Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-04-22

where are the soldiers' we were told last
December that.cn the first day of April we
should be before Quebec. And where were
we, on that day D. Why--Retrinsf behind En-
bargo-What prospect is there that your en-
listments will be so rapid as will enable you
to raise more men in the ninety days, which
are to come, than in the one hundred and htty
which have past know there is, on the
carpet, grand scheme, of augmenupg the
chance of enlistments, by reducing the time OF
service from i've years to eighteen months
But how does this prognosdcate as to the et1-
cheney Of the force ? This proposition IS per-
fectly characteristic. You want an embargo
army, and not a fighting army. Ever since
you appointed collector ola northern seapcr'
maior-general, have been satisfied that What
you intended was, an army TO fight snmgslers
and rot Canadians.
You prepare to GO to war for commercial
rights, in Ninety days ?-Where flow "a
navy is out of the question. And as to the
purpose of arining our merchantmen, although
that resolution was passed with as much' l DC
leye more unanimity than any other OF al
those proposed by the committee OF forelgl
relations, it has boen laid asleep IN the com
mittee: and not man has yentHred to sug
gest, even that it was to be put into Parlla
mcntary form, much less that 1t was to ot
carried into effect.
When / see such palpable failure In al
the means natural and necessary tor carrying
on the war; when | see the exposure OF your
seaboard when see the actual military torce
instead Of being INCREASED In eficlency,n fact
reducing neither promises, nor assevera'
tons, nor oaths shall make me believe that
you will 60 to war at the end OF ninety days
OtfsosuH nature. Nature has decided against
you. Instead of thai feast" of war, to which
we were invited at the beginning OF the SEES
sion, we have served upto us the old dish OF
restrictions. There is no need Of the spirit
of prophecy to tell the result. At the end o.
ninety DAYS, you will find that your preparation
is not sufficient. The horrors OF war will be
preached up very assiduously during our re-
cess. Familiarity with embargo will dlnlnlsf
its dread The restrictive system becomes
identified with some personal, local, paltry IN
terest. The navigating states are sacrificed
and the spirit and character OF the country
are Frustrated in the dust by fear, or by ava
rice.
This embargo will not serve the American
people. But will tell you whom 1t may
serve; it will serve the French Emperor
His interest is apparent. 1t operates on hi:
enemy by denying our produce to her armies
But where is the American interest Coercion
on Great Britain is not pretended. Ii wal
with this power be really its purpose, then
much ofthis very property ought to be got
out of the country. 1t is useless and must
perish if it remain in it. And the resources
of the country and its ability for war are aug
mented by the whole amount OF the returns
which It's sale would produce.
In every point OF view look on this naea-
sure as a cruel abandonment of our national
rights as impolitic as deceptive; as calcu-
lated to impress on the American people an
idea that it is your intention to maintain COM
mercial rights, which, It's true effect, IS, to
abandon. Here is another effect which 1t is
calculated to produce, and which of all others
ought, at crisis of this kind, to be avoided.
Its tendency must be to raise jealousy be-
tween the Southern and the Eastern and mid
die States. The flour and produce of the
southern states have had during the whole
winter an open trade and free market. Those
of the middle and Eastern States have been
restrained by climate and winter Nature is
Just opening for our relief, and the palsying
hand of government is now to be extended, to
give death blow to our hopes. Is it by a
course of policy OF this kind that you intend to
concIiate affection, or excite confidence will
it not be said, that your own products being
sold you were Indifferent, what became OF
ours?
Let me not be understood as Directing to
this Embargo, as preparation for war; altho'
even, as such, its utility is dubious. osgect
to it, because it is no efficient preparation
because it is not progress towards hon
orable war, but is subterfuge from this cues
ton. If we must perish, let US perish by any
hand, except our own. Any fate is better