Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-06-12

b;s letter to Mr.. Otis he says" nave
indeed been myself Of opinion that the
embargo must III its nature be a tsie'''a'-
IN ernedient." Yes : and only twenty
davs. from the passing OF the embargo
law. had elapsed, when MIR. Adams OF,
fsrea a resolution for the appointment OF
a committee to inquire at what perloa Tue
embargo might, consistently Win .ao
nublic interest. be removed. s. sut (says
hey NV resolution met no encourage
ment." No /; a new convert, ana sun III
HE nov;t;ate. he was not let into all the
secrets If the cabinet !; from whose views
nothing was more remote than d s.illp'c
EMBARGO. a temporary suspension OF com
n,croe And as in voting for the embar-
on he reposed himself, with entire con-
2denoe. on the Recommendation and sape-
r;or information of the president; SO at
forwards, when his proposition IN the Sc
nate for fixing the time at which the en-
barge should have an end, and similar at
tennis in the house Of representatives,
were rejected, or passed by with silent
contempt he, with becoming humility,
acouiesccd reposing himself no1o on the
suncrior wisdom Of the majorities OF the
two houses of congress. Yes: when hc
saw that the embargo had changed ITS ma
ture-that what had been enacted under
the name Of an embargo, was not an en-
bargo-but total, unlimited interdict OF
all commerce with foreign nations-sthl
his candid and eleUateit mind would not
descend to entertain suspicious Of SINISTER.
views in the executive and his leaders IN
the two houses The men who had UNI
formly opposed all the measures deemed
by his own father to be necessary Tor the
safety, honor and interest Of our coun-
try, as well during Washinston's adml-
nistration as his own; and a series oil ar
tifces perseyeringly practisea, by when
the people were deceived. had finally over
turned the federal administration OF our
government these men, it seems, had ex-
hibited so much wisdom, so much patriot
ism, and had shown themselves so unam-
bilious, so tisinterested, in their oppos!-
tion,-that to suspect them, no7o, OF SIMS
ter. unfair views, would be improper and
dishonorable! YetMr.Adams admits "that
yigiIant observation is at all times and Sns-
picion may occasionally become necessary,
upon the conduct Of men in power p
| And Of all men suspicion should have at
tached to those who assembled to power by
the steps to which have so often allud-
ed. and of which he could not have been
ignorant.
presume it has been satisfactorily
shown, that the rumoured British Orders
in Council did not enter into Mr.. Jeffcr-
sons views in recommending the embar-
go. Perhaps it will also appear that they
we're not in the contemplation of Mr..
Adams when he gave his Jealous assent
to it !; although he says those orders
/" formed to his understanding power
full motive for asserting to the embargo ~
and in another place, as have alrea-
DIV remarked that {" they stand in front
Of the real causes for the embargo" >
Nay, he goes further, ami represents all
the other causes as amounting TO nothing.
His words are" To argue upon the sub
iect of our disputes with Britain. or upon
the motires for the embargo, and keep
them THE Orders in Council out of sight,
is like laying your finger over the unit
before series ofnoAghts, and then arith-
medically proving that they all amount to
nothing" -Keeping in mind these various
assertions Of Mr.. Adams, concerning
the British Orders in Council, and their
powerful influence Oh his mind, to induce
him to vote for the embargo; pray eve
~ reader to go back with me to view the
original scene OF passing the embargo bill
in the Senate. This scene was represent
ed three years ago. in my correspondence
with Governor Sullivan who, having
stated to me, that he had letter from my
colleague, Mr.. Adams, " who voted for
the embargo, and still considered it a wise
measure and necessary one" | was con-
strained, in my own justification, to. detail
his conduct on that occasion. thus wrote
to the Governor
"In my first letter, l informed your
excellency Of the haste with which the