Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-06-06

14ol5y men "''ht! iSnwar! No! (thev tell
us) MOI trGf. Is ii an em6argo ? D no bv
no means! say they. Non-intercourse or
non-i nportaiicns Not at all. What, then.
is It s'sb'njss'9sr n khe zvro,lgs (Which Greut
S,itain haS f'l6icicd oa olsr- la4y;vl .rzI.
No! they cry, as if indignant. Thus il is,
they claJnor for every thing bat press them
ard bring thcn toparticuiars, ;,rd they want
nothing. Yes pardon me there they want
to force Commerce ,ritaout force they want
tofrotcct commerce 7y'tkouf Er2tecfion they
wan. 20 resi3t British encroach nents vpif;io,if
resistaPoe. Whatever i8, IS wrong: whate-
yer is no, is viyht: yet when the is nor be-
comes the is, il is wrong again. The federal
prints are filed with these abs,wdities, which
case ar ar Of ri.bcuie upon our understand
h5S, am sport with human reason. Four
years ago Mr. Jefferson warned the Ameri-
can merchants, in 2 special message to Con-
gress, u the increasing dangers of commercc:
Mr. Madison ie'ned ir these warnings. and
has repeated them since: The government
has invariably stood up for the merchants.
and the merchants have IS irvariablv desert
&c the government. Erhe commercial part
oi the community c4amored for the CARVING
trade which the British cut up: government
took stand: Mr.. Pnknsv was sent out tn
jcin MIR. Monroe, and Mr.. Madison y;eldcd
an able pen in the same cause: vet the very
same men, who had occasioned this labor and
expense, turned round and opposed the gov
vernment In its proceedings. The British or
ders IN council AID the French DEGREES went
nite operation, the embargo was enacted to
save from the grasp of the belligerent powers
the porperty of Que merchants, when thest.
s'tne merchants resisted this saving law.
10 the embargo succeeded non-intarcourse,
or non-inportation: All for the benefit of
oommerciaimel. Leave us to ourselves said
they, wcbest understand how TO regulate our
own affairs. We'll; they acre left tn them
selves. What did they dor Thevswent TO
france, 10 Holland % Italy, to Naples, Ia
Denmark they mixed with EnPlish traders.
and France finding them in such bad compa-
ny, at " one full swoop" seized The whole.
Here was anotheruprcar. They had not lis
tened to the warning voice Of Mr.. Jefferson
they disrcgarded the paternal adnonitions of
Mr.. Madison. Those vessels which escaped
TIC clutches of the French were seized by
the English. The ears OF the President and
o. Congress were stunned with lamentations.
Poe. suffering commerce Protect com
mercef" Itesornded from all our cities.
What gentle nen, after boasting that YOU
Knew best how 70 manage your own affairs,
% tea2e the government again That gov.
erAneat which Won had 50 shamefullv abar-
ooned So many q pcGs We'll government
fntcrposos: q Law had been passed; France
accepts thc conditions which It held forth the
President conforms +; and the administration
stahds ready 70 eEEcrcc against England by
non-'mportation system the acquisitions to
winch apparently France had yielded. Sud-
denly InnrInurs Of deupts and suspicious a.
Else; commercial men elevate the voice of
opposition once more; presently believing
succeeds Great Britain finds she has p par
" in or cities ana refuses TO aclu:eece in her
former promise /; France, doubtful of the is
sue OF sucn aSitations hesitates and continues
to suspend the entire performance of her
contract: And thus the best intentions, tie
wiseSt measures OF the government, are, as
usual, ie0pardised by the caDriciousre IS of
that class Of citizens for whose benefit gov
eminent has ventCrea 50 much. Yet, ask
tkese men TO f,Z uDon other measures, and
they are silent; o., il they prescribe any
thing, ii is sure to involve a string Of con-
tradicticns The passionate paTtizan swaF-
gers, and bullies the government, and talks
big Il how he would beat that tyrant Ccrsi-
Car and settle matters directly with Enc
lard Ask him for his plan and he has
ncne- He IS loquscious in that kind OF non
sense which puts a guarruous tonir,te in tue
pace ct a wise head, and substitutes viru-
fence Tor ya!oT. "a government, to he useful,
must nc suffered TO pursue It's meaSares with
out m proper interruption. Il is only strong
b. che 'unanimity Of the power that s,,1rcrss
1t The disaffeotion OF portion Ct Napole-
OF s army or of the English navy, world
weaken either of those governments. The
u. States have established government Of
opinion: II this opinion receives wrong u
as, the Strength Of the government is so far
,mPeiret; and those who eject this wrony
bias 10 hereby counterfeit the government
and, as Tar as their influence extends, pre-
vent the administration from obtairiing what
they at the same tine Condemn it for not Oh
tanning. The President and Congress niirht
succeed against the Injustice OF foreign re
ticms; bat il IS almost TOO much to expect
them 70 surmounJ domestic Obstacles and for
eign difficulties toe. Let the brawlers Of
Boston and elsewhere manifest as much zeal
against the wrongs ofthe English aud French
governments as they DO against the measure )
of their own, and there viii soon be an end Of
chr commercial endorsements As tbey
so on nov, they may neutralise President
Madison's efforts for tho preservation #
peace and the attainment Of our n.ari,ilne
rights, but they cannot raise all instruction
II q single state of tue Union.
il we look closely at tic prevailing war of
EUROPE, we shall find that il is, measurably.
a var tor the propagation of manufactures
Il S 50 that tic British keep Il watclit,l eve
lis - tbet point all late addresses of bona
] ~ 9 subjects aud Bonapartc's answers 20