Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1813-03-08
IIashiaeton. Feb u III

Washington, Feb q, 1915.
DEAR srR--ln compliance with III.
request contained in your letter of III.
18Th inst. on the subject of the impress.
ment OF American seamen, can on,
state my belief, that the Number of
cases which are alleged to have occm.
red, Is both extremely erroneous and
exaggerated.
This opinion is founded on III.
strongest convictions ofmy understand.
ing, arising as well from Observable,
and inquiry for some years pasl. a.
from the information you give me d,
the testimony which has already hssn
taken by the commute of the House of
Representatives of Massachusetts, and
the absence within the circle Of m,
knowledge, oil any evidence in an es.
tended degree Of decisive nature
aud of different character.
was in active mercantile b.sin..<
from 1898 20 1907, aud the propri.,o,
OF navigation for those fourteen wear,
| believe without intermission and =
my recollection there was no, a ,;,,l.
seamen or Passenger taken from an,
vessel belonging to me, or in which
was interested.
have been in public life /, the M.
tlonal Government nearly five vea,,
during this time, while at horn. I
have never received an application t,om
a parant, brother, or relative of an i'm:
pressed American seamen to enyso.
my attention for his relief; nor have I
while at Washington, where the calls
upon me from my CONNER cial CONSTR.
uents have been both constant and nm.
merous, been requested to attend to, or
have had made known to me directly.
the impresssent of more than three
American ciiizens.
these circumstances, connec.ed
with the knowledge that Massac hu,e,.
furnishes one third part of the touaee
OF The Union, and proporlioaste nun.
Der OF lis seamen, afford 10 my mind
coniirmas;an strong, neatly as prod
from holy writ" of the correctness d
the opinion expressed at the beginning
OF this letter-that The number OF i'm.
pressed native American seamen in
the British s"eyice has been both ex.
treInely mlss'ated and exaggerated II
has been made theme oil party clamor,
and party odluni, and has been loudly
urged by those who have the least
knowledge and the smallest interest ia
The subject
On this topicI know not that can bd.
ter convey to you my sentiments Than
by communicating some observations
having relation to il, and which are
pa OF those had made in debs,e
Upon the bill to raise an aodrional mil.
nary force OF $4,000 men.-We hSve
in the Senate, no Reporter or Sssnog.
rapher, and they therefore have probs
bly, never before escaped beyond tn
portal Of the Senate Chamber %
that Occasion remarked, that "Fa
the impressment of seamsn, about The
established principle Of which no dif
ference exists between the two coun
tries, for Great Britain expressly dis.
claims the right TO impress into her
| service, bona.fde American citizens,
the people oil the United States would
not zeaiously support this war.
"IfGreat BRIAN did claim and ex.
| eroise the right 10 impress into her
service The real, bona-fde native eiu'
Gems Of the United States, an intermin'
able war with her, or with all the "a.
tons of the earth, il it could not Be
otherwise prevented, might be alike
Just, necessary and commendable The
ocean, fo".,he use OF the great family
of mankind, should own no chsrsciersd
privileges. In time OF peace, or nue.
Il atty, while sustaining from inluryn
others, il should be free as air to
who navigate il, and the impressmeS
of native A~srican citizen, innocef
of crime, owing elsewhere no primaT
or paramount, allegisrce, and proseeu,,
ing lawful commsree in vessel
his own country, Is, as It respects the
/, individual, and as il regards an infringe:
ment of iighi, as gross a violation As .
he we're arrested, torn and transpo''eo
into slavery from his pa,ernsl rooi' OF
domestic aller."
"But this principle, repeat, Ora'
Britain does not oontend iof, ard wnen
a violation has been comm'''ed' sue
offers immediately to restore Inc SUI
ler.r In poin, of principle, thereio'e'
here is nothing at issue between ~.