Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-04-24

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ft.mn,. < Ii is q ;flimsy controversy g Nh;ela
end we shall break the Linipnlislsssgs.
which, broken NJ either, 10 utter wcttt,s
les TO snefs 81 on binary stature md diHisn.
.;op,. Never was SO shallow sn srtifce
.r.sor,ed 20, 70 cover fraud. You. are nor
ignorant, sir, that your mipistervof state
and his brother (not to mention ether mSaa-
5ers Of the family compact labor under
something nere than mere imputation OF
pubIic psculation,,o vast amount. "A war
with England TO say nothing of other Oh.
ietts) would at once smother all enquiry
into this object Thus the robbo, when
h. has rifled the honse, sis'tempted to COM
n:st arson to conceal the burglary. Do you
know, sir, that the people OF Norfolk say,
that fortnight or 3weeks before the rupture
wi,hthe British minister, which effected so
suddenly the price efour produce, General
Smith sent duplicate advice boats to Eng
lsnd-,ha. one Of them put in at Norfolk for
repairs-,hat she was repaired with the ut.
most expedition, & thatthe agen. who went
in her refused to take single letter from any
person in that town! Are you apprised,
sir, ,ha, you are, at this moment, a pri.
soner of state in your own palace /! That
consultations are held upon you by the
Smiths, the Gilcsrs and L,ibs, in which
,sur present in,rres. and future fame are
ank. disrsgarded? Are you no. astonsh.
ed when you brhold the description of men
by whom you ate surrounded When you
contemplate the eharac,er$of the avowed
supporters OF your government in congress,
and Chr composition of tina. body That
profound state sman, chancellor Oxrns,iern,
reared in tbs school Of Gls,avus Adophus,
has indeed declared ",hat It's inconeeiva.
bic with how small portion Of wisdom
the sGxrs Of states and >,HPires are con.
,ductcu"--hut even hc admits that they re.
auire some. And the portion thu. would
seem sIEal indeed in the eyes Of an Oxen.
s,iern--how vast, how exhaus.lrss does it
appear IN those OF your simperlug, self ap.
pauding secretary. This is a mournful
subject. To what cause, I pray ,ou, sir,
arc we 10 asclbs this dear.h ofsalent in our
public councils; this general decline of
character III our public msn whether for
ability or inr> gritty? Why is il, cir, that
you look aruund in vain tor successors wor.
thv of your old contemporaries. In whit.
ever cause the solution Of this melancholy
problem shall he found, the fact is not the
less humiliatiug and alarming. Retire in.
10 yuur own bosom, and ask yourself, If
wuh such o congress, scarcely capable Of
conducting the affairs Of the country in time
Of peace, you would trust yourself to carry
on war with any power superior to the cor
sairs Of Ba,bary! Shall we look to the
state ls gislasur.s for the supply Of those a.
bIlitiss OF which congress Substitute Alas.
so far as my observation extends, we shall
cas-, our eyes in vain to tha, quarter for as.
s;s,ance. The same dull, sp,ri,less inca
pacity seems to Psrvade every department
of the state. 1ime-servins, and election
eering, and jobbipg, and chaaering, and
bargaining tor Offices and contracts, arc the
order OF the day. But be assured, sir, that
whatever b. the case with their representa-
dives, the people haze nat asgeaerated. They
VIII ever embark their hves, (,his is no
embfg profession as it respects thrm )--tasv
iorluncs and their sacredhonor in war en-
1.red into to screen the embv zziers of their
Substance 10 asch'ave the guilty purposes of
the nlal k.sts arnbai,su.
When che ncpes which the friends of
freedom once entertained from the French
revolution wsr. quenchcd jareuer! When
iA Great Britain we brheld the freesst go
vernment IN Europe, connected with us not
more by language than by commerce, ssnti-
men,s as we'll as policy would seem to die.
The writer would by no means wish to
DO understood ~ casting an indiscriminatc
censurr on tho members ofths two houses OF
coma ess. There are men % he believes OF
ability and worth In both but In what ranks
will ,huy DO found Certainly not under the
banners VI tho family compact. II would DO
lnyiduous to msn,ian any particular persons.
Il would be uneantid, too, to deny that the
present congress ID greatly superior to Its
predecessor the "smbargo" or "lacb learn.
Inrr congress. There has been q censldsra.