Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-09-11
For the .zlrsandna Daily Gazette.
AGRICOLA--No. III.

marks The causes of the present war are
nnre}y COMMEMORATIVE friends OF adnil-
nlstration, because they know Americans
prize lt0erfy above all things, say, II Is a war
TOR Li6ersy and Iilaefeuaeace They might
us we'll say Ii was a wai tor religious Jfsedons
Did Great Britain threaten an lnvasion OF our
ssii Did She manifest such hostility TO our
social institutions, asto lead us TO think she
V a. ANXIOUS for their dcSlructlon i ne Pltl-
fui sue gestions formed out Vi the purchase OF
Hem, 5 secrets, consider a. only disgrace.
iul 10 the purctaseISoi thsn. How then are
our Li6ertles and Ldthenaence concerned IN
this quarrel. Should We be less tfee OF less
indie pendent had We no torelSA uade at ali :
The present kuicrs have otld, We should DC
more Tree anu more inaS pendent, the less we
have relied upon ii. How Absurd Is It theh
and contradictory too, 10 SO TO Wal Tor thihS
that Is 10 make us, as lucy coitena, iess ice
and less lndepend~nt, anu yeI asse't II 70 be .
war for Liberty and I.aepe deuce. Does ho'
such sopmstty shew, ll,@l ot,ei n!otises hays
governed them. Win tie heroisni oi q sllaa
prof gate, they confess certain ilhe OF Con-
duct 10 hearulnous, but YET, viii even no'4t lof
the pleasure OF beihs ruihct la tnci, o"n way
hat were our coillnerIiai teaul,lloiio ln-
tended for and Mir. Jeh>lson's anu hAf. Ma
dlson's boasts OF tho great eXtehslo.i OF do
mestlc manufactures, Quito PioVe 10 TIC y
inerlcan mind, thelr fayolte tneory, tn@I Nc
more we worked Tor ourselves, ana ietItl
from the use Ol the manufactures vi otilci "a
lions, the more independent VIC become -
When the event ot the experiment f"d beg
CARED the treasury; when Greut-DI ltaAi a
4 l,t,, ltnfi n,,.
supefl 4 10 the measures taken 10 ruin hei
wlth preclpltancy aud madness when mas n'
parallel III the annals OF n lions, tn> ueter
mined To bring about by force, what they
could not accomplish by contrlvance@ AnQ.
for want OF ther pretexls they haVe boldly as
serted " that our commercial nights are 50 /
Identified with our ciV4 Liberty and biatfen
deacs, that lii refusing TO protect the one we
abandon tic other" Yes! men who recon
mendcd TO America the itokcy of CHINA, havt
thrown into war Tor .JsfetSn commerce. Gan
we trust them then any longer? 1t is eMlcnI
they mean to deceive US. HE ruin OF Eng
land has been their first and dearest object.
the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of France the next, the
pected result, and Inc destruction OF Amerl-
drama,
AS men and as nations, we find ourselves
obliged often TO rehnquish one right or one
good to secure another. Tomsist upon per-
tcCt compliance with ali our abstract rights,
would involve the one aud the other IN constant
trouble. Prudence requires the abandon'nen,
of lesser to secure a greater good Ihe as
sertion Of commercial rights VIII forever re-
solve itselfinto calculation OF interest In q
Republican Nation, such as ours, young In It's
existence, having its systems yer to try the
pressure OF calamity, enjoying commerce,
with all its abridgements, SO extensive and III
cratiye, as to give spring and energy to all lis
interests, is it not the height OF Jolly TO court
situation Of things less advantageous, and IN
initely more dangerous. We have 41SHS TO
trade with all nations, so long as We conduct
ourselves with fairness and propuety lore
fuse it to Us, 4uithout good reason, would be an
injury we might resent by force. But nations
do not act the part of Quixots. Kings ana Em-
nerors NAV make war for honor and glory.
The more they desolate the world with blood,
and surround themselves with torce, the
more they place men in submission to then
absolute will and pleasure 6ut RepuoilcS a.
void foreign war upon every prlnclPle--it oe-
moralizes the citizens it excltes amb llon
it weakens the social ties; 1t lmpoYerlshes
the people, by the imposition OF heavy taxss
at the very moment that 1t deprves taem OF
the means of paying them; 1t leads 10 miiita-
,ry violence il increases executive influence
and patronage, and paves the way either tor
foreign conquest, or, through domestic v1o.
lence, to place arbitrary power III the hands OF
an artful leader. Should people, situated as
we are, put all this to hazard, for the assertion
ofriehts, in no wise to be compared with the
dangers to be incurred in asserting them. And
are not our Liberties, and Independence, and
Union too, more likely to tall victims to state
of war, than to submission even, to the COM
mercial injuries we have suffered.
tbaee uera clearly the sentiments OF