Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-11-09
Dir0tslla CIRCUS.
RI c H NJ o N ID,
FRIDAY. NovEMBER 9, 1910.

more print have very gravely decided,
in their paper of the Sd ms; ant, that
the President could no. legally issue
his proclamation in the terms of the
act Of the first of May last and declare
thai the DEGREES Of France are now so
revoked or modified that they cease
to vfolate the neutral commerce of The
United S,ates.'' The argument ad.
vanced in support of this editorial de-
cision is, that "the revocation promis-
ed in Cadore's letter was future and
contingent, depending upon the pre-
vious revocation of the British orders
IN council, or the hostile resistance OF
them by rhe United States" This
argument, which does not do much
credit to the authors OF it, is altogether
a Misrepresentation Of facts.
The revocation Of the Berlin and
Milan DEGREES, as announced in the let
ter of the Duke of Cadore, was nei..
Iher future nor contingent unless the
question is begged, by affirming that
Congress will violate the pledge which
it has given 10 the act of the first of Nav
1910. This is thing not at all to be
presumed; for in whatsoever manner
the national legislature may have vari-
edsin. its measures, it has never been
guilty of any thing like perhdy in its
agements.
The French government, by fixing
the first day of November for the oes-
sation of the DEGREES, gave certainty to
tue repeal; rs much certainty, at least,
as one nation can give in suth case to
another; for all engage mems of the
kind are made by official declarations
between the parties. If the 6 Federal
Republican" doctrine should predomi-
nate, there would be an end to all eff
forts for an adjustm, mt of differences /;
because, ii is (" impossible to knopu" in
any circumstapces whether foreign po-
teniates will adhere to their arrange
ments, further than the knowledge that
arises from reasonable presumption.
The certainty gwen by France in
fixing day for the repeal of the de-
crees, had arrived and wa, past, be-
fore the President issued his procla-
nation. The executive, therefore,
cannot Justly be said to have acted up
on promise to be fulfilled but on
one which, agreeably to official notice,
had been fulfilled. The Duke Of Ca
dore declared that the DEGREES would
cease TO have effect on the first of No.
vember THE President did not issue
his proclamation till the second.
Neither is there contingency be-
cause we are bound by our own act TO
revive the non-ihtercourse law against
England if she does not annul hrr or
ders, and this is all that the French
government requires. Congress have
already provided for the revival. so
that 1t rs no more contingent than the
operation ofany other law. And even
ii the reviving act did not exist, but re-
NAMED to be hereafter enacted, is it to
be supposed that Congress would com-
Peithe President to do a thing in which
theS would not support him? This,
indeed, would be species of treach
cry without parallel, except in the
case of Mr.. Erskine aud his govern.
ment.
There is, then, No futurity, no con-
tingehcy in the business. Nor does
the Duke of Cadore's letter r quire the
British government to abrogste their
anti-neural orders previously to the
repealof the Berlin aud lillian deere es.
1t does, indeed, most properly de-
mand cotembordneouS extinction OF
them in which case the whole an
lawful system would tall together
This, however, the Baltimore print adj
mits g has been rejected b. Great Bri-
tain a eontending, at the same tim
thar The pre- ,ideut ought to have ex-
tended the terms of The proclamation
to England as well as France, the more
especially because England has also
made Pr opsiSe TO repeal her orders IN
council. Hut let us look at the British
promise. Does it give any certainty
No: for it neither assures us Of re.
peal of her paper-blockades, (Which
violate neutral commerce equally with
the Orders 10 C9uacii,) nor even de.
signates day on which the orders viii
cease to hi0e their e4ect." Great
Britain, in lac, has made no absolute
promise of repeal but has, in effect