Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1812-11-25

aeeeut;ne the terms you offer or not,
determine where they can be most
useful: but does not every principle,
of economy forbid that you shoaia
90 into the private family, the work
Shop, and the mandatory: regard
les. of the opinion Of the iather or
superintendent, and seducethe young
man from learning some useiui anu
honorable employment and IN lieu
thereof at that tender, at that doubt
fnl period of human life. you plunge
him into all the immoralities OF a
camp. and turn him out a vasaoona
on society. No sir, true economy
peouires that children should be well
edn. ated, wellsgoverned, and faith "a.
fully bred to some honest calling
The The very principle. notwithstanding
all the talk of patriotism, is recos-
pized in the price You Offer Tor sol
diers, as we'll by the former law as
by the present bill. You offered 6y
the former law, 5 dollars per month,
Nv the present bill 8 dollars. That
is, Won saw to the world, that by be-
ing a soldier. you render to your
country services worth 5 or dol
lars. Now sir, for 5 or s dollars per
me ..h is it prudent. is it economical
to dissolve the all important relation
ex-governor and governed in respect
TO youth. To break up your infant
manufactures? And to deprive poor
children at once of an useful employ
ment and home?
But sir, perhaps it will be said
that necessity, the safety OF the re-
public requires this. When the le-
gions Of Briton were upon ourshores'
When we were struggling for our We
nv existence, the necessity was not
then thought sufficiently imperious
to warrant such a principle. Can it
then be said, that with treble the
population, and in an offensive war,
necessity requires the dangerous In
novation Certainly not-Again, the
law then and now allows the soldier
to be arrested for debt, amounting
to 20 dollars and will you say, that
the debt in which there can be no
deception incurred, for the most ne
cessary Of all things, food, clothing
and instruction for infancy, shall be
disregarded? ] trust sir. that a prin-
ciple SO unreasonable will never pre-
vail.
But lastly, said Mr.. s. 1 do con-
tend that the clause is contrary to
the spirit, fnot the letter, of the con-
stitution. That constitution provides
that private property shall not be
taken without a reasonable compen-
sation. The property which pa
rent has in the services Of his sou,
Of guardian in the services OF his
ward, and a master in the services
ofhis servant, though. differing wide
ly in dignity, is as real and often
times more important than the TAR
mer has in his personal estate, or the
planter in his slave. 1t also impairs
the force of contract, which is strict
" interdicted to the states, K q for
tori not TO be done by the general
government. For these. and many
other reasons, which might be adj
ded, Mr. S. moved to strike out the
Sd. section of the bill.
Mr.. WIELIAMs--I do not know,
Mr. Chairman, in what school the hon.
gentleman has learnt ethics, but be APP
pears to have measured himself by
scale Of moral: which he has not well
studied. He acknowledges if a necessi-
ty exists for the passage Of this section.
it is not Inconsistent with morality: The
necessity was never stronger than a; the
present time; the enemy are on y.1ur
western, your northern, your southern,
your eastern frontiers, and God knows
where they are not. The hon. gentle
ma, sscribes to me opinions which, he
says, l expressed year ago. l did
not think any gentleman in this house
would remember any opinions of mine
for SO long time. l cannot now dis
tinctly recall them; but / do know, that
the hon. gentlemap himself did, at that
time, contend for the admission of youths
into the service, ard thought they would
make the best soldiers. | do not con-
tend for the moral effect Of this law-l
advocate it upon the great principle OF
national useiulnes-militia services are
transient, &cannot be depended on. The
present provision has been formed SIM
ply to meet thetrauds and impositions
practised upon officers. who, on enlist
ing man under 81, lost the bounty
which they had paid. The gen.lemaR's
idea of patriotism is novel. Patriotism is
not to be purchased /; it flows freely from
the hcart-it is based on noble princi-
snl1icrc .honiJ ba ND for .ir