The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-12-03

| " "Pe. a.S upon tht MINOR, ID the moinGns
"nen his services Legin TO be the most use
'oi To the parent or master. Until the aye
OK eighteen, the boy has hardly paid to the
parent or master the cost OF his clothing or
| eaucation. Between the aye of Is or 20, is
just the period ct profit to the father aud
master. IL is also he period, at wJiicls.
from the approximatioo tuwar1s manhood.
service begins togrow irksvme, and the de-
sire OF liberty powerful. The passions are.
men also, IN their most ungoverned SWAY
anu tle Judgement, not vet ripe, can easily
DC infatuated and corrupted by the vain
dreams OF military glory. At this period.
your law appears with its ms, ruments ofse,,
duction. 1t offers freedom to rle minors
desire OF liberty-plunder to his avarcc--
fsiory To his weakness--in short, it offcrs
bounty and wages for d>obed;cnce to his ma
tural or social obligations This is a .r,e
view of this law. That it viii have that full
operation which its advocates hope and e,,-.,
pect; that it WIZ fiji your armies with rum
Always from their masters and fathers. ! do
not believe. But that it will have a very
great operation, know. The temptation to
some OF our youth will be irresistible " IN
my consent they shall never be.exposed to il
| offer another consideration. 'rhc can.
stitution of the United States dcc.aressi ire
seventh amendments" Private prop,r.v
shall not be taken for public use. w;thont
just compensation" Now OF all the pro-
perty which the laws OF the nor. hern states
secure TO the people or that country that
which Consists in the labor OF the MINOR, &c
which, by our laws is sacred to The guar
dian. master or parent. is perhaps the most
precious to our manufacturers and yeomcn.
Yet when the gentleman from n. Y. (Mr,
oEow) proposed to secure the wages and
bounty of the cnlisting minor, to those to
whom his service belonged, it was rejected.
What IS this but palpable violation os this
provision OF the constitution What is this
but taking private property for public use.
without compensation
But neither the pecuniary los: nor the
violation OF the constitution, isthe evil which
most dcprecate. Il is the infrinrsmerf AZ
our moral rights and the inroad Which the
bill makes i'll the moral habits OF our omar.
ter OF the country. know chat gentlemen
are very apt TO sneer, VIXEN tEey hear aDy
thing said aocut cur religious institutions or
moral habits, in the eastern country
But VIII explain What mean. Ii is not
| cur religious Institutions. our sabbaths orr
lasts, our thanksgivings, nor yet orr schools
Colleges and semiuareS of education To
which refer, w sn speak of our moral ha-~
BITS 1nese are but means and precautions.
/. is certain established principles of life &
conduct. which without being noticed IN eex
| neral laws are often the foundation f hem
| and ~hick ALWAYS rule and cuntrtl ny pusis
tive institutions. i do not know for I'M.
stance, tina: the e2tyent of he n, ri r.
winch binds the son to the f Their, Or the ap-
prentice TO the master is precisr,v assie-,ad
by any OF o4i' laws. Yet the principle. ul,ou
winch all our laws on this SUBJECT rest. is
tins II hat this tie Is sacred ana inviotate:
The law regulates. hut, except III case OF
| misconduct, never seye, it
know 1t Is said, that in our country nil
hors are subjected to militia duty. And so
they are. But this very service is proof of
/ the position which maintain. rhe ,bli.
cation to serve IN the militia i, alway sub
tJcct TO the paramount duty 10 the master
and the parent.
The law says, 1t is true, that minors shall
be subject to militia duty but it also SER.
nuts the father and the master to relieve
them at an established price. If eitheiea i'll
pay tie fine, he may retain the service az
the minor, free from the militia duty. What
IS the consequence OF ali this? WHY that
tue MINOR always trains not free of the will
df his natural or legal guardians The MOI
raj tie is sacred, 1t is never broken: 1t is q
principle, that cases OF misconduct out ofthe
| question, the minor shall never Conceive
| himself Capable OF ESCAPING from the whale
some and wise control Of his master or fa-
Their. The proposed law cuts athwart this
wise principle. 1t breaches infidelity. IL
makes every recruiting officer in your coun-
Try an apostle 10 perfdy. 1t SAYS to every
vain. thoughtlsss, discontinued or ambitions;
amor -" Come hithcr, here is an assv-
am tror your bonds. Here are wages &
bounty for disobedIence-Only Consent To
go to Canada-Forget what you owe to ma.
ture and your protectors--Go to Canada.
and you shall find freedom and elory."-,
Such is the morality Of this law.
lake a slave from h,s master, ON anv qe.
neral and novel principle, and there would
be an earthquake from the Potomac r.. the
d. Mays Bride an apprentice from his
master sednce a son, worth all the slaves
Ann 4 ever produced, from his father. W..
are told 1t IS only q common affair. II viii
! De right w'Ien there is law for it. Such ia
now the law in France
mr Speaker hope what am now =.
pont to say will not be Construed into q
hteat. 1t is not uttered in that srfrit bne
MY to e'ince the strength of my cDnv;ciio49
concerning thc effect Of h. provisions OF lie
law 90 ing hopes of Sew England, BART, -,
iarly OF Massachusetts. But pass j.. ana G
'he leg'sai res of the injured states do ~
come down upon your recruiting office,
with. The Old laws against kidnapping Ak
Tnan-sehIing, they are false to Il. emselves
their poSterity and thsir country.
Mr.. FISK eXpres. ed the as nishmentbe
Ielt at the observations which hid fallsn
from the ge0tiemau just sat down fJI
certainly agreed with the gentleman in
ne thing that those who are in nn,s,';s
| gi taNff.ifg i,ff.rf t,,,u,r,1.