Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-06-22
MANIFESTO.

zvhom 7vaS reTefTed tDe 4tAe SOUS y
sideat Qfthe Uasted States Of the lsf q zane
1912.
REPORT 1Ia;.aa
That after the experience which the United
States have had IF the great injustice OF inc
Rr;tisb oovernnent towards them, exemPlih-
ed nv SO MANY acts of violence and oppression,
irwin he more difficult TO justify to the IN
martial world their patient forbearance, than
The measures to which it has become neeeS-
sary to resort, to avenge the wrongs, ana VIM
dictate the rights. and honor OF the nauoh'-
Your committee are happy to OBSERVE, on a
disnassionate review of the conduct OF the y
nited States, that they see In It no cause Tor
censure.
ia limo forbearanee under injuries ought
ever 70 be considered virtue in any nation, 1t
Is one which peculiarly becomes the United
States. No people ever had stronger motives
TO cherish peace none have ever chel4siicu
it with greater sincerity and zeal
But The period has now arrlved' when the
United States must support their Character
and station among the nations OF the earth' or
submit to the most shameful degradauon.--
Forbearance has ceased to be virtue. War
on the one side, and peace on the other, IS a
situation as ruinous as it is disgracetul. The
mad ambition, the lust of power, and COM
mercial avarice of Great Britain, arrogatlng
70 herselfthe complete dominion otthe ocean
and exercising over it an unbounded and law
less tyranny. have left to neutral nations an al
eternatiye only, between the base surrender OF
fbeir rights, and manly yiudication of them.
u,nnily for the United States, their destiny,
nnder the aid of Heaven, is in their own hands.
The crisis is formidable only by their love OF
neace. Astsoon as it becomes duty to re-
iinouisb that situation, danger disappears
They have suffered no wrongs, they have re-
ceived no insults, however great, tor which
they cauuOt,s O6t..in redress.
More than seven years have elapsed, since
che commencement of this system OF hostile
aggression by the British government, on the
( rights and interests of the United States.--
The manner of its commencement was not
less hostile, than the spirit with which it has
been prosecuted. The United States have
invariably done every thing in their power to
nreserye the relations of friendship with G
Britain. Ofthis disposition they gave dis
tinguished proof, at the moment when they
were made the victims OF an opposite policy.
The wrongs of the last war had not been for
gotten at the commencement of the present
one. They warned US OF dangers, against
which it was sought to provide. As early as
the wear 1904, the minister of the United
States at London was instructed, to invite the
British government to enter into anegoclatlon
on all the points on which collision might
arise between the two countries in the course
of the war, and to propose to 1t an arrange
ment of their claims on fair and reasonable
conditions The invitation was accepted. A
negotiation had commenced and was depend
ING, and nothing had occurred to excite a
doubt that it would not terminate to the salts
faction of both the parties. 1t was at this tlme
and under these circumstances, that an attack
was made, by surprize, on an important branch
of the American commerce, which affected
every part of the United States, and involved
many of their citizens in ruin.
The commerce on which this attack was
so unexpectedly made, was between the u
States and colonies of France, Spain and othe
enemies of G. Britain. A commerce Just il
itself: sanctioned by the example of G. Brl
tain in regard to the trade with her own CO
lonies sanctioned by solemn act between
the two governments In the last war; am
sanctioned by the practice Of the British SO
vernment In the present war, more than tvs
years having then elapsed, without any inter
ference with it,
The injustice fthis attack could only be c
gualled by the absurdity ofthe pretext alledg
ed fort 1t was pretended by the British ge
vernment, that in case of war, her enemy ha
no right to modify its colonial regulations, s
as to mitigate the Calauities of war to the 1T
habitants Gifts colonies This pretension, pc
culiar to G Britain, is utterly incompatible
with the rights of sovereignty in every indie
pendent state. If we recur to the we'll estat
lished and universally admitted law of nations
we shall End no sanction 10 it, in that vener;
bic code. The sovereignty of every state
co-extensi,e with is dominions, and cannot b
sbrogated, or curtaied in It's rights, as to an
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