Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-05-10
From the Salem Gazette.
ADDRESS

ADDRESS
TO THE PecpLE OF THE UNITED STATES
Nc. TX.
FELLOW clr1zrSs,.s 80, A..
IN nv last Address, remarked, that Mt.
jefferson, W en- he wrote his Notes on VIZ
einia, did not inlagi,.; the people, 1ai."
and patience would Garry Them SO i"f as 70
sacrifice to the Will of their rulers snea oo'
yious and important Interests as their cont
nerce and navig alton, an continue their ad'
,nirat;on OF their destrcyers. NOBODY hi'
deed, could have believed It possible Nc
fact alone could renderit credible: :.
After r.,anisestins his own opihlo':' 'ha' :.
would be our wisdom "to abandon inc ooen'
altopether :" Mr. Jefferson ADDS pu, 'i'e
actual habits Of cur count;ylnen attach tleih
to commerce. They WILL exercise " ior
tbemselves.'' Yet at the close OF the yer
1907. he had acquired the confidence OF Tie
mass of the Nation to such degree, THAI re
ventured on the experiment OF Abandoning
the ocean" under the Disguise OF al ENsaA-
GO a name familiar for a temt,rary susPeh-
sion of commercial navigation, Tor some &C.
fpite and temporary Cause CT object nut
the act imposing the Embargo Was "l1houI
Limitation, and without AZ adequate casse Us
object. The reasons he assigned 70 Con-
eres. were so himsy, the documents ne COM
munica,cd so insufficient, that, II the ell .ct OF
overweeninp confidence, and the force OF par
~. were not known, it would seem lEpossi-
be that Congress should have sMlctloheo !ie
measure. As the people, however, s.'1esl1!;53
the loss of trade, might be less tracisoie '''ai,
Congress, it was deemed necessary 70 wrap
up the project in mystery. Hence II Was
that Dart Of the documents were WITHDRAWN
and returned to Mr. Jefferson, as ne iiao se-
ouested; AID kept secret until the country
wa, conp.etcly saddled with the Embargo,
and in effect to this day. For though Il
length they were again communicated and
pubisned, vet it WAS with a mass OF other Pr
pers, and without any indication that they MAO
been originally offered (wlat no one lot IN
the secret would suspecD as part OF the
grounds for the Embargo. These two pa
pers shall PUBLISH, when come to lh'csti-
t,,t,, the real asoiiuss Of M: Jefferson IN re-
CO .nmending th.t measure.
Mr. Jefferson, having stated the habits OF
the people OF the y. Sites attach them to
con,.nsrcc, md tat they Will exercise 1t for
themselves, draws tiliS A"A~'S w.
then, must sometimes be our lot. his led
him to broacn his opinion on the most suit
Bile preparations fol war. And he says, that
whetner we provide FOR offence or oeience,
the sea is the field on which we should meet
a European enemy. On that clement II is
necessary we should possess soine power.
He then offers his reasons why small na'a:
fore, il suGcicnt!ffA US and adds, that " ii
small one is necessary" The result OF his
calculations for enc v:..r's possible ex rllon,
in raising money to form navy, would be
eighteen ships of the line md twelve irigates;
but without deciding whether more or less
than :. years exertion Should DC so appii'
cd.
Here we see Mr.. JeHcrson's deliberate c.
pinion Of the place where the y. States ousnt
to meet an European enemy, and OF the ttttst
instruments of warfare, whether Tor oaei,ce
or defence. Now mark his practice, when he
had reached the summit OF power IN the UI,i-
ON. Instead Of effective ships Of the line and
frirates; capable of IS meeting an European
enemy on the sea" he recommends the build
ing OF s1uadrons of o!1N-BoATs only: which
could not meet European on any other enc.
NV on the sea. Yes he expressly states,
that this species Oh haVal aiIhaiieht % pro-
posed merely for d:fsnsive operau that 1t
en- have but little etfIct towards protecting
cur commerce in the open sea. even on our
own coast and still less can it become ar ez-
ciremen. TO engage in offensive maritime war,
towards which it would furnish 10 means"
Thus the gun.boat system perfectly coin
cides with Mr.. Jeferson's notion of "aban
doning the ocean altogether "--of renon':cing
all commerce (or ut least all commercial ma
vigation y for gun-boats, he says, scan have
but little effect towards protecting it In. the
open sea, even on our own coast" But I've
suboins one consolation, that gnn-6oa:s .yiV
nor ten,tt us to engage in ofensive mcritime
gar. This reason is Of the Same kind with
that offered to Congress, in his first message
(Dec. 8, lsol) for desiring an empty trsasu-
~ for full treasury. reuennes accumulated,
might offer temptations to make war This
he suggested as motive for the repeal (Which
be had Just proposedD of all the internal TAX
es. For when person has favoritc project
in view, he seizes eagerly on every circuln.
stance which may promote, justify or excuse
its execution. That anticipated repeal of the