Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-02-22
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 90, 1911.

q ~ IL ~ IN LIZ
81 -
FRIDAY. FEsnyARr %, 1871.
Has the. President done his dilts
With respect to France ? !. Let the fol.
lowing citations from the law Of NJ av
I, from the duke of Cadore's letter,
and the proclamation of Nov. ., an
swer the. Question.
No. 1.
In case either Great Britain or
France shall, before the third dav of
March next, so revoke or modify her
edic.s, as that they shall cease 10 VIC.
late the neutral commerce ofthe u.
nited States, which fact the President
Of the United States sh all declare by
proclamation, and if the other nation
shall not within three, months thereaf-
ter so revoke or modify her edicts in
like manner, then the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth,
tenth, and eighteenth sections of the
act entitled " An act to interdict the
commercial intercourse between the
United States. and Great Britain and
France and their dependencies, anG
for other purposes" shall, from and
after the expiration of three months
from the date of the proclamation a.
foresaid, be revoked and have full
force and effect" &c. Law Of May
1st, 1910.
No. 2.
g am authorised TO declare to YOU.
sir, that the DEGREES of Berlin and Mi.
Ian are REPEALED, and thas, after, she
first of November they will .cease TO
have effect" The duke ofCadors to
Gen. armstrong, Paris, august stu,
1910.
No. 8.
81, James Madison, President of
the United States, do hereby proclaim
that the edicts of France have been so
revoked and that they ceased on the
said first day of the present month to
violate the neutral commerce of the
United S,a'ss." Presidents byocla-
nation Of Nov. 2d, 1910.
l. Will be seen that the act of the 1st
OF May prescribes three things, name-
ly; hrst--A revocation of the edict, /;
secondly--that in the event of such re-
vocation the President shall procla-
mate it;--and, thirdly,-it, in three
months sfter: such proclamation, one
Of the offending parties still continues
ITS obnoxious edicts, the provisions ef
the non-importation law shall revive
against the party continuing TO offend.
Now, the French government Official
ly announced eae revocation, which
iimperatively compelled the D, esd Snt
to proclaim under the act of Congre So ;
and, as the three months have expired.
and we have heard of no abrogaticn
OF the orders 10 council, Great Brisain
Gas she Prelers it) must suffer the con
sequences.
The only subterfugei the caviIlers
have from the force Of this plain rea.
sohing IS, that the president did wrong
IN taking the declaration 70, the Eact :.
But to this we reply, that the declara
tfoh constitutes the fact. For the re-
vocation of the ceres p,eans NOTHING
more than 10 cease to act under them,
which is TO refrain, or, n other words 10
40 no act In virtue Of those DEGREES. II,
then, the revocation was cessation 10
act, what fact could be exhibited on
the part OF France which could verify
the declaration of repeal (! There
ooo'd be now, brosbectiveLy at least.
he very pith OF the act of Cong tess
IN this Particular requires the French
government 20 cease acting and VET
the tederalists want an act where no
act would be performed,
But, passing over this point of IN {
question, we maintain that it was
sound policy ia the presidents to issue
the Proclamation if not in the assured
expectancy OF the absolute revocation
OF the DEGREES, yet in order more Ger.
taIniy to ascertain the truth ofthe Eng
nan promise to repeal the orders in
council and to sound the actual disDo-
s't'on OF the British govern N emit to.
wards the United States. This has
been completely eff~ted. We now
kno1o, beyond all doubt, that Great
britain was not sincere in her promise
TO annul her orders if France revoked
her DEGREES and we have deprived
the British of their strong (thouch
iailacious) argument that the ortle RS
IN Council were merely retalistory 4: