Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-06-25

which in poiot of expedieRcy, required
.he sacrifice of so many and so CERTAIN
blessings. as might have been our Por-
,ion. for such dreadful and inevitable e
wills, as all wars, and especially In IT,
public, entail upon the people.
But, when we review the a,leos.o
causes Of The war against Great Britain,
and more particularly, the prs.s NJ,
fer its continuance, afi;r the principal
one was removed, we are constrained 70
saw. that it fills the minds OF the gooo
people Of .thi, commonwealth, WIN ~"
finite anxie,y and a'arm.-We cal"o'
but recollect, whatever the pfe'en
ces ofthe Emperor of France may hase
been, pretence. which have uniformly
preceded and accompanied the most VI
client acts of injustice, that ne was 'ns
sole author of a system. caied'a'eG anu
intended to break down neutral com
merce, with view to destroy the oPu'
lence,' and cripple the power OF rival
whose best interest and whose rear pom
CIV were 70 uphold the comuleie'' ~
sen.ial to her ownProsperity.
1t is not for us 10 decide. whether '"c
enemy Of France did, or did not, adopt
the most natural and eflicacious means
of repelling her injustice. 1t I. sum,
cient, that VIC are persuaded. the United
States might, by firm and dign'hed' yet
pacific resistance to the French DEGREES,
have prevented the recurrence OF any
reta!iatory measures not intended to ~,
isre us, but to operate on the author o.
this unjust and injurious system Ana
however honorable men may differ as
to the Justice Of the British retal'ate'y
orders in council, we do not hesitate to
saw, that France neritcd from our Co
vernm ent, much higher tone OF remon-
STRANGE, and more decided opposition.
Ii reviewing the avowed causes OF the
present war, we should, if it were posi-
bic, pass over a series OF transactions
impcrfectIy explained, and calculated to
excite our alarm and regret at the hasty
manner in which it was declared But
the history of the pretended repeal OF The
French DEGREES, which, If cur govern
mcnt was sincere, we are bound to be-
lieye, was the immediate cause Of the
war. is so we'll attested, and has been SO
often discussed, and.is besides so impor-
tant III this enquiry, that mere motives
of delicacy cannot induce us to pass 1t
over without notice.
IF war could be justified agains,Great-
Britain exclusively, it must Rave been
on the ground assumed by our govern
ment, that the French DEGREES were &C
tua!ly repealed on the lst of November,
1910. The indiscriminate plumber and
destruction Of our - merce, the cap.
ture Of our ships BY the cruisers OF
France, and their condemnation by her
courts, md by the emperor in person;
his repeated and solemn declaration,
that those DEGREES were still 10 torce aud
constituted the fundamental laws of his
empire, at period long subsequent to
The pretended repeal. seemed to furnish
an answer sufficiently conclusive TO tbs
Gus stion; end We Cannot but lament,
that evidence SO satisfactory 10 the rest
Of the nasirn, should have had So l'llie
weight with that congress whose tern.
Of service has lately expired.
But this important question is now
dchuitively answered ar,} toe Ameri-
can people have learned with astonish-s
ment, the depth Of their degradation.-
The Trench emperor, as If Tor the per.
feet and absolute humiliation Of our &C.
verrment, ard Cor the annuncistion to
the world that lie held Us in utter con-
tempt, reserved iii Mny, 1912, the Off
cial declaration of the fact, that these de.
crecs were not repealed untilApril 1911;
and then, not in consequence Of his sense
IF their injustice, but because we had
complied with tie condition he had pre-
scribed, in the letter Of tho Duke Of Ca.
dore, in "esusihg our rights to be lie
spected," by resistance to the British
orders and he has since added. that
this decree Of repeal was communicated
TO our minister at Pa'is, as we'll as to his
own at Washington, TO be made known
to our cabinet. AS tie previous pledge
of Great britain, gave the fullest assn.
rance, tia, she would repeal Der orders
as soon as the deci ees, on which they
were founded, should cease to exist; and
as Der subsequent conduct leaves no
doubt that she would have bes, faithful
to Ter promise, We Gao never too much
depiore the neglect to make known this
repcai, whether it be attributable to the
French government or cur own
If TO the former belongs tie guilt Of
this duplicity and faisehood, every mo-
tive of interest, End every excitement If
duty, call loudly upon our adn,inistration
to proclaim this disgracetul iop. ,i,ian
to the American people, not only as it
would serve to develope the 'rue charac-
ter and policy of France, but to scqnit
our own officers Of suppression too Sc