Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-04-06
From Tie Baltimore Federal Republican.
THE EMBARGO.

rs certainly subject very properto be
discussed, and they who can distribute
HIGHT should not now withhold il from the
|peop,e: but /" what Will be done next
| we believe no one can calculate with any
degree of confidence, from tie President
to the door-keeper OF the House 81 Re
representatives. 1t is Obvious, both In the
senate and in the house, and also in the
cabinet such strange parties exist there
lis so mnch FLASHING Of opinion, and SO
many conflicting feelings and interests.
that conjecture is left to wander IN quest
of probabilities and vague presumptions'
from which no decided opinions can De
formed. There exist, however, strong
reasons for believing that il Congress
could be brought TO repeal the non mpor-
tation act. pass an embargo for 60 days
Wrestling In the executive the power TO
suspend &c. during the recess) AMI then
adjourn, such state Of things woiid De
most agreeable to the executive.
Tn the present critical condition OF
French affairs, the emperor on thsevc OF
war with Russia, his armies suffering
for SUPPLIES in the Peninsula, the British
deriving considerable aid from the United
States, and the non-importationact prov
linz altogether Intellectual from sle i'm
possibility OF enforcing it, we eand not but
believe, that an embargo would be more
acceptable to France than the nonimpor-
tatioa act. We can hardly believe that
embargo will be superadded to non-im-
portation, and there exist very pDwereu!
inducements to substitute the former to
the latter. In the first place, an embar.
90 would be held out as a presaratiye
measure to hostilities, and would serve as
sop to the war party, who might be sul-
led into such {. belief. while the executive
would be relieved of Congress, If they ad-
riourned, and the field OF diplomacy would
be left clear to Nir. Madison and his mi
nisters. In the next place. supplies would
be withheld from Spain and Portugal, and
if the non-inportation act were Temporal
rily abandoned, the treasury would DC
more effectualiy relieved than by five Yeas
of taxes. The calculations made by emf
nent merchants show, that upwards Of
S 45O, 900, zoe of property and mOaey be-
longing to the American merchants are
now in England. and also that il the first
six months of internnarse with En9!lrad
100 millions at least Of British goods woa.d
be imported. At the present rate Of du-
ties. this would yield to the treasury be-
tween Is and sixteen millions OF dollars.
8nt we believe, the duties viii be do"b-
led. in which event the receipts in the
treasury would exceed 50 millions Of dol
lars. ,E'h;s is powerful temptation to an
administration without money. and with
out any other means OF cbt&iGii!g t.
There is no obstacle to a resort 10 such
means of relief save tie disp!casu"a ot'
France, admitting that the Acknowledged
enforcement cP her DEGREES ST q recent
date. and the late seiZure ofHroGeC:y by
her in consequence ot',:udge Wash:cgtcn's
decision, will not be taken as a complete
exoneration from the pretended ehilSa-
tons administration were under, NC! TO
s. cut the knot twisted about car nechs ~
the French Emperor" But tAls very
seizure, under another Rambouillet decree
and tie destruction Of the ASIA cad Uef-
shom may have been especially designed
TO drive administration to az enhar5o,
long ago very confidently aiiedged TO
have been measure pressed upon them
by Serrnrier. This minister, finding from
the nature Of cur popular institutions,
that government could not adopt with Sc
curity both non-inportation and Ecn-ex-
portation against England, mast probably
has consented to the substitution Of an
embargo to the fogmer.-France can have
no objection to an embargo, as equally
prohibiting intercourse with herself and
her enemy, because the bIockading squad
rons and eruizers ofEngland, deprive THAT