The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-02-16


pie all its necessity?
Sir, what has produced the events, which
you dchiore with such crocodile cants
| Why is is,' that our revenue is dwin-
| ding that ?" our enormous surplus
OF preceding years is'' thus " exhaus
ted"--thas "a redundant revenue is dric,
up?-lt isnot for you to tell-and why no,
because 1t your interest to keep back the
| truth---because you know that the policy JUS
Iifies the act. and that the means were cal
cnlated to work the noblest results. But,
Sir. We shall take care to supply the omssi
ons for YOU We viii state why things are IN
this situation. :, 49,
When France had issued her DEGREES a
galnst our commerce., and "the shield of
| oppressed humanity" your favurite Britain,
had launched forth her humane Orders in
Council against us. what course were the u.
States to steeri Their commerce was expo,
! sed on every sea-their ships were seized, if
bound to the continent * threatened with sci
zure if bound to Englaud-rheir flag insul-
ted-their rights condemned, what were they
to do!
To do nothing2 Were we quietly 70 sec
\ our vessels seiZed-thcir CarEoes confisca-
ted, and our seamen swept into captivity?
The dictates of prudence, the amerest
sense OF mercenary interest, aregard for our
purses as well as the persons of our coun-
| lie.
ment to the interest Sof its citizens, have
called aloud for measures of protection.
| Even if our honor had not. been at stake,
yet was not our property to be snatched from
the rapacious hands Of free. hooters? Tho
| the means OF vengeance and redress. were
not in our hands, yet the impulse Of inter
est alone should have been strong enough
to have called us to action. =,
But was not the honor of the nation also at
! c GnS w. &C.,
| not the rights of our country iuterdicted by
the arretes of England and F-ancef Was
not our sovereignty invaded by this insoent
interposition with our tradee Did not G..
Britain presume once more to tGE .inieri-
ca?
Did she not let loose upon us, the cruel
mercies of her Protecting navy2 And were
we to sit by, in apathy and shame, regard
less of the ruin, which lowered over our ho-
nor as we'll as ONT interests? tx- @
| 20 submit, was unworthy of freemen-to
0'ar with both the belligerents, was too
chivalrous and quixotic. an enterprise to be
encountered. The measure to which we
fed for protection, was worthy of the genius
| that devised tit was characteristic of the
policy OF a free government, which combines
a firm and unyielding support of its r.ohts.
with due regard to its interests. Our best
resource was IN the embargo. So
not surprise us. You were then in arms a.
gsinst the administration. You were eager
to crafty your ambitious resentments by it's
downfall! Pride fOrbad you to support any
of its measures. Policy told you to lay by,
| & towatch for some favorable opportunity to
press your opposition. You recommended no
neasure-you were too cuanng to take up
: ON yourselfthe responsibility of any thing
you found it far easier to censure, than to
/ fly,g
impunity.-Your silence must Es used as
the strongest constructive evidence against
you. From saying nothing, it is fair to in
fer, that you were for doing nothing. Thus
then you stand charged before the bar of
your country, with being guilty of the most
servile submission to the insults and wrongs
of England-with sacrificing her honor to
priva,e .piques-and kissing the rod of colo
NAL degradation. So. p
But, sir, yon were not only for doing no.
thing yourself, but all your genius was dis
played in couneracting and thwartng what
was done by otherc. You lifted The standard
of opposition-you reviied the Embargo
facts were even distorted, to misrepresent
the causes of its adopiion-the whole
country was made to ring with french In
fHCnce.
Sir. ii is disgraceful to Your country, that
you and such men like you, were so sue
cessful in your opposition.
Your united clamours buoyed up the hopes
and cherished the resolutions of Great Bril-
tain. Your morality preached i'm our natl
onal councils, was illustrated by the practice
of our sea ports--Swarm of smugglers is.
sued forth to give aid and comfort" to
those enemies, whom it was deemed (by you)
impolitc TO resist.-Those enemies were
encouraged by the prospects of division in
our national councils, and amongst the peo-
PIE Of the Eastern States. TO our disgrace
the embargo was repeaicd-and to the dis
grace OF Great Britain, the arrangement of
her minister was disavowed
How consistent, then, for you to ceDsure
the consequences of the Embargo! You.
who have employed every artifCe to tlIwart
its opcratlon--you, who are one of the first
men in this country, on whose heads we may
charge its failure 1t was. indeed, polite
stroke, for you, sir, to have sought its de-
fcat----when from these very results
you were 10 have drawn new arguments i'm
support of your own sagacity. You. sir, are
not the first prophet who has attempted to
fulfill his own predictions.
Is 1T consistent i'll you, sir, to charge the
fruits Of this measure upon Mr.. Jefferson,
which was itself the fruit of the extraordiBa
ry circumstances Of the times l-to charre
it with the detalcation of our revenue, when
it has been the means of saving millions Of
our property from the grasp of Great Bri-
tain ito clog it with This quantum of re-
duction, when it was the opposition Of such