Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-05-18
ADDRESS
To THE PEorLr OF THE uSITED STATES
.5re No X
ADDRESS
FxL.ow C1rIzENs,

Fx,aow C1r1zKNs,
7 closed nv last address with the plain a
yowai. by distinguished member OF Congress
fron, Virginia, during the last session. OF The
real oolicy of our government, lii the manage
ment of the affairs of the patton. present
il AGAIN, a. the head Of this address TOT II
well deserves second reading. 1t IS tex
ON which many interesting comments may oe
made He said" That our government was
a government of party that they were oohss'
ed to have recourse to sucn measures HS
.youM enable them 10 retain fheV Ffdces tndt
they never wouid go TO war 1or .he flshts o.
the ocean commerce never viii be protected
br force not even if there was blocGadms
Ace, at the mouth of each OF our harbers :
and government meaning the party now IN
mower and administering the government
never would risk war until our resources
were sufficient to deffsy the exreices, 'o'fh-
out creating 5urtiens to render them un1iofu-
ZGr"
In my first address, said you had suffered
many wrongs (duling the administrators OF
Mr.. Jefferson and Mr. Madison3" not TOR
you- ultimate advantage, but that your LEAD
Frs, PRETENDED PATRIOTS, might eotdm Gna
hold to.yer and PLACE, ana the en7otwmcrtS ~
Office" In the above voluntary confession OF
the Virginian delegate you have direct EVIL
dence Of the fact. That such was the govern
ing h-incihle of the men now In power,
has long been manifest to large portion OF
nr fellow citizens but the ma locty, deceived
by PLAUSIBLE professions Of zeal for the pub
lie welfare, have placed their entire conf
dence in these men until at length, prcsum-
ing the deception complete, they have the bold
ness to avow their plan of governing, and
their motives.
/ pray everv citizen, and especially every
merchant, every shil;-builder and other ME-
chanic whose business is connected with IA
vigation and commerce, together With oil sea
faring men, seriously to consider TIL. DECLARE
ton of the pl and the motives ON which
the government is administered. In them
thew will see their miserable doom !; and the
cause Of the degraded and suffering condition
of our country. Our rulers have not taken,
nor will take the measures necessary to save
the country; lest the mean:, to which re-
course must be had to carry those measures
INTO execution, should render them unpopu-
lar And thus the interests and employ
nents of the multitudes who live by CON-
merce and navigation, are to centanxe to be
sacrificed to the selfish views OF that small
band of men who have gotten into their hands |
the reins of government aud the great lnte-
rests and tn. honor Of the NATION must be |
sighted or abandoned, lest these patriots |
should loose their places! Like spanieis, |
they submit to be spurned and kicked by the |
French Emperor, whe tells them they are |
& without Just political views, without honor,
without energy!!'' And after series OF such |
insults, which no nation not at open war ever
before offered to another; and after piracies !
and robbcries under the names Of captures !
and representations immense in number and
value the Emperor adds one insult keener !
and more bitter than all the rest that His |
Majesty loves the Americana"
If, fellow citizens, any Of you had associa-
ted with man who had called himself your |
you had taken infinite pains to
benefit and to please-should rob you Oh the |,
highway, pick your pocket, spit in your face, |
call you blockhead, without honor and with |
out spirit and after all this, should look you !
in the face, and say " he loved you!' do !
not ask what you would think but what |
would be your .feehngs? Would you not !
hurl defiance at the aggressor; and avenge |
Y ur wrongs . The individual case sup
posed, is but an imperfect representation of
the insults and injuries received by our go.
vernment and citizens from the Emperor of
France. And vet our rulers to whom the !
people have confded their interests, md to
whom they look for direction--far from re-
senting, and demanding satisfaction---dare
not even express the ordinary feelingsof men
at these unexampled outrages III some.
times faint murmer OF complaint escapes &
they direct their minister at Paris to say, that
the 6 public feelings" have been excited by
the language and conduct of the French 90
vernment towards the y. States, vet 1t is with
extreme caution, lest his Imperial Majesty
should be offended. For the direct, medita-
ted insult in the letter of the French minister
Champagny, of Jan. Is, lsos,' our govern
ment instead of demanding PREPARATION, sought
only for an EXPLANATION. And lest language
too bold for the tender and delicate suscepti-
bility of Mr.. Jefferson and Mr. Madison, in
relation to France, should be used by the A.
merican minister Gen. Armstrong---he is in