Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1812-05-29

an honorable member of the Senate from
Maryland, Mr.. Smith, of opposite politics,
and who has long in some sort been consider
ed or respected, as the commercial organ of
this House, if not OF the Government. When
these facts were stated, the colleague of the
gentleman, hon Mr.. Reed, with the manly
trankness of a soldier-of a man who, in the
times which tried mems souls, devoted him
self both soul and body to the service of his
countrywide entered your army at the com
mencement, and continued in it to the termi-
nation of the revolutionary war with great
usefulness to the public, and reputation to
mmseif-with that integrity which character
ICES him, after giving vent to the honest IN
dIgnation of his heart, in a philippe against
tire emperor of France, which | shall not re
peat, but which was as we'll placed as it was
justly merited. he asked LII this was to be
the state OF your commerce alter a war with
Great -Britain-what in the name of God
were you going to war for !" His colleague,
Mr.. Smith, rose Immediately and said, this
was not to be a war for commerce-it would
be absurd to suppose the nation was now going
to war for commerce-commerce had been
aba ndoned long ago-the trade to France
was worth ~nothing-aRd if the orders in coun-
Gil were off to-morrow-if the same system
continued, the trade to France would be
worth nothing. This was to be a war for ho-
nor-we were now going to fight for honor
Yes, sir, part of this is too true-commeree
has been acknowledgements has been
made the scape goat, on whose back we have
piled all the cruelties and follies OF mistaken
theory and visionary speculation, and thus la
den, she has been sent adrift into the wilder
ness to be l~acerated by every briar or bramble,
that could rob her OF her coat, or plant a
thorn in her carcase. No country on earth,
in the same period of time and under similar
circumstances ever reaped one halt the bene-
fits from commerce which have been expert
enced by the United States. Without ad-
verting to the effect it has had on the eXten-
sion and establishment of your populous CT
ties-without adverting to the encouragement
it has offered to your agriculture and to the
settlement of your wilderness, which has been
made to blossom like the rose-and in all
which it has been in a high degree instrument
tai-look at the records of the treasury, and
you will there see. that commerce has put in
to your public Golfers, during the short period
hat has INTERVIEWED since the adoption of the
federal constitution, tUo hundred millions o.
doNdrS-a sum nearly three times as great as
the national debt of the u. States, the price
Of your independents, as it was funded at the
| commencement of the Federal Government.
Sir, this is what commerce has done for you
what have you done for commerce.
In the wear 1898, when g.. Britain depre-
dated upon our commerce-you had a man
at the head of your government who fought
no battles witt paper resolutions, nor at
tempted to wage war with commercial res
t~rictions, although they were then pressed
upon him. He caused it to be distinctly and
with frmness made known, to G. Britain,
that If she did not both cease to violate our
rights, and make us reparatlon tor the wrongs
we had sustained-that young and feeble as
we then were, just in the grlstle, and step
ping from the cradle of infancy we would try
the tug Of war with her. What was the con
sequence ? Her depredations were stopped
we made a treaty with her under which we
enioyed a high degree OF prosperity. Our
claims we're fairly heard, equitably adjudged,
and the awards were onorably and punctuai
Nv paid to the suffere ). In this instance you
did something for : ,mmerce.
Next came the war with Tripoli-the Bar
barry states preyed upon our commerce-you
determined to resist, and dispatched a small
squadron to the Mediterranean-thls ought
to have been considered as the germ OF your
future maritime greatness-the good conduct
and bravery of hat squadron and the self-lm-
notation Of some of its officers spread the re
nown of your naval proves to all quarters OF
the civilized globe. What did you in this In,
stance ? AT the moment when victory had
perched upon your Standardization you might
have exhibited the interesting spectacle OF the
infant government of the U. States holding IN
subiugation one ofthe powers of Barbary, to
whom all Europe had been subservient-at
this moment, when conquest was completely
within your grasp-a civil agent stepped ID,
the laurel was torn from the brow OF as gal
liant a chieftian as ever graced the Plains OF
n.IIa.4:.a ODD ~ nnnmininuslX consented