Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1812-12-18

suAislehey OF existing provisions tor filling
up the military establishment. Snch II
te aaPpy condition ofour couatrv. a,is-
ing from the facility Of subsistence and
ne hsga Ddges for scer.y species of occa
patton, that Notwithstanding the
ca Inducements provided at the last sss-
stoH, apartial success only has attended
ths recruiting service. The deficiency
has been necessarily supplied during the
campaign, by other than regular troops.
VITA all the Inconvenience and expence in.
cident to them. The remedy lies in estab-
lisbing more favorably for the private sol.
dieS the proportion between his recon.
pense and the term of enlistment. And it
: subject WHICH cannot toe soon. or too
seriously, be taken into consideration
MIR. Speaker-What a picture of felicity
has the president of the u. S here drawn.
in describing the situation of the yeomanry
OF this countryp Their condition hSppv
--saossstence edsy-,cages high-fuH en-
Ftoy-To such favored beings, what would
De the suggestion of love, truly parentalp
Surely that SO much happiness should not
De put at hazard-That innocence should
not be tempted TO scenes of guilt. That
the prospecting ploughsharc should not be
exchanged for the sword Such would be
tile lessons of parental love. And such will
always be the lessons which a president Of
the u. 5. will teach in such a state of things,
whenever a father of his country is at the
head of the nation-Alas! Mr.. Speaker.
how different is this messages The bur,
den OF the thought is, how to decoy the
happy yeomen from home, from peace and
prosperity to scenes of blood-how to bait
the man-trap: what Inducements shall be
held forth to a~varice, which neither virtue
nor habit, nor wise influences can resist
But this is not the whole. Our children
are to be seduced from their parents. Ap.
prentices are invited TO abandon their mas
ters. a Legislative sanction is offered to
periidy and treachcry. Bounty and wages
to tlial disobcdience. Such are the moral
means by which a war, not of defence or
OF necessity, but of pride and ambition.
should be prosecuted. Fit means to such
an end.
The absurdity Of this bill consists in this
-ln surprising these pro isions to be the
remedy for the evil, Of which the President
complains. The difficulty is that men can
not be enlisted. The remedy proposed is.
more m~oney--and legislative liberty to
corrupt our youth. And how is this proved
to be a remedy Why 1t has been told us.
on the ether side Of the House, that this
Is the thing they do in France. That the
age between eighteen and twenty-one is
the best age to make soldiers. That it is
the most ~tavorite age, in B~onaparte's con-
scription Well, sir, what then ? Are we
in Francep Is Napoleon our king Or is
he the President of the United States p
The stiIe in which this example has been
urged on the House, recalls to my recol
lection very strongly, "a caricature print
which was much circulated in the early pc
Rod of the revolutionary war. The picture
represented America as a hale youth, about
eighteen or twenty-one, with a huge purse
in his pocket. Lord North with q pistol at
his breast, was saying, " deliver Your mo-
ney." George the Sd, pointing at the
young man, and speaking to Lord North
said, g | give you that mans money for nav
use.' Behind the whole group was a French
man capering, rubbing Ills hands for jog,
and exclaiming-'. BE GAR,. JUST So m
FRANCE" Now, Mr.. Speaker, | haze no
manner of doubt, that the day that thisast
passes, and the whole class of our northern
youth is made subject to the brides of your
recruiting officers, that there will be taou-
sands of Frenchmen in these u. States, ca
pering, rubbing their hands for joy, and
exclaiming, "Be Gar, just so in France.nT
Sir, the great mistake of the whole project
lies in this that French maxims are D
Piled to American state& Now it ouglk.
never to be lost sight of the Legislators
in this country, that the eople of it are
not and never can be Northumberland on
the contrary, that they are, and can never
be any thing else, than Freemen.
The true source of the absurdity of this
bill, is a mistake in the nature of the evil
The President of the United States tells us,
that the administration have not sufficient
men for their armies. The reason is, he
adds, the want of ~pecuniary motive. In
this lies the error. 1t is not ~pecuniary mo
tive that is wanting to fiji YOUR armies. IT.