The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-08-07
From the National Mtei,igencer.
EENiENM
BY A REPUBLICAN.

BY A REPUBLICAN.
Among otker reasons assigned against war Cat
page y by the pamphlet before me, is the form and
the instability of our national government. The
TRUE answer to this argument is severe structure
upon those whouse it. 1t is obvious, that in GO
like ours its stability ant, its duration bot,
depend uponthe will Of the people. To say there
fore, that II is in danger OF destruction from war,
to say that the people will not adhere to it in time
OF aar--itisto say, in fact that government, es-
tabishcd expressly Tor the :" common defence aud
the general welfare" OF the nation, by the citizens
OF the nation. will not when defence is necessary,
be upheld for the very purposes for which it Was
snstituted-lt isl say in fine, that tits inefficient
government--tor Il government viii. not answer
IN an emergency where the rshts OF the nation are
to be nndieated anu its wrongs avenged, then il is
detective government, and ought 10 be amended
or abandoned AS soon IS possible. put why should
che government be doubted 1t is not a govern
rnent of force; and, therefore, its duration does
= rot depend upon any quantum of force-ltis GO
vernment OF opinion, & SO long as the people think
IT viii en'ure, and acquiesce in it, 1t will last The
only mode OF weskeniugit, ia to disseminate doubts
OF ats stability and to excite state iealo,isies and
shis rs precisely what the sddressers have done 1t
- lthey tell US at page g. ga form of Nvernment
In no small degree experimental, composed OF posu-
er!ut and independent sovereignttes, associated iii
relations, some of which critical well as no
cel What can we infer from this passage bot
menace OF rebellion : Upon Sphon, upon what
are these "powerful and independent sovereignties
go act Upon the general government } Upon the
1awtti organs OF the national will In Svh1. man
means
I'm arms or by policy These questions will not be
answered by the sddressers, because their o5serva
eions are intended for the indginations OF their,
readers. They give the k;n., and leave it to work
ts way TO Importance through the ignorance OF the
community. But the community not so easily
oeiuded as the addresseys believe. These bo,ser-
jul and ndeoendeRt sovereignties" neither pow
srtni nor independent in national point of view.
Ihey cannot coin money, nor raise an army,
navy, nor make treaties with foreign states /; and
there are great many other things which they
cannot do without being guilty OF rebellion And
who took the power of doing these things from
them The people. The people of che states a
greed 10 retain their state governments for local
affairs, and to establish general government for
tionai concerns. The government OF the United
States is as much government of the people of
the states OF Massachusetts, New York, Virginia,
and the rest as the governments of those several
states ares and the people of the respective states
nave AS direct all agency in the election OF the ru-
iers OF the general government, they have in the
ehoice OF state rulers. Hence all the power and i-
dependent sovereignty OF the states, in relation
the question of war; is precisely no power sove-
regnty at all, unless it is meant to insnuatc, what
isnot plainly said, that these powerful and intepen-
dent sovereigntes will, duriag the war, rebel and
join the enemy. We leave ii to the consideration
oil the reader, whether the men who make sugges-
uons OF such a tendency, do not rather wish the
rum than the preservation of the constitution and
government. They public attention to the weak
more than TO the strong part of our political insttu
lions; and induce evl-disposcd persons to think of
that which, hut for their insinuatons, would not have
been thought of at all. They point the enemy
where to enter and, ike genuine hypocrites, affect
TO regret that breach in the fortress which they
themselves have made.
The faculty of discrimination in these sddressers
IS truly surprising This appears evident Cat page
81 when they assert that I" the lowering of British
vessels upon our coasts, and the occasional insults
10 our ports, imperiousiy demanded such sys,ema-
tie application of hagbor and sea.coast defence,
would repe! such aggressions, out, in light can
they be considered making resort to war, at the
me The fnff fInra
sary or expe,cnt."
Here, it may be observed, distinction is made
between repcing aggressions on onr sea-coast, aud
-rar without however, any clear demonstration
che difference. Ii strikes me- If aggressions are made
upon us, and we repe them by force, that exists.
At-east there is conaict and, IS far as the con-
Bict extends, it is Viewing the argument OF the
addressers la this light, the only question between
them and the administration would be, whether ag-
ressons on our seG-codSt ought, or ought not to be
retailaed in any other place than ON the sea coast.
There is something chvalric, it is to be acknowledge
ed, In punsb:ng Your enemy on the very spot where
lie committed sofence but may he yulner
able ON our own sea-cosst, and the enemy not at all
vulnerable there, must remain of opinion that if
there be war at ALL We ought to have free scope to
ipjure him where we can. However, the address
trs 90 not mean 20 admit that the repulsion of Bril-
fish aggressions seaboard 4pouId be They
mean, suppose, that it would be sort OF childs
play, kind OF tar aud run, and prison-6aSe game.
In the same vein they treat the massacres of our
citizens by the Indians; condemnng the expedition
IN the w Wabash in November last, as unauthorized
oncIosclment on the Indian territory. 60 Aud nozU
CeXoiarn the addressers) we told about the agen
ey OF British traders to Indian hostiltes" That,
10 De sure, is an affecting thng-to tell such men
these pamPhieteers shew themselves to be" non,
or At any time, about the agency of British ira
1eFs IN sIiiTing up the Indians against us, is quite
enough to wound their delicate sepsbilities. But,
nevertheless, when the federal gentlemen signed
thcir address, there had been printed and laid be-
forethern a report from the office, containing
extracts Of Official iettcrs addressed to that depart
rpent from Officers commanding military posts and
o.hers on the Indian frontiers, apprzing the govern
u'ento hostile combinations among the Indian tribes,
fosteYed AM fojpented by tie British These let
tiers embrace period Of -four years, from the 9th
Of May, 1907, to the 23d of Nov 1871 and The very
first one is from capt. Dunham, then Of the United
States army, dated at Mchiiimacknack, the same
person OF that name who publishes yirulent
party paper some where in the state Of Vermont
and who, So long ago 307 wrote to the Secretary
oi War, thai there could be no doubt that the OBJ
yet and intention of this second Adam (mcanng the
Irophet) under The pretence of restoring to the
Ab0riginss their former independence aud to the
Savage character its ancient energies, is IL reality
60 induce general effort TO rdiy, aud 10 strife
somewhere DESPERATE 6lo7o" All the letters cor
roborate what is represented by capt. Durham and
most OF them state, IN substance, that the powerful
influence of the British mas been exerted in way
alluring 60 the Savage character" The letters are
from men oi different politics, separated from each
other by great Distances and all writing to- the head
Of the War Office at dates unknown TO each other.
They cannot he suspected Of combining to support
by false intelligence, measures OF government not az
thestimein contemplation. 1t was upon authentic
Information OF this kind that the administration act