Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-06-12
From. the (Leesburg) Was4mst0n'an'
WAsnINGToN, 9th May, 1872

i
Of the 10Th April, at the time when II Was DC !.
lieyetI, congress would adjourn, otherwise It
shoald have been Immediately repiled to-
1t is somewhat ineXplicable, my friend tha lat
you, and /, who have generally agreed SO wen
upon oyery other subject, should now disa'
gree so materially upon the Important ques-
t;op. Of peace-or war. That Great Britain, IN
retaliatine upon hel' enemy, has injured US,
none will DENY and although the INJURY Is
aciaentaHginfiicted vet, it being unauthous-
edby the inmutable laws of justice, would
not silently submit to it but, because would
not subaan, it does not follow that am tncon-
sideratelgto declareswar, without calculating
the effect, which that war is to have, and the
probability of succeeding in thar way, to oo-
tain my object must insist, that IN point
Of Esrtag therei is a very essential difference,
between terSonal insult and injury, and
national insult; and although in the first case,
my feelings might get the better OF my pfur
dence, sad induce an unreflectlng course OF
redress; vet in the other, where my ieehngs
could ONLY be excited in tho proportion OF the
population OF my country, each Individual
bearing an equal share. reason and polcy
lone, should be consulted. Whena country
is threatened with muaSi0n, then indeed,
cool. mercantile calculation of the erhense OF
encountering your enemy would be degrad-
ING but on the contrary, when you are to be
fhe eprressor and 10 bring on the contest by
invadiag the territory of another, to crafty
your pride orambition by conquest; you ought
to weigh well the consequences-You ought
to understand the object, aud calculate well
the means of obtaining it, before you give the
first blow. What is the object, for which A.
mcrcais to declare war against England II
is avozved to be, to compel the latter to re
scind her iniquitous orders in council. 10
what extent do these orders in council affect
us? Do they really expel us from the ocean,
as YOU have stated? Certainly not. They
only iaterdict our going to France, and her
dependencies, leaving the whole world beside
open to our trade, undisturbed by them. The
next question then is, what injury do we sus-
tain Gin a pscuqiarr pnint of vieHwA hu thus IN
terdicuon! Lpok at the report OF the secreta-
ry of the treasury and you will find, that in
the year 1907, before the existence of the or
ders in council and in times of the greatest
commercial prosperity, the exports Of our
ozpn products to France, amounted to about
two millions seven hundred thousand dollars
including Belgium, whilst our exports TO g.
Britain in the same year, of our az0n products,
amounted to about twenty eight millions OF
dollars Since that time Great Britain has
acquired by conquest, the French West n
dies, the Isles of France and Bourbon In the
Indian ocean, the Cape Of Good Hope, and
the Dutch possessions in Asia, and America;
to which countries, in the same year, the ex-
ports of our o7vn products, amounted to about
four millions of dollars; so that estimating
cur exports to Great Britain and her present
possessions and dependencies, as they stood
In 1907, the amount would be about thirty two
rainions of dollars--Such then, was our COM
merce with France and England IN the year
1907. Since that period, France has so shack
led our commerce by municipal regulations,
as to prohibit all intercourse with her; so that
in fact, the British orders in council, Tor the
repeal of which sou would plunge your coan-
try into ruinous and disastrous war, do not,
in commercial point Of view, affect the reQ'
interest Of our country cent Let the orders
In council be repealed tomorrow, and ap-
peal 70 ya1r information and candor, whether,
under the present regulations IN France, we
could send single article of our produce to
thatceuntry without bankrupting the adVentu-
rers Wheat and Sour, the staples OF our part
of the country cannot be sent to France, be-
cause she is, herself seller of these articles
and strange as Il may appear, does, at this mo-
ment supply her inyeteratc and deadly enemy
England with what she wants, by special de-
cree to her merchants.
Tobacco and cotton then, are the only re-
manning articles, of any importance, that we
can export to France, and it is not unknown
10 Won, that upon those articles, she has I'M
posed such heavy duties, as amount to total
prohibition. How then, could you, as po
ltician, or as a man, think of going to war tol
that, which, if obtained, you cannot enjoy
You might indeed to CRAFTY your trfrSte feel
ings, annihilate your country" for this bub
BILE. but thai. would be but poor revenge j
would be something like man +" cutting of