Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-07-15
From he United States Gazette.

| and cunning of French diplomacy but never
lbefore have we met with any thing SO impu-
Ident and basefaced as the late decree to which
the date of April 90, 1911, has been attaxed'
This decree, evidently contrlved and written
| since the publication of the declaration OF the
British prince regent, on the 2lst OF Apfli last
lis dated back twelve months antecedent 70 the
framing of it, and made to operate from the
| FIRST of November, 1910, near halt year pc
fore If bears date. Still it contradicts the as
sertion so often made, and so daringly perse-
yered in by our administration that the DEGREES
we're repealed on the lst November 1910,
| in consequence of our act of congress offering
to revive the non-intercourse against either
of the beIligerents, perseverlng In their nos
tile edicts, after the other should have reYok-
ed theirs. This new Juggling decree express
Ily assumes the fact that the DATED States
had Previously taken an attitude OF resistance
towards G. Britain, and that, therefore, they
were to be specially exempted from the ope-
ration of those edlcts.
But taking this decree for what 1t purporss
to be, it either was or was not ISSUED
and communicated to our government In a.
pril 1911. If it was so issued and commune
Gated and formed the basis of the proceedings
Of this government towards Great Britain,
what can be said in excuse of our admlnlstra-
ton for keeping it more than year pro-
found secret, instead OF making use OF 1t 10
procure revocation of the British orders, es-
peeially after the repeated and numerous calls
which were made upon them by the british
minister for their evidence OF the revocation OF
the French DEGREES, either absolutely and an
csnditionally, or evenin reference to this coun-
try alone 1t is not forgotten that the con-
demnation of American property In England
was long suspended for the express purpose
of giving the American claimants an opportu-
nifty of producing to the admiralty court, proof
of the revocation of the French DEGREES, if a.
ny such proof existed. The claimants appil-
ed accordingly to our diplomatic agent In
London for all the evidence in his posses
sion of the revocation but nothing of this
sort appeared, and the property was condemn
ed. What can be said In justification OF our
government for looking on unconcerned, and
Witnessing this waste of the property OF their
constituents, at the same time having in their
possession this unequivoCal declaration OF the
French government, that, In regard to the y.
States, the DEGREES had actually ceased to O.
perate, and were to be considered as extinct I?
On the other hand, if this decree was not
issued and communicated at the time, and In
the manner which the face of it imports, the
question arises; When, and for what purpose
was it originated, and by what trick and col
fusion has it been brought to pass ! Is there,
indeed, such a secret understanding between
our administration and the arch tyrant OF the
old world, that they are not ashamed, like two
swindling gamesters, to play into each others
hands for the purpose OF cheating their own
people and the rest of the world This part
of the alternative, which we conScientlously
believe to contain the truth presents an aspect
more hi6eous and APPALLING than even the other
1t proves an intimacy OF conneXlon and IN
trigue between our rulers and the destroyer
of every other republick on earth, ten thous-
and times more alarming than any war or o.
Their calamity which could be brought upon
US. 1t is proof that we are already bound
to the triumphal car of Napoleon by chain
which is not to be broken except by the peo-
pie rising in their might.
Happily the constitution has afforded re-
medy, 1t is happy for the people Of the u
nited States that they are compelled to sustain
no political grievance, but what is of their own
choice. IF they prefer foreign vassalage to
domestic freedom, let them not hereafter
blame the severity of their taskmasters. Let
them not clank their chains and call for re-
lief when relief was once in their power and
wantonly rejected.
Some, perhaps most of our citizens, imagine
it to be impossible to destroy the liberties of
this country ;-yet it is certain, that in all "a
ges liberty has been overthrow; and that 40
republic now exists in the world, but our own;
and we think the tendency of things is now
not only towards despotism but towards des-
potism, supported by and under the influence
of the French. The presidential Office, with
the great accumulation of power and influence