The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-01-15

!; France, the entire colony! TO preclutl
: the possibility of such doubt, she adds
z that She restores it, not in a mutilated con
dition, but IN that precise con lition in whic
France had and she herself possessed it.
davlng thus shewn as l conceive. a clea
: right IN the U. 5. to West Florida. procee,
. to enquire it the proclamation of the Presi
a.n. directing he occupation of property
which is thus fairly acquired by solem
treaty. be an unauthorized measure of wa
and OF legislation, as has been contended
Ihe act OF Oct. 1905, contains two sections
by one OF which the President is authorised
70 occupy the territories coded to us b,
France in the Apri preceding. The othe,
empowers the President to establish provi
sional government there. The first section
Is unlimited in its duration; the other is
restricted tethe expiration of the then ses
ION o. Congress The act therefore of March
ioo4 dcclinag that the previous act of Oct
should cont'nne III force until the first # DC
i6o4' is applicable to the cond and not e
urst section, and was inten ed to con inue
the provisional govern menr ~ the President
ny the &C of oath Feb. 1904, for LAYING du-
ues on goods imported into the ceded terri
| tories, the President Is empo Sered, uhenc-
yer ne deems &c erhedient, 20 erect the bay
aud RIVER Mobile, &c. into separate dis
t'ic' an to establish therein port of en-
nv ana delivery. BY this same act the Or
leans territory is laid off and its boundaries
are so defined as to comprehend West Flori
ia: BY oher acts the President is authors
sea toremove by force, ander certain circum-
stances, persons settling or taking possc ssion
of lands coded 20 the ". States
hese laws furnish legislative construc
uoh 81 the treaty. correspondent with that
gwen by the Executive, and thew yes in
this branch OF the government indsputably
power to take possession of the country.
whsnever 1T might be proper in his discrs
J tio'i' ne president has not therefore vio-
lated he const tut an and usurped the wa
making power, but ne would have violated
that provision which requires him to see
taat the laws are faithfully executed, If h
had longer torhHrnc to act. l, is urged that
ne mas assumed powers belonging to Con
Srcss IN undertaking 70 annex the portion #
west Florida between the Mississippi and
the Perdldo to the Orleans territory. Blu,
congress as has been shewn has already
made his annexation, the limis of the Or
leans territnry, as prescribed by Congress,
Gohprehendng IN couutry in que stion. The
president, by his procla nation, has not ~ de
law, nut has merely declared to The people
OF West Florida whit the law is. This is
the nice OF proclamation. and it was
hiShiy proper that the people of that terri
tory should be thus notified. BY the act of
occupying ne Country, the government de
facto, whether OF spain, or the re volutionists
ceased to exist; and the laws of the Orleans
| terrltory, applicable to ne country, by one
ration and force OF law, attached to it. Blu,
this was state Of things which the people
might not know, and every dictate of ms
zee and humanity required, therefore, should
os proclaimed. L consider the bill before us
merely IN the light of declaratory law.
viewer could more proptious moment
preseh' sell tor the exercise ce the discYz
! nonary power placed in the President. and
mad ne failed to embrace it, he would have
oeen criminaiy inattentive TO the dearest in
'erests OF this country. 1t cannot be to,of
leu reo acc, 'has II Cuba On the one hand.
a"u lorid: on he other. are in the posses.
SION OF foreign mari inc power, the i'm
mense country belonging to the u. S. water
ed by streams G,scnarging themselves into
tne guiph Oi MtXico-that is one third nav
more than two thirds of the u. S. comnre-
hendhg Louisiana, is placed at the mercy
Oh tna' power. The possession nf Flor; "a Is
a qua antee absolutely necessary To the en-
J Joy ment of the navigatJon cf those streams
he gentleman from Delaware anticinates
the most dreful consequences rom the oc
cupa ION OF the Country. He supposes SAL
" rom spanish ga'r',on upon the Ameri-
can forces, and asks, what is to be don. p
! we attempt a peaceful possession of th,.
country, to which we are fairly entitled. II
the wrongful occup ants under the authnri
ty OF SPAN assaii or troops, trust thew will
retrieve the lost nonor of The nation in fine
case OF the Chesapeake. Suppose an attack
upon any portion of the American army with-
IN the acknowledged limits of the u. s. bv a
spanish force! In such event there Womb
exlStout single honorable & manly Coarse
/ n gentleman conCeives it ungenerous. tina,
we should at this moment when Snain 10
enco npassed and pressed on all sides nv tho
I'm ense power of her enemy, occupy West
Florida. Shall we sit by passive spectators,
ana witness The interesting transactions in
that country transactions which tend a.
IJe pardze, IN the most imminent degree
our rights without interference Are Won
prepared to see foreign power seize what
belongs to us! l have heard, i'm the mos,
credible manner hat, about the period when
the President took his measures in relation
to lat country, the agents of foreign power
were IN riguing with the people there. To
induce them to come under his dominion
| Whether his be the fact or not i, carno, nc
doubted, that If you neglect the present ans
picl1us moment--if you reject the proCIcred
boon, some olher nation, prof ing nv v,ut.
errors, viii seize the occasion tn get a fatal
footing IN your southern frontier. have
no hesva ion in saying, thatif parent cou,
try VIII not or cam maintain its autboritv
IN colony adjacent to us, aud there ~, sts
IA It state OF misrue and disorder mona
IraW Il