Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1812-01-27
E.nclftb Gougrcss... f;rst Elfgsott
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
FRIDAY, JAN. 3.

up to day about half past twelve.
hIle after one. MIR. Shelley rose AM
addressed the Speaker. He spoke up
wards oftwo hours. When he Enish
ed his speech the house adjourned
AS his speech was replete with sounc
argument and good sence, | will fur
nish you with quite brief sketch o
It.
Ii was not his intention, he said t
disturb the tranquility with which these
measures have thus FAR been pursued
but it was his duty TO explain the mo
lives By which he was governed whiIt
he wished not and did not doubt the pu
Tity oil motive in those who had advo
Gated measures which appeared to him
pregnant with the most rulnous conse-
queDces. He had hoped that the ques.
ton of peace or war, would have been
plainly presented at once; in which
case lac should have yone with the ma
iority Ia furnishing the means OF war,
if the honour and interest Of the coun-
try demanded if. The cause Of war,
the means Of pursuing il, and the OBJ
iect to be obtained BY it, ought 10 have
heen all fully and fairly stated Instead
of which he had heard only high COL
CURED statements of our wrongs. He
was willing openly to avow that there
were causes of war on the part of G.
britain, but not less so on the part of
the other beliigerent. The Orders in
Council are not founded in justice, nor
are they beneficial to G.. Britain. The
DEGREES Of France, blockading the Bril-
fish isles, were merely nominal hence
there was not on the part of Great Bril-
tain Just grounds for her retaliatory or
s!ers The Orders in Council of Nov.
1907, were not calculated to benefit G..
Britain, but to inlure US.
OF has been said the impress
ment of American seamen, part is
true, but not to the extent stated, par
ticularly by the gentleman MIR. john
son] from Kentucky, who painted in the
most glowing colours the distresses of
.ffu thousand American citizens in sla-
very. he would never go to war for
the protection Of any other than Amer
ican native citizens, or those who were
with us in the revolution. We are not
boundto protect British subjects Such
owe allegiance to their government, and
that government will claim il. When
British subjects come here and stay a
given time, they become ifthey choose
American citizens and we are bound TO
protect them while under our iurisdic-
tion-but to say that our flag shall pro-
tect both property and men, is claiming
too much. The right OF belligerent
to search for contraband goods Sc can
not be denied. Before we go 10 war
we ought to offer TO Great Britain not
10 permit any but our own citizens TO
go on board our merchant vessels
She needs her subjects and will If pos
sible obtain them.
There Is great difference between
the cause of war and the object OF q
war. Why waste our blood and tgea-
sure without an object in view of sub
stantial national benefit /! We claim the
right Of trading 10 the continent. Oh
what value is this. Is it worthy war
The trade 10 the continent is now oil
little value, and is daily diminishing
Such is the policy of the French gov
eminent that foreign trade is 10 be des-
troyed. What IS the value of your
trade in France and her dependencies
Your export commerce there before
the orders in council or French DEGREES
existed, amounted only to 2,7oo,oOC
DIS. ont of about 48,OOO,000 and even
this would now be far less Coffee and
sugar are forbidden. But one fifteenth
of the tobacco used in France, can be OF
for ign growth. OF cotton, 10 little
time, none will, by this system OF ex-
cIusion, be admitted. Including Ifol.
land and Italy, your commerce to
France and her dependencies, is not
worth two millions of dollars. Ii the
orders in council were at this moment
repealed, our commerce to France and
her dependencies, SO shackled by duties
aud being bound TO take certain articles
in return, would not be worth having.
In 1902 our export trade to Great Bril-
tain was above 2s,000,oo0 dis besides
above four million 10 places that have
since come under he dominion of G..
Britain. Shall all this be sacrificed for
a commerce of two millions and that
not worth having Till 1t can be pre-.
we'd that We shall have market else
where, he would not relinquish the
commerce we have or may have.