
speak from the front stairs Who is this cabi
net minister, this Proteus who can agree and dis
agree with every one for whom the constitute
on has ingrafted on it a cabinet, and whose back
stairs lamentations are now so fatally illustrated
by the dispatches OF "'r Erskine
Our readers will soon be able to see perbaps
a little more OF this machinery--they will perhaps
he able to discover in this connection of Mr. Gal.
latin and Mr.. Randolph, the political rock upon
which was wrecked the popularity OF Mr. Mon
roe, one of the worthiest and most honorable of
human beings You may be able to account for
the unison between the then ne wborn British
predictions of Mr. Randolph and Mr.. Gala.
t'ns OolaHfeer diplomacy; you may be able to
ar f.rk l.<.