Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-06-28

as to the time and manner OF promulga.
tine that decree! We had communica-
ted to us, without any explanation or
declarations on the part of the executive,
several extracts Of letters from Mr..
Barlow to the secretary OF state, In one
of which it expressly said, that the duke
of Bassano did state that the repeating
decree had been communicated to our
government through.tw two channels, at as
earlya date IS May 1911. What fol-
lows? Either the assertion OF the duke
of Bassano is true or 1t is not true
Whether it be or be not true, is met
ter highly important to this nation, to
the people, to their representatives, to
whom is committed the administration
and superintendent of their affairs
not only so far as the constitution has
committed Legislative duty to this
House, but, also, SO far as it Is its duty
to sec that the powers conhded to the
other departments of the government
are honestly and fairly executed. Il
the President in 1911 was possessed of
this decree, as has been asserted by the
French minister, hesitate not to pro-
nounce, under the high responsibility
of my situation, as Member OF the
Grand Inquest of the Naton, that the
conduct of the President deserves not
only the scrutiny but the apprehension
of the nation; for such information
would shew that the nation has been in-
volved III war without the least necessl.
-tv. 1t is manifest, that if this decree
was known to our government in 1911,
and had been, known to the people, and
used in the manner it ought to have
been, the orders in council, the great
cause of the war, would have been done
away--and if they had, would any man
say that we should have been plunged
into the disastrous and ruiDous war In
which we are now engaged: 1t is. un-
deniabIe, If the orders in council had
been repealed, tina, we should not have
been. engaged in the present war. |
conceive that the resolutions ought to be
specific, TO remain as they are. Ii we
want any information at all, it is that de.
sienated in the words moved to be ex.
plunged by the gentleman from South
Carolina. 1t may turn out, and hope
it will, that the French assertion in this
RESI- ect was, as French assertions gene
rally are, false, and to have been only an
attempt further to inyeigle US. nope
that will turn out to be the case; III
some degree l am confident such will
prove to be the fact Although / do not
agree with the President of the United
States in his present policy, charity aud
my own opinion of his personal charac-
ter forbid me from believing That the
President could have had this decree IN
his possession for more than two years,
and that merely to preserve the consls-
tency Of his procla Of Nov. 1910,
he should have suppressed it. will
not believeit; will, until it shall prove
to be otherwise, believe the French as.
sertion to be false.
Experience has shewn, sir, that any
resolution calling for the information in
general terms viii not answer the pur-
pose. The very circumstance Of a re-
ISOLATION in general terms, such as have
read, having been adopted OH the lst
March, 1913, and not extracting the IN.
formation desired, makes it extremely
necessary that the resolution now to be
passed should be precise and definite as
to the information required; that it
should point distinctly to the object. and
leave nothing to the discretion of the
executive, except that discretion which
all admit ought to be granted him-tha,
is, discretion whether or not the infor-
nation asked would injuriously affect
the public interest, Sir, expect from
the resolution proposed by the gentle.
man from Ken,uckya as substitute, no.
thing Of that kind of information which
we deem important. And is 1t not i'm
portant? Has there not been cloud
hanging over the executive since the
last night of the last session of Con-
gress? Have not circumstances given
something like color to the idea that
the Chief Magistrate Of free people
could do an act which would disgrace
tyrant who claims the throne by divine
right or by any other right? For of such
character would be the withholding
infsrmation an act which would plunge
the nation into war, rather than be con-
victed of having proclaimed falsity.-
l have hitherto believed, whatever diff
ference there may be as to the objects
of the several parties in the govern
ment, that there has been perfect purity
on all sides; and hope not to be COM
PEELED to change that opinion. Is it not
important to gentlemen on the other
side of the House tha: they should as
sent TO the resolutions as they now
stand ? IF resolution in general terms
be substituted for them, what will the
world say? They would say that gen.
tlemen were afraid TO see the light;