Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-03-19
a dollars per annum.1

| nent to say that all Mr. Henry Gays is true
| This Will be better understood when the COM
mittce shall make their report.
Mr.. Seybert moved TO increase the number
OF copies, proposed to be printed to 5000
Mr.. Wright said that such an extraordinary
communication that Just received from the
President, Rejecting SO much ON various secti-
ons and parties of the union, required serious
consideration before they consented to publish
such gross abuse of every portion of our peo-
pie. Gentlemen should reflect that this very
disclosure might be one of the means used BIZ
this miscreant TO divide this country. If lie
wished to promote division how could he bet-
ter attain his object than by denouncng the
people of particular section Who is This
man, said NJ w. and where is he, is an enqui-
~ that ought to be made. I am not one oC
those who would without enquiry take tho
words OF spy, traitor and villain as truth
II might he well, Mr. w. said, to print sufficient
number for the House, but no more until thew
knew more about it. However gentlemen in
The Eastern states might have been dissatisfied
at particular measures, tie embargo law for in
stance, theirOppOsition to them had arisen from
their operation on their particular interests: not
that they had any disposition to sever them
selves from the union. This business had been
very correctly communicated by the Executive
to Congress but they ought to act on it with
temper, prudence and cooiness. MIR w. bro.
tested against considering any such disposition
as 1t attributed to certain party, to exist, par.
ticularly IN the spot which has been Frequently
and emphatically stiled the cradle OF the reyo.
LUTON. lie could not feel the same DISPOSITION
which some appeared do, to give consequence
TO this affair
Mr.. Troup did not consider these papers as
involving the character of any portion Of our
peoples they appeared to him to be calculated
merely to put the people on their guard against
foreign emisSares or agents employed for the
purpose ofeflccting dismemberment of The
Union. As to the opinions this person express
scs OF parties, &c they are merely the indiy.,
dual speculatons of this man, and cannot baya
much weight. But the documents have a most
important bearing, said Mr.. T. They esta-
dish the fact, that foreign government, on the
eve OF hostility with us, has for some time past
employed an agent to foment divisions among
us, and another fact, which considered in con-
nection with other circumstances is Of great
Importancg-theysh ew the deep-rooted hostli-
~ OF tins foreign power to our Republican 90
vernmert and lberties-ah hostility which could
stop nothing short Of dismembermcnt of the
country. After the affair OF the Wabash, when
]. was said that the Indians had been .instirateJ
Dy the same enemy to hostilites against Us, The
British minister's choler rose he denied the
whole. lie avails himself Of suggestions in
public prints to deny their statements; 20 state
that so far from disposition TO stir I'D lie IEdi-
ans against US, the contrary was the fact tbSt
indeed SiT James CsSiS has been iaten On d.
Yerting Indian hostilities. Sir, may We moi Tea.
sonabiy believe him to have fomentcl Indian
hostllItics IN one part of the country, whilst in
another he was promoting disunon in the BODY
OF the people These, sir, are the only facts
disclosed OF Importance ; the only facts which
would justify the publication Of more than the
ordinary number OF copies
Mr. Randolph said that although ne was of
opinion that the suggestion of the gentleman
from Maryland MIR. Wright was entitled to
greater weight than was allowed to il by the
gentleman from Georgia, yet he would submit
TO the consideration Of the gentleman from Ma
ryland and OF the House, whether, in a govern
ment like ours, documents ofthe nature ofthosa
read this morning publicly, audibly and ar
uculately read, in the presence If several note
takers, to say nothing of the notes taken by
gentlemen themselves; whether it was Dossi-
Bile, even Undesirable, that the contents of these
papers could be kept from the public ever
Was It not better that an authorised and COR
rect transcript ofthem under the sanction ofthe
House should be sent TO press, than that they
should be mutilated, and presentel TO the pub
lie, with no more simiiitude to the original
than the reports, which passed to the great
mass OF the nation, Of the acts and PROCEEDINGS
OF this House? Ours is a government, of tie
people, and ought 20 have no secrets II is r
origin, cannot use that dispatch and prompti-
tude Of action, TO the success of which secrecy
IS so very valuable and favorable On the
whole, then, although he conceived the sugges-
tions Of the gentleman from Maryland entitled
TO the highest respect, because he thought they
did honor at once to his heart and understand
ing, yet perhaps it would be as well to send
these papers to press although he believed
that the opinion OF discreet and select COM
uiittee Of the House on the subject would not
render the decision less mature or less safe
But there was another aspect in which these
papers were to be viewed. Ifthey were worthy
of being communicated to the House by the
Executive, under the discharge Of solemn
constitutional obligation, they arc or ought to
be worthy Of being acted uponby us. Although
the author Of this information had been, aud
perhaps justly, branded, by gentlemen of all de.
scriptions of party, with TIE epithets of traitor
and spy and although the evidence of PER-
son standing IN his peculiar situation ought to
be received with many grains, ne might say e.
ven pounds, OF allowance, Il did not therefore
follow that Committee would not have It in
their power Co eztort from him, directly or in
directly, information which might be valuable
TO the community. lfhc could not give it him
self, he might either Intentionally or uniWenti4
onally lead committee Of this House to sour
ccs whence it might be procured. Asamember
Of the committee of Foreign Relations he could
not saythat he had any particular anxiety 90 take
his share ofthis burthensome and in some re-
spects Invidious duty yet, reference 70 that
committee had been mentioned, be certainly
| should not shrink from the discharge Of chat
| portion of duty deyolying Oh him IN case tic
House should give that direction 20 the papers.
In some respects the chpFacter, be would not
| say ct portion, but Of the whole nation was
| implicated in this affair. The information was
| either OF such character a. ought never 10
\ have been submitted TO the House; such rs WIS
| nu..nrL ~ nLirn -, .-..-.II 80.