The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-08-21
From the National Inteiiigencer.
DENIEIAY

rhe american House of Rehresenfafiues
agai1s. War soilh Great Britain.
BY A REPUBLICAN,.
(coN+INUE6.)
!, At page II of the Address, il, is asserted
that the British ministry offered to pass
laws making it penal for British comman-,
ders to impress American citizens, OIL board
Of American vessels, on the high seas, if A
aerica would pass a law, making it penal
for the officers of the United States to grant
certificates of citizenship to British subjects.
This will be found (say the addressers) in
letter from Messrs. Monroe aud Pinckney
to Mr.. Madison, dated 18th, Nov. 1867
have referred to that letter.. and thers
And the following passage, from which it
will be seen how carefully these honorable
pamphleteers have SUPPRESSED that part of
It which places the fact of the case in a true
light;
"They were DESTROYS (say Mes:ss. Mon
roe and Pinekney) that we should stipulate
that a lawishoud be passed by the Congress.
ito be of course, reciprocaD which Ehould
m it penal for the commanders OF Anne
rican vessels to take Geserters from those
OF Great Britain under such circumstances,
they being British subjects, and likewise to
make it the duty of our government, to res
. tore them on their arrival IN the u. States,
on suitable application and due proof being
nade of their persons. Ne agreed to pro-
Vide G remedy for this .presumptive evil.
They then observed that the term desert
ers'' was TOD limited. according to their law,
20 comprehend those who might leave their
merchant vessels; that it would apply only
TO such as left their. ships of war; they
therefore proposed that we should enlarge
its iuport by adding the following terms,
3 seafaring people quitting their service"
70 r5hich see also agreed" " To give the
(British9 cabinet full time for deliberation
on" the subject CONTINUE Messrs. Monroe SC
Pinckney our next meeting was postponed
TO SO distant a day as to admit it. IVe are
sorry TO add thar the result Of thue deii6c-
Yation zcas rejection Of the hrojecf, ana
roith il an end to all hope Of obtaining, ar
ibis time, in ito stead, anu satisfactory sri
f,ulation by treaty Shecting imhressnents."
After having thus demonstrated their in
sincerity, the British, commissioners came
forward with the project alluded to By the.
pamphleteers, by which it was to be made
penal in our collectors to grant certificates
of citizenship to British subjects. This art
full proposal excluded every faturafzed
Citizen from protection for the British
claim of allegiance extends from the cradle
co. the grave, and Will not admit of expatria.
tion.* It is remarkable that whenever G..
Britain has proposed any thing that had
the appearance of fairness, it has, on being
agreed TO by the U.fStatcs, been got rid of
in one way or another by the British minis
try. L his was the case with Mr. King.
whose arrangement was defeated by refe-
renee to Lord St. Vincent, and the " narrow
seas" and such was their conduct in the
Instance just quoted, where the cabinet re-
Jected what the British commissioners had
offered. Under such evasions, aud such ar
tihces, how was il possible for the u. S. to
acquiesce.
= On whatever occasion, or in whatever
form G. Britain may have proposed accoms
mediation, it always oomprehended, in one
shape or another, on her part, the claim to
right to take by violence, mariners from
On .l..po board eur merchant vessels a, CLAMP.
dependent and sovereign, can neverb be adj
mitted. The British disclaim imprcssing
men from ship of war, because Shin OF
war is national; but they insist on taking
from them a merchant vessel, because the
latter is Private PROPERTY: would it then.
be more lawful for an armed band to take
by force an Individual from his dwelling
house in Boston, New York, or elsewhere,
than to take him from the Capitol at Wash
ington 1t seems to me that this is rever-
sing the great object of society, which is the
protection of the weak against the strong.
One bubble more brings their argument
10 close on the subject Of impressment.
The Addressers contend, upon what they
call the authority of Mr.. Monroe, that can
honorable and advantageous arrangement
did take place" They rely, it seems, upon
the explanatory letter of Mr. Monroe ad-
dressed tos MIR. Madison from Richmond,
dated the 28th of Feb. 1908.
1t would be incredible, if we had not the
pamphlet before us, that Congressmen,- RE-
fresensatives of'the PeofLc. could resort to
such miserable contrivances to delude their
constituents contrivances, which are so
much less pardonable, because, in treating
OF an affair Of the first Importance, In which
there can be nothing to enliven and amuse
us, and sherefore no apology for fiction in
which every circum stance is grave and So
Aiemn. the most authentic records are gar.
bled or perverted. If this course of con-
duct is to prevail, the community will no
longer know what to rely upon general
repticism will pervade society, and the
People at large will be totally at loss for
the MARKS and boundaries of faith. Error
OF opinion is always pardonable but will
fui misrepresentation Of facta is the deadli-
sat If sien,
That Mr.. Monroe has said in his letter
Of the asth of Fob. 1903, "t that the ground
on which the interest of impressment was
placed BY the paper of the British commits
sioners OF November 9Th, 1906, and the
explanations which accompanied it. was
both honorable and advantageous to the u d.
s." is fully admitted. But what was that
:" ground" 2 And was that ground" an
8 arrangement" Of permanent nature p