The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1812-08-27
done. 7. 4; they tell US ss page q ns form


of government ia no small degree experiment
tai, composed OF offcwe,fui and ,'ndefendent
sovereignties, associated In relations, some oi
which is critical as we'll as novek" Wha,
can we infer from this passage but menace
of rebellion Upon avhcm, or upon what, arc
these " powerful and independent sovereign
ties 10 act Upon the general government
Upon the lawful organs OF the national VIII |!
In IhGt manner nre they 10 act ! BY secret
or by open means In arms or by policy |!
These questions will not be answered by The
addlresssrs, because their observations are in-
tended for the imaginafions OF their readers
They give the hrnf, and leave it to work its
way 10 importance through the ignorance OF
the commit unity. But the community are not
SO easily deluded as the addressers believe
These {" fosverfm and indejtendenf sovereign
ties" are neither powerful nor independent IN
a national point OF view. They cannot coin
money, nor raise ON army, nor navy, noi
make treaties with fsreign states and there
are great many other things which they
cannot do without being guilty OF rebellion
And who took the power OF doing these
things from them The people. The feotn
OF the States agreed 10 retain their state gov
srnments for local affairs, and TO establish a
general government for national concerns
The government, of the Unued States is as
much a government Of the people OF the
states Of Massachusetts, New-York, Virgin
Ia, and tke test, as the government OF those
several states are and the people OF the res
pective states have as direct sn agency in the
election of the rulers of the general govern
ment, as they have in the choice OF state ru-
lers. Hence all he fosver and indehendens
sovereignty Of The states, in relation to the
question of war, is precisely no power nor
sovereignty at all; unless 1t is meant 10 in
sinuae, what Is not plainly said. that these
powerful and indepe ndtnt sovereignties will,
during the war, rebel and JOIN the enemy.
We leave il TO the consideration OF the rea-
der, whether the men who make suggestions
of such tendency, do not rather wish the
ruin than the preservation OF the constitution
and government They turn public atten-
tion to the weak more ihan to the strong part
Of our political! institutions ; and induce evil
disposed persons 10 think OF that which, but
for their insinuations, would not have been
thought of at all. They point the enemy
where 10 enter; and, like genuine hypociites
affect 10 regret that breach in the fortress
which they themselves have made.
The faculty Of discI limitation in these ad.
dresscrs is truly surprising. This appears
evident Get page g. when they assert that
/" the lowering of British vessels upon our
COASTS, and the occasional insults TO on,
ports, imperiously demanded such sy.,e-
matte application Of harbor and sea coas, de-
fence, as would rcpel such aggressions, but
in no light can they be considered making
"A resort to war, at the present time, on the
part OF the United States, either necessary or
expedicnt'
Here. it may be observed, distinction is
made between repelling aggressions on our
sea coast, and war Without, however, any
clear demonstration Of the difference. 1t
strikes me, if aggressions are made upon Us,
and we repel them by force, that wa, exists
AT least there is conflict and, as far as the
conflict extends, ii is war. Viewing the al
gument OF the addressers in this light, the
only question between them and the adminis-
tration would be, whether aggressions on our
sea-coast ought, or ought not, 10 DO retaliated
in any other place than on the sea-coast
There is something obivaltic, it is 10 be ac-
knowledged, in furnishing your enemy on the
very spot where he committed the offence
but as we may be vulnerable on our own sea-
coast, and the enemy not at all vulnerable
there, must remain Of opinion tha. il there
be war at all, we ought to have free scope 10
injure him where we can. However, the ad-
dressers do not mean 10 admit that the repul-
sion Of British sggrcssions on our sea-board
cvonid be war. They mean, Isuppose, that it
would be sort Of child's playa kind of rag and
run, and frison-6oose game. In the same
vein they treat the massacres Of our citizens
by the Indians eondemning the expedition
TO the Wabash in November last, as an an.
authorized ehcroachment on the Indian ter
ritory. Aud nosv (exclaim the addressers)
We are told about the agency of British ira
dcrs as to Indian hostiitics." That, to be
sure, is an affecting thing to tell such men
as these pamphle,cers shew themselves to be,