Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1812-10-09
,.t nav me tax: that the merchant pays

not pay the tax thos e''S
II lis true, the importing merchant
pays it in..the first place; but common
sense tells us that he must add 1t to the
price of his goods, and therefore it Is
Maid in the end by the consumers or
those who use the goods. You pay 1t
indeed insensibly, and, therefore do not
a, tho time feel it; but docs that make
the payment less real? But IT the labor
ing man, under this oppressive syste"
of taxation, pays twenty.six dollars
wear, how much must the mechanic and
farmer pay whose consumption OF I'M
ported articles in consequence OF a bet
ter income, is much greater Many pay
doubtless, from fifty to hundred dollars
year, to support war, necessarily ih-
furious to them in OTHER respects. But
SAYS some honest we'll meaning repuD-
iican, who has taken up his opinions ra-
Their from party newspapers, or CONVEX
sation, than from his own observations
and reflections, we must fight tor the
honor of our country. We must either
resent our:wrongs, or become dlsgraced.
We must, rising in Indignation, we must
compel the cursed British to DO US JUS
tice Stop, stop, my friend, don't let
your passion get the better OF your rea-
son. Be cool and reflect little, before
YOU draw such rash conclusions III
be indispensable to the preservation o.
our honor, that we resent injuries and
insults, we should have begun long
since. We should have ckastlsed Spain
several years ago We should lmmct.l-
ately attack France, who, with respect
to insults, has far exceeded Great Bril-
tain, for Britain has not told ns, as France
has done "That VIC were without no
nor, without energy, and less free than
the colony of Jamaica and, as to lnJu
ries, France is not one whit behind her.
Now. it we can pocket The Insults and
injuries of the former, no court OF aenor
would think us disgraced by not resent
ing those of the latter. Let US Consider
further, whether we can compel Great
Britain to submit to our claims; to- II
we cannot, what shah we get by lighting
with her, unIes it be an Increase OF the
evils of which we complain How shall
we G. to work Can we 60 at her with
good esec, at SEA Ca.l we deprive her
Of her West India Islands Her East
India possessions? Can we burn her
towns in England, Scotland or Ireland (!
Can we take two other ships to the three
or four which she can take from US!
Meier power is irresistible on the O.
Cean.
But can we not take take Canada from
her /? Possibly we can. But 1t will re-
quire long time, * cause an immense
expence Of blood and treasure to effect
it. To show you the difficulty of sue.
ceeding though England hid it in
vicw,to make conquest Of Canada t"n
the French as early as the year 1892
vet with the aid o! her then colonies,
now the United States, she did not sue
coed till 1852, period Of e. years; and
in the year in which Quebec SURRENDER
ed upwards of twenty thousand regular
troops were employed in this object,
aidea by feet which had possession Of
the river and gulf Of St. Lawrence, and
was able to resist any French naval
force, then on the coast. The late cap
ture of general Hull and his army of
$500 men, ist new proof of the difficult
ty we sHall encounter, and the sacrifices
we must make to effect that OBJ Jet
But suppose we succeed, which,, as it
respects Quebec, seems very unlikely,
without a superior fleet; and withcu.
Quebec the country is of little value, as
that fortress commands the Saint Law
renee.
! repeat it, suppose we succeed, Will
the possession OF that Geld and compa-
ratlveIy barren country be OF any use to
us, who have already millions of acres
Of unsettled lands Will it be any COM
pcnsalion for the destruction If our
trade, the loss of thousands OF valuable
lives and an immense property on the
ocean? Will it, my republican brethren,
be any compensation to YOU for the bca-
w increase of your taxes, and the vexa-
tioDs and announcement services which
you will have to perform in the militia?
Besides. have We any certainty, should
1t be taken, that England will sive up
the contest That we shall net have to
restore it. as the price of peace /! Is
there, indeed, much probability, situated
as we are without the means of annoying
Great Britain, that VIC shall obtain that
which we fight for To me it seems
very doubtful. Where then was the
wisdom of rushing into a war, which it
was in our power to let alone, and which
will be accompanied with so much evil
to all, but especially to the poorer class
es of society, without certainty, with
out, indeed, a probability that the d.
ject for which it was made, would be
do not mean to impeach the
motives Of our rulers, for making war
am willing to suppose that their inten-
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