Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-03-03
SPEECH
OF THE

HON. CHS. G0LDSBORO0Gh,
In THE HOUSE, OF REPRESENTATIVES,
FKBRuAhY, IL, 1873.
On the bill for the regulation Of Seamen
ON board the tu6he shits and IN me
merchasr service Of the q. States.
M. Gold.borough said, that late as II
was in the day, & anxious as the mouse
appeared to be for the question upon
the bill under consideration, he was nh-
der the necessity of asking their ih-
diligence, and of soliciting their atten'
ton ior few moments. II was not his
intention to engage fully in this debate
or to detain them BY an extended ars"-
ment on the merits Of the bill before
them; he had no anxiety to make pro-
selvtes to it; for he had no hesitation
ssndidly to own, that to Its fate ne telt
almsst an entire Indifference he cared
very little whether i. should be passed
or rejected. But as he had made up
his mind to vote for the bill, 1t became
necessary, in consequence OF obserTa-
lions that had fallen from its PARTICULAR
advocates and patrons, to offer some
explanation, for the purpose OF ooViat'
ing improper constructions, aid OF pre-
venting the erroneous differences and I'M
plications, with which they seemed dls~
posed to entangle and embarrass the
course he had determined to pursue
He wished also to state his view OF the
true character and nature CT this,b''l'
and to assign the reasons that had ihhu'
enced his determination TO vote IN lav"'
of it, although he felt very little interest
about it, and therefore did not profess
to be one OF its advocates.
This bill, Mr. G. said, had been ad-
vocated on The ground of its intrinsic
wisdom ADD s2ccllcnce, as permanent
navigatioa system for the United States;
and also, OF the peculiar fitness OF ITS
provisions to the present state OF our to-
reign relations, in reference to the war
in which we are involved. As to Its me-
rits when viewed in the first Of these
characters, he had little to say. With
GU, pretending to that extent of lntor-
nation, or possessing any of that expe'
rience in commercial affairs, which
would qualify him to decide on the po-
Icy and wisdom Of any system OF that
sort, that might be presented to his no.
tice he would only observe, that he
had always supposed it would be bene-
fetal in national view, gradually to ex.
clude foreign seamen from our vessels,
as soon and as extensively, as could be
consistent with the practical convent
ence of our merchants. Such regula-
ton, by excluding foreigners from com"
ing into competition with native Amerl-
CAN seamen, and thus giving to the lat
ter the encouragement to which they
seemed Justly entitled, he believed would
be attended vith the obvious, and great
national advantage of raising up in few
years, a numerous and hardy race Of
real American sailors, adequate both to
the commerce and the defence OF the
country. If the provisions OF this bill
were calculated to produce that effect,
of which he did no. pretend TO be COM
petent Judge, they would, SO tar, receive
his appreciation.
1t was, MIR. G. said, in the second
character assigned to it, that the object
he had in view, made it necessary tor
him to consider it, and the observations
upon it, to which he had before alluded
1t has been represented, as intended to
hold out to the nation with which we are
at war, and TO our OWE citizens, the ul-
timatum on the subject Of seamen, on
which the American congress deem II
necessary to take a final stand, S from
which they arc determined never to re-
eede; and as thus containing pledge
to the world never to sheath the sword
now drawn until this ground shall be
conceded to us by our enemy. Giving
to the bill this aspect, much pains have
been taken to inculcate, and to impress
the opinion, that all those who vote tor
it, become thereby committed to Join,
heart in hand, in supporting and csntl'
nuing the war, at all hazards and to any
extent of time, until Great Britain shall
accede to the terms il holds out. This
doctrine is. advanced by the committee
of foreign relations in their elaborate re-
port or manifesto, which he was sorry
he could not get committed with the
bill, in order that an opportunity might
be afforded for an attempt to correct the
fallacy Of some of its statements, & has
been urged, and much dwelt upon by
the hon. gentleman from Tennessee (Mr'
Grundyl who acts on this occasion as
chairman of that committee, and has
been the principal, indeed almost the
only jealous patron of this bill in all
its stages. His principal inducement,
MIR. G. said, to rise on this occasion,
was to obviate any such false ,concIu-