Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-01-23
Mr.. CHESS SPEECH.
Concluded.
IN SEMATE--DEcEMsRa

department, from the trying difficulties OF t
nation during that period, must be evident
every Impartial observer and he believed
was acquainted with circumstances, which
mounted to knowledge, that all the. me
sures which have tlishonored the nation du
ing the same time, are, in great degree, q
tributable TO the indisposition of the late al
present administration to press on the treas,
~ department, and to disturb the populari
and reEose of the gentleman at the head of
That the inexecution of the embargo, is pr
perly attributable to that Gauss, he had n
doubt; and Notwithstanding all the clamo
upon that subject, It's inexecution produce
its repeal. The executive refused to incu
the er1lsrse and accept the means necessar
f~r its effectaal execution which he believ
ed, would have been readily and zealousl
granted by Congress uron the executive re
quest, at any moment. When we were dri
ven from that measure by the inexecuton o
the law, this honorable body proposed sub
stitute, in his Judgment, infinitely better cal
culated to retrieve the honor and promote the
interests of the nation, than the embargo it
self 1t was done too against the known anc
anxious opposition of the executive, acting
he believed, under the same unfortunate In.
fuence This measure consisted In present.
ing to the aggressing belligerents an impair
tial and honorable proposition for accommoda-
ton; and in the event of its rejection, to Is
sue letters of marque and reprisal againet the
refusing nation. This measure was so strong
ly and obviouly recommended by the peculiar
circumstances under which we were coer-
cively placed by both the belligerents, that
he was ,stonished at the anxious opposition 1t
r. ceivei and to the success of that opposi-
ton, after the embargo was abandoned, may
clearly be- traced all our present sufferings
and degradations-Both the belligerents had
determined, that we should be no longer neu-
trail; and had adopted the most injurious mea-
sures in relation to us, to cserce us into the
war; each urging us to war against its enc
my What was the proper and manly reply
TO these aggressi0g nations !? Here is pro-
position of acco n,nodation to each of you if
either accepts, we pledge ourselves to issue
letters of marque ard reprisal against the O.
Their, il refusing the accommodation. This
was the very situation in which each wished
to- place us against its enemy !; and of course
both would probably have accepted the pro-
position; one or other certainly would; and
if the acceptance of one before tae other,
would have produced state of hostilities a.
gainst the other, it would have been of very
short continuance because neither of them
would find any interest In war against us
and each wished us to- take part in the war,
not against itself, but against its enemy and
perhaps the accommodation would not be the
less durable for having been sealed with blood.
This measure wss not, opposed upon It's In
trinslc merits or dement's butt required to
be backed with other measures OF preparation
and eGtense-and hence the real cause of It's
failure. The practical understanding OF the
rejection of this measure, both at home and a.
broad, was submission to the belligerent ag
gressions /: or, In other words, notwithstand-
ing all our previous patriotic speeches and re-
SO utions, we were determined rot - .osist
by eorc. Ana who, k--~ucen the result of
this conviction on the part of the belhgerents,
of submission on our part +? G.~Britain i'm
mediately disavowed an arrangement made by
MIR. Erakine, under the influence OF instruc-
tons given under contrary conviction;
conviction produced by the measure OF this
BODY, and by report made by gentleman,
then member Of the house of representa-
tiyes, and W nom now see with pleasure on
this floor, and resolution adopted In conse-
aucnce Of that report. This resolution de-
clared our determination to resist the bellige
rent aggressions, with only two dissentient
votes. The measures of this house, without
any declaration, were calculated to produce
the same conviction. In this state of things,
Mr. Erskine received his instructions, and
satisfactory arrangement with Great Britain
was the consequence but the moment
Great Britain found We had receded from
Gu. own ground, and falsi6ed our Profes-
s;ons, she disavowed the arrangement, and
low perseveres in hostile infiexibility -
How did France act upon being appraised OF