Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-10-23

with our impulses and passions il gives
hostile administration so strong a. hold upon
the public feeling that for them to ADJUST ~
ON any terms, would be like stripping the
con,batant of his armor before the battle was
finished No; so long as the reclamation OF
IN English deserter, or the taking OF an irish.
man with or without protection, can arouse
the passions of the multitude so long as the
mistake, or wanton aggressions OF single Oh
ficer, in the impressment OF an American ci-
tizen, can, without inquiry, or appeal 70 tue
proper authority, excite spirit OF resent
ment or revenge, against the British nauoh'
SO long will this subject be kept In reserve oy
the present administration.
2 The orders in council.
Great Britain iustihes these orders on the
ground of retaliation, and has pledged her
word to repeal them, whenever the Jdet OF
the repeal of the French DEGREES shall occur
The administration at first contended that
though belligerent had a right to retallate
the-iniuries OF its enemy; yet neither couid
lawfully exercise this right to the injury OF an
unoFending neutral. The United States, as
a neutral nation, had right to prosecute
lawful commerce with either or both OF the
parties. so long as it preserved its neutral
character; and in order to satisfy Great Bril-
tain that this character had not been violated,
by submitting to the Berlin decree, Mr.. Ma
olson, then secretary OF state, urged that 1t
was merely municipal regulation, not in
tended to operate upon the citizens o. this
country, and as such afforded no justification
of the orders.-The principle was admitted,
though the case ii was contended had not oc-
Cured which would Justify its application.
But in this instance the administration were
egregiously mistaken in their factS.-They
gratutously assumed falsehoed, for the
purpose Of paliating the unexampled injuries OF
France The Berlin decree did operate up
on us, in the seizure of innocent property be-
longing to the citizens of the United States,
IN the then neutral states of Hamburger, Bre-
men, Leghorn, and the papal territory. 1t
was executed wherever the power or lnflu-
ence ofFrance was felt. 1t was also executed
on the high seas for Mr.. Madison himself,
in d letter to General Armstrong OF the I'D
May, 1907, six months before the issuing OF
the British orders, declared that the French
cruisers were enforcing the Berlin decree, III
a manner that would constitute Just claims tor
redress - And in the September following,
the emperor himself declared, !" that the de-
cree had no exception in its terms, and ought
to have none in its application" All this, and
much more, was known and done before the
orders in council issued. Without spending
an indignant word upon the Justification OF
such municipal regulations, as violated the
most important stipuiations OF the treaty OF
1900, and became another name for sequestra-
ton, while they virtually made us, BY our ac-
uuiescence, accessory to the decree itself, /
would merely remark that the ground assum-
ed by the administration altogether failing
them, the question took an entire new form.
As the administration, instead of vindicating
the neutral rights Of the country, became the
passive instrument of injury, an unreslstlng
medium through which France could reach
her enemy, G. Britain claimed the right OF re
turning the blow One year before this was
done, however, she gave formal notice, APP
pended to the treaty, that she reserved this
right of retaliation, to be put in force only in
the event Of our submission to the Berlin de-
cree. We did submit, and retaliation followed.
If the rights of war do not give to bellige-
rent, under such circumstances, the right OF
retaliation, it may be deprived of its most i'm
portant means of annoyance or defence, by
this partial interference of the neutral. 1t
would be better for the beligerent at once
to make an enemy of such neutral, than to
suffer itself to be handcuffed under the pre-
tence of neutrality. And if belligerent
should be compelled, by regard to the
rights and interests of the war, to resort to
such measure against the pretended neu-
trsl, it would be strictly war of defence
For, before this could happen, the neutral
must have made it for the interest of the
belligerent to give the shape of war to
contest in which all the gain had been OH one
side, and all the loss on the other. But such
a crisis could never occur, unless the neu-
trail had first forfeited, by its indirect hosti-
lity, the immunities of neutrality.
(To BE coNTINUED.)
NFWNPI FANS Sentember ~