Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-06-11

t,,,s. Who hold as nfoolishness" all that sa-
YOURS not of worldly wisdom, from exPress,'is
fnlly and freely those sentlnaents winch = .'''
n,eased God, in his mercy, to engfaVe ui'oii
my heart. ~. ..te of
These are no ordinary times. me state o.
The world is unexampled. The war OF the
present day is not like that OF our reVoiusioli'
or any which preceded it, at Toast III noaeri,
t;oaes. II IS a war against the LIBERTY anu
bapniness of mankind 1t is war OF Whicn
the whole human race are the victims, 10 g!a-
tify the pride and lust of power OF Sii'sio ID
diyidual. beseeoh you, put 1t to your own
! bosoms how far it becomes you as pec'h0h'
a. christians, to give your aid and SANCTION 10
this impious and bloody warfare against your
brethren of the human family. 10 sach a
mong you, if any such there be, VINO arc NJ,
sensible to motives not more dl9nlIea a',u
manly than they are intrinsically WISE, w0uiu
make different appeal. ! adJure you ~
tie regard which you have Tor your own 90
curity and property, for the liberties anu IN,
heritancc OF your children, by ali that you hola
dear and sacred, TO interpose your conslllull-
onal powers to save your country ana your
selves from Calamity the issue OF when 1t IS
not given 10 human foresight to divine.
ASK yourselves ifyou are wiling to become
the virtual allies of Bonaparte are you VIII
ling for the sake Of annexing Canada to the
Northern States, to submit to that ever grow
ing system Of taxation, which sends the EURO
pean labourer supperless to bed! to maintain
by the sweat of your brow, armies at whose
hands you are to receive future master. oup-,
pose Canada ours. Is there any one among you
who would ever be, in any respect, the better
for it the richvr-the freer-the happier
the more secure And is 1t for boon like
this, that ysu would Join in the warfare against
the liberties of man in the other Hemisphere,
and put your own in jeopardy {! or is 1t tor the
nominal privilege OF licensed trade with
France that you would abandon your lucrative
commerce with Great Britain, Spain and Por'
tugsl, and their A8iatic, African and Amen-
can dependencies--in word, with every re-
gion of those vast continents? That commerce
which gives vent to your tobacco, gram,
-four, cotton; in short to all your native pro-
ducts, which are denied market IN France.
There are not wanting men so weak, as to
suppose that their appreciation OF warlike mea-
sures is proof of personal gallantry, and that
opposition to them indicates want OF that
spirit which becomes friend to his country,
as if it required more courage and patriotism
TO Join in the reclamation of the day, than
steudly to oppose ones self to the mad infa-
tuation to which every people and all govern
ments have, at some time or other, given way
Let the history of Phocion, Of Agis and of the
De Wits answer this question. My friends,
do you expect to find thoeo who nn7u loud
est in the Glamour for war, foremost in the
ranks of battle? or is the honor Of this nation
indissolubIy connected with the political repu-
tation of few individuals, who tell you hey
have gone too far to recede, and thatyeu must
pay with your ruin, the price of their consis
tency. My friends, / have discharged N,
duty towards you: namely and inadequately
know, but to the best of my poor ability
The destiny of the American people is in
their own hands. The net is spread fer their
destruction. You are enveloped in the tolls
of French duplicity and if, which may Hea-
ven in its mercy forbid, you and your posteri-
tv are to become hewers of wood and drawers
of water to the modern Pharaoh, it shall not
be for the want of my best exertions to res
cue you from the cruel and abJect bondage.
This sin, at least, shall not rest upon my soul.
JOHN RANDOLPH Of RoANoAKE.
May Goth 1872
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