Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-12-05

which we often hear individuals utter, as that
(" man must live" A." a man must breathe, %
at the same tine taking no manner Of pains
to get fresh air or Wholesome food. We have
already had memorable example of the in
Utility of all such legislative proclamations,
IN the famous paper reported by Mr.. George
Washington Campbell in 1868. We adj
monish the honorable gentlemen of Congress
from committing themselves in TIE same way
again; for, let them declare what they will,
let their declarations be ever so ELOQUENT, let
their words burn and thunder, unless they
burn with fire and thunder with bullets it
will all be Of no avail We would rather see
one act. however ungrammatically written,
for raising few regiments Of men for actu-
al service, or for organizing a corps of mill
tia for the purposes of war, than the finest
composition and the most eloquent state pa
per that the genius ana knowledge of man
can frame We wish To sec the "drmor and
the attitude demanded by, the crisis" and
not the rvorc!s-not the Doz ef 1sreterc a nj
hill We have travelled, God knows, through
wilderness OF words, Until common sense is
almost lost. Mr.. Madison, when Secretary
Of state and since he has been President, has
placed our wrongs In the brightest and the
strongest light Colonel Monroe has gene to
the very marrow Of our wrongs; but If Con-
kress will neither see nor feel, if they will
add to one abandoned declaration, another
declaration 90 be abandoned, what will it be
but merely a change from the past to the in
.fnifive mood, and a representation Of fur
Their loss and disgrace? After men have a.
greed to a general philippe, the difficulty is
to get them TO particulars. Every one has
his f,roift, and In the multitude Of propositi-
dop ;op fa1tr f,rc
TO the ground. How many sayings, and pro-
verbs, and maxims, have we upon record, to
shew the folly of sayins and the wisdom of
doing: What, in fact, constitutes the differ
encc between wise man and a fool, in any
case, but that the one shews himself in sets
and the other IN uGtu- bcasfing? 1t has been
30 from the foundation of the world, and will
forever be so. What chiefly makes US laugh
at old Jack Falstaff, but the brdggddocio trait
in his cAaracters What is more ridiculous
in any man than impotent threats of venge-
ances And what is more impressive than
the silent manner of a man of ability The
eyes of Europe have been long upon US the
sovereigns of that quarter of the world judge
us not by our puffings and bravadoes, our
long speeches, and verbal and printed ana
thomas !; but by the acts of our government /;
by the effects Of our laws !; by the organize
rope, the idea of force is connected with eve
ny diplomatic correspondence and so much
does it prevail, that it has there grown into
a maxim, that feultorfsirg policy is an infal-
lible proof of the irnbicility of state. The
maxim, too, is founded in the nature of ami
NAL existence. Every creature that is wrong
ed, that is injured, that is wounded, seeks for
satisfaction; and hence the utter contempt
that we entertain for cowardice, ard the high
admiration we cherish for heroic bravery,
The man who will redress his grievances or
avenge his wrongs, is degraded below the
dignity of all animated nature, and, in that
respect, is worse than reptile.
What, then; are we for war? Yes as far
as our preservation in the rank of honorable
nations requires: as far as President Madi-
SON recommends We are for measures thai
shall vindicate our rights, and preserve the
remnants Of our commerce. Nota war of in
vasive retaliation on the ocean but war Of
restrictive Conservation on the Land. Year
after year our merchants have adventured tc
Europe, and year after year their property
has been there seized, ailapidated, conhscat-
ed and sold. The consequence is, the list Of
our ministers is increased, and their various
correspondence annually swell the volume o
disasters and disgrace. Our ambassador,
have become the useless advocates Of right.
trampled on, and their letters are the mere
records of concentrations Of our property un
lawfully seized and sold. Ii is full time Il
put stop to this current of affairs to wrest
if possible from injustice what it has usurpcc
Ito preserve what still remains with us, anC
TO guard it from violence for the future.
November %.