The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1812-10-08

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PRIzIso THE MINORITY OF TIE HOUSE
or REPRESENTATIVES, OF THE cossrEss
OF THE UNITED states.
lContinusd]
After Having thus demonstrated their In
sincerity, the British commissioners rxmc
forward wiki the project alluded to by tile
pamphleleers, by which il was 10 be made
penal in our collectors 10 grant cc[tiiicatc, OF
citizenship to British subjects. This artill
proposal excluded every naturaGzed citizeh
from protection for the British claim OF
allegiance extends from the cradle to the
grave, and will not admit Of expatriation.' il
is remarkable that whenever Great. britaiu
has proposed any thing that bad the appear
ancc Of fairness, il has, on being agreed 10 "
the Uniled States, been got rid OF IN one way
or another by the British ministry. This was
the case with Mr.. King, whose arrangement
was defeated by reference TO Lord St.. Vm';
cent, and the T" narrow seas = and such was
their conduct, in the instance just quoied,'
where the cabinet rejected what the British
commissioners had offered. Under sucli G.
yasions, and such articles, how was it posi-
bic for the United States 20 scGoicsce i.
On whatever occasion, or in whatever form,
Great Britain may have proposed acoc mmoda-
ton, il always comprenended, in one shape
or another, on her part, the claim 10 right
70 take bv violence, mariners from on board
our merchant vessels claim which, whilst
these States pretend to be independent aud
sovereign, can never be admitted. The Brit
ish dsclaim impressing men from ship OF
war, because slip OF war is national; but
they insist on taking them from merchant.
vessel, because the latter IS friVa9e hrohertyj
would i. then be more lawful for an armed
band to take by force an individual from lis
dwelling house in Boston, Nsw-York, or
elsewhere, than to take him from the Capitol
at Washington IL seems to mo that this is
reversing the great object Of society, which
;sthc protection Of the weak against the strong.
One quibble more brings their argument TO
a close on the subject OF impressment. The
Addresscrs contend, upon what they call the
authority of Mr.. Monroe, that " an honora-
bic and advantageous arrangement did take
place." They rely, II seems, upon the ex-
planatory letter OF MIR. Monroe addressed 10
Mr.. Madison from Richmond, dated the 2sth
Of February, 1906.
II would be incredible, If We had not the
before US, that Congressmen, Re
Of the PEOPLE, could resort 10
such miserable contrivances to delude their
constituents contrivanccs, which are 80
much the less pardonable, because, In treat
ing Of an affair OF the first Importance, in
which there can be nothing to enIivsn and ~
muse US, and thcfeforc no apology TOR hctonS
in which every circumstance is grave aud SOL
emn, the most authentic records are sarblcd
or perverted. IL this course OF conduct is 10
prevail, tho community will no longer Know
what to rely upon a general scepticism WIZ
pcrvade society, aud the people at large VIII
be totally at loss for the marks and bounda;
rics Of faith. Error of opinion is always par
donable but wilful Misrepresentation OF
facts is tho dcadIiest Of sins.
That Mr.. Monroe has said, in hi, letter of
tho 2s,h Of February, Is o, " tina, the ground
on which the interest OF impressment was
placed by the paper of the British commits
sioners of November sth, 1906, and the ex-
plantations which accompanied 1t, was both
honorable and advantageous to the United
States" Is fully admitted. But what was
that f" ground ?'' And was that ground
an " arrangement" of a permanent nature
Not at all. The Addresscrs, by cunnihs'y
substituting the word arrangement (Which is
not used by Mr. Monroe) Tor the word
ground, change the idea OF on incipient step
towards all arrangement, for an arrangement
itself. There was no final arrangement; but
there was Ga concessions" as Mr.. Monroe
states. This concession was, that in paper
bearing date November s,h, 1906, drawn up
by the British commissioners, &c the rights ol
the United States were expressly to be fcser.
we'd, and not Abandoned (; the negotiation on
the subject Of impressment was TO be postpo-
ned for limited time, and for special ac'
only and TO be reviewcdas soon as that ob'
jcct was accomplished and, in the interim
that the practice of imprcssment was to cor
respocd essentially with the views and inter.
es,s Of the United States" And was this
concession :! Because il agreed to some
hing ? itwas an agreement to consider the
subject in future, and was promise, as G'