Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-08-10

StructlOn VI lc laws ""0 ~
rlaringly false construction alone could
Furnish the emperor with his shameless
nretence for the seizure. These eonside-
rat;ous with those exhibited in the preeed.
inc address, show that it was Impossible
ar Mr.. Madison to " anticipate" OF sex
meet" the restoration of the property.
Whv then did he hazard the making Of
su.b a declaration to Congress! On the
foundation principle formerly mentioned
and reneated, with some illustrations in
this address-the maintenance OF the pre-
induces ofthc people in favor OF France,
as the essential means OF maintaining in
mower the party of which he is at least The
pstensible head.-A full and faithful dis
nlav of the nature and effects ofthe Ram
honillet decree, would naturally and re
cessa.ily have led Kim to detail Tie null
f;tude Of ether acts of France, alike unjust
insulting and injurious to the Z. States
ond their citizens. This, if the people
continued under the delusion in which he
with his predecessor and Their own eoad-
iutors had involved them. would have des-
troyed his popularity.--if such display
.by the President. Of tne United States
served to open the eyes Of the people, they,
thus made sensible ofthe deceptions which
had been practised upon them by the same
leaders. would have cast them off; and
the cause Of democracy might have been
ruined,--Such display, therefore, Of
wholesome truths, by Mr.. Madison. was
not to be expected. Besides, it wonld
have contradieted the course, and been
subversive ofthe predictions, Ofhis whole
life. in relation to France. But there was
also an immediate object which forbade
such display: it would have deprived
him of all apology for accepting the de-
clarations of conditional and future, in
stead of an actual repeal Of the Berlin and
Milan decrees-and thereby have depriv-
ed him of a pretence for reyiving the non
intercourse law against Great Britain.
An adjustment Of our differences with &.
Britain must not take place. The rulers
of republican France, by intriSues by
bribery; endeayored to prevent any ami
cable treaty between the United States e
Great Britain any treaty which, by en-
larging and securing our own commerce,
would also benefit hers : and thus pave
the way for that return Of GOOD will and
confidence between the two nations which
should add to the prosperity of both and
when one was fortunately made (that OF
1919 France omitted no means to- defeat
it. And when foiled in this attempt, and
afterwards in the choice OF President
(Mr. Adams, and not Mr.. Jefferson, being
elected) she let loose and gave greater
scope to her piratical cruisers, s'to fleece
us of our property as Joel Barlow said,
and he was then in Paris to a sufficient
degree to bring us to our feeling in the
only nerve in which it was presumed our
sensibility lay, which was our pecuniary
interests BY s'bringing us to our feel
ing" Mr.. Barlow meant inducing the
submission of the government Of the Unit
ed States to France, like many Of the
powers Of Europe, whose cases he cited
as examples for us to fGllow.-Fortunate
ly the minds of the great majority Of tho
american people at that time remained
alive to national insults and injuries.
Resistance took place instead Of the e.
pected submission. The French govern
ment was brought to its senses, ard abaa-
doned its impudent pretensions and claims.
How this high and honorable ground was
lost to the United States may be the sab
ject of future tbservation..; That season
of dignity, spirit and independence passed
away; and that of Submission followed,
with all the evils we now experience in
its train.
l have mentioned bribery az one eff the
means used by France to gain and estab-
lish an influence in the United States; &
l have done it on the following grounds.
4. The notorious proAigacy Of the
French government Qo say nothing Of
what existed under its former monarchy
evidenced by its uniform conduct from an
early period of the revolution. The off,
cial documents of our own government,
under the hands Of our ENJOYS, Pinckney