Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-11-06

We have extracted the following from com:
munication in the .fbany Balance. The
resnectable editor of that paper says, that
he knows the writer, and that he gives
true account of himself
I AM FOR PEACE.
Mr. EDIroR,
You must excuse me if 1 do not write In
quite so smooth and connected manner as
some of YOUR learned correspondents. am
a farmer, and what the world commonly calls
plain blunt man. l care not for names. |
have no learning, but what | picked up my
self. Ssme of your polite readers may per-
haps be disguised my homely coarse style !;
but cant help it. l must speak my mind In
my own way The question of Var, or Peace,
is too important to be neglected through dit
fdence or false pride. If am understood l
am satisfied.
| cannot introduce what / have to say with
a long account Of what I did in the last war.
| was not old enough to do much. My father
fought and bled but thank God he did not
die. He still lives. yenerate his hoary head,
and will cherish the principles he early taught
me,-aud should my couutIy be again lnyolv-
ed in war, will initiate the example he has
set HE.
But if We must have war, let US at least
know what it is for. Don't let Us be driven
into it, ignorant and blindfolded. But why
should we have war at all We farmers do
not feel so much oppression as TO be induced
to leave our fields uncultlyated, and thereby
reduce our families to want and Indebtedness.
A single year, l may say, single month OF
actual wal would be more serious injury to
US than all the evils alledged against the natl
oDS at war. 1t will be asked by some, per-
haps, whether the farmers are for submitting
to injury and insult can say for one, and |
will take it upon me to answer tor my bre-
thren in genGral-we are not. Blu; ii we can
settle dispute without fighting, is it not best
to do SO We are told that England and
France have in ured and insulted us that
they continue to do SO and that they refuse
to make Us any reparation. If should speak
my mind in full on this subject, l should be
obliged to begin good ways back, and make
very long story Of it--so long, indeed, that
but few would find time to read it. must cut
the business short by saying, that believe
we might have peace if we would. England
made treaty with US, as good as the old
treaty was (and we prospered under that and
sent 1t over TO Jefferson. What became OF
that treaty Why, Jefferson sent it back
without ever so much as laying it before the
senate Why was that done, if Jefferson
wanted peace Why, we are told, to be sure,
that there was letter sent along with the
treaty, signed by Lord Auckland, and some
body else and that by that letter it appeared
H.. II harc tl,a
power Of retalating on France if'she f.hould
pass certain obnoxious DEGREES which she was
then threatening to pass; or that we should
agree to resist such DEGREES. Now don't see
as there was any harm in all that. If Bona
parte would insist on raising the devil, why
should not England be allowed the privilege
of laying him if she could We ought not to
have submitted to those a5omina5le DEGREES
ct the would-be Alexander.
We'll, what next Erskine, the British mi
mister makes some very good arrangements
with our government. l was well pleased
with those arrangements. BY and by it APP
pears that Ersbine had no authority. Of
course the arrangements were disallowed by
his government. So we were placed in the
same old situation. Well, England has now
sent over Mt. I OStSf, Wan Iull powers, as
am informed. Now, if this Mr.. Foster is a
gentleman, and will act with fairness and can
dor-and Mr.. Monroe will meet him on fair
and honorable grounds, both of them with a
sincere wish for peace, what will prevent
them from coming to settlement immediate
" it can all be done in a few hours. AS to
the affairs of the Chesapeake and the Little
Belt, put that and that together. England
don't want to fight US. She had much rather
trade with US. Why should we want to fight
her, if she will be fair and honorable AS to
Bonaparte, ifhe does not like to have us make
peace with England, let him lump it, that S
all. We are not obliged to ask him wheN we
shall make peace, or war. remember very
well his meddling in our concerns not long a.
go. A fine usurping fool. to tell US that We
were at war with England, and knew It not !!
He too could tell us that we were nation
without honor-and still profess to love US
most dearly. Away with such trimmers -
We want no such love. / say, then, once
more, am for Peace and Commerce The
farmers in these parts are generally deter
mined to have that as our distinction for