Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-03-04

b-com;pg himself the dictator and Judge CT
the mode in which we shall cause our rights
70 he respected, remains doubt, which 1t
IS possible his new minister may remove.
In this new state of things We see neither
honor or honesty in the course that The
French emperor promises to pursue, even
if he should keep his word. He has evil
IDENTIFY undertaken to prescribe new terms
70 the contract, esse ntially differing from
those held our by the law OF May 1. He
makes that Justice On his part c9na't'0nd|,
which our law required and which we had
Ugh, to demand, as absalate.
The substance of this decree, which does
little towards the substantial iulhiment OF
his former promise, adds new AID agra
vateu item to the Old stock Off iuries; and
the styI. corresponds but too we'll with the
substance.
In this state CT things the contract enter
ed inio between Gen. Armstrong and the
Daks of Cadore in behalf of ,he two ma.
lions. is manifrstIy rescinded by the non
t,]G]nent of its conditions on the part OF
France. and we are aDsoIved from It's ebi-
cations. & left free to take our own course.
To shape this course requires all the WIS,
dom and we fear mere than all lhe hrnE! SIS
of our rulers.
1t has no doubt been the object of our
state pilots to avoid Scylls and Charyhd's
but in their anxiety 10 stun one, 1t has
been their misfortune to run too near the o.
Their. Our friendship has been offered 10
both brliieerents and it is perhaps owing
TO the contemp, in which we arc held by
both that we are not at this day nearer ALI
I'd 10 ether. Our protfcrs of friendship
have been so much in the Style Of a bargain
that the advers- party have taken Tor grant
ed, tt at our righ,s were for sale; and SO
much il The spirit OF weakness, chat they
have assumed upon themselves to dictate
the terms.
We now see the result Of conceding to
that clamos which required the removal Of
all municipal restraints on the spirit Of pri-
vate adventure, that our merchants might
be left at liberty TO make their calculations
in their own way-On one hand, too, some
say thirty millions, of our property held on
the continent as the pledge of our obedience
to The Will Of its master-On the other, our
surplus produce, literally cmbargoed and
rotting on hand. not at home, bu, in Eng-
land, while hsr cabinet sill pers.vrres in
h-r assumed right Of prohibiting, taxing,
icencing and even counterfelting our com
merce at her pleasure.
Siacc the wlckednes Of an opposing mi
noritv is sanctioned by the weakness of a
majority Of our rulers, perhaps neither pro
fiji nor honor can result from rigid exa-
mination into past errors. So far as poll.
lical parties are concerned it is believed that
each might 6Rd enough of disgrace to make
a fair offset against the other. 1t is Ger.
tanly time for US to consider ourselves as
nation that has something to regain and
much to defend and protect--a nation tot
tering between two mighty powers, that
must probably decide the present year,
whether it will fall by the weakness OF its
councils & its suicide dissentions, or poise
Itself upon its own resources, and stand by
its collected strength which it can hnd in
nothing but its union.
WHAT We OUGHT NOW TO DO is the
great QUESTION which it is the duty Of our
rules 10 decide, and our privile ge to dis
cuss.
From, the Connecticut Courant.