The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-05-15

~ fear of a rivalry in trade from our COM
mercial spirit, have any objection to see that
spirit laid, not in the Red Sea, but in the
Fresh River, of Embargo.
My own opinion decidedly is, said Mr.. r.
that if we mean to go to war, we should
have refused leave of absence to the homo
rable and worthy chairman of the commit
tee of finance to have gone home. We should
have gone into committee of supply, granted
the supply wanted by government, and ia
ken them out of the disgraceful situation in
which they are now placed in endeavoring
to borrow money and not being able to OBJ
tain it. The laying of taxes should have
been preparatory to the loan---the first
measure taken after we met here, if our in
tention be really to wage active war which
shall not recoil on the heads of our own peo-
pie and government. and involve the latter
in disgrace. But, Mr.. 4. said, it seemed
that after laying out all their money to make
preparation for war by land, after refusing
almost to take any measure for the protecti-
| on of the sea coast, and adding nothing to our
| navy under these circumstances they were
about to wage a war Of predatory rapine,
and al the military preparations FOR the en-
suing year were to evcntuatc in nothing
After this, said he, shall not be surprised
I II when we receive news of inroads from
| the savages, we were forth with to build
aeet to repel them. We had put all our
means iii an army, and we are now about
| to wage predatory war, to be carried on
by the exertions, personal and pecuniary, of
| Individuals
| venture to affirm, sir, said Mr.. r. that
1 the New York election of the spring of 1900
was not more portcntous of the events
which thereafter very soon ensued, thar the
elections now going on are potentous of the
destiny OF this administration. The peo-
pie will support you in whatever is just and
necessary they would have done SO in 1899
and 1900 They would then have gone with
the government to war, if they had been
sensible that the national interest required
1T. But you cannot stem the current of
popular sentiment you cannot drive the
| American people into measures which they
see and winch they feel to be subversive of
their best interests. They will speak and
you must hear. 1t has been the case from
time immemorial with all governments-
| they have always exhibited a proneness to
| turn deaf ear to the complaints of the peo-
| pie. Some monarchs, have even Shut them
selves up in their palaces, and refused to
let the people see their faces. What was
| the consequence ? Every thing without was
! dlscCrd and confusion and one of the most
| remarkable of whom we read had to set
hire to the house over his head, from the
effects OF his effemnacy and DEAFNESS to the
voice OF the people over whom he presided
have seen one revolution in the council:
OF the nation, & ! do not want to see another
brought about by the operation of laws, a.
cruel, as impolitic and wild, as destitute o
| rational policy as the one now under consi
Iteration. Whatever may be the determi
nation OF the government, whether peace o.
quasi war, believe we shall consult tn,
interest OF the people, of the nation, and con
sequentiy of tn government, by an immedi
ate repeal OF the act in question, which e
very man sees is inadequate to the purpo
SEES which ii oSteDS;Sly undertakes to ans wer
| Mr.. JOHNSON said, however parliamenta-
~ "a discussion OF our foreign relations might
DE upon the postponement of petition to g
certain period, he could not believe it either
timely or interesting. If the House were
notified OF such debate, or could anticipate
1t, then members would not be taken by sur.
prise. He said he did not rise with view
To answer all the remarks that had beer
made by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr
Randolph,) as he had taken no memorandum
nor did he expect to have made single re-
marx; but the character of some obscrva-
| tons would compel him to ask the indul-
| gence OF the House very few minutes
The gentleman from Virginia has reminded
us OF the signs in the north, the elections O
| Massachusetts and New York. He supposi
ed, the change which had been alluded to
would not give any uneasiness to the ge, tie
man, if we judged from his opposition to
the measures of the present administration
| dc presumed, therefore, that the House
was not reminded of these political signs as
! admonitions 10 change their course of mea-
| sures, with view OF sustaining the popula-
rity of the present majority i'll Congress and
the Observation-Disclosures to give a greater
impulse to that opposition which is manifest
| from those places-as to those elections he
| would state that the people had their rights,
| and he did not wish to encroach upon them,
and he hoped they would elect whom they
| pleased. This was government of the pco.
pie, and If majority of the nation thought
with the gentleman from Virginia, then in
deed the time would soon come when he and
those in the opposition, with whom he seem
| ed III most cases to act, would come into
power, and they might pursue a different
course OF measures, as they seemed to agree
very well in what course that should be-
Iretracing our steps. But if the gentleman
| from Virginia should be disappointed, of
which Mr.. ]. said he had little doubt, that
the present majority would not only retain
| their present popularity and pursue the
course they had marked out for themselves,
but meet the support of the people.
| But the same gentleman says, we have
failed in negotiating the Loan--and there
fore disgrace has fallen upon us. He did
not know, whence such information was de-
rived. Sufficient time had not elapsed 70
know the extent of the success in obtaining
| a I,oan. and only twO dave m kaao ,-;,,o.