Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-08-12


be 10 abdicate Independence, and ~ be chi
ded by the viii and the policy of the British
sovereign. 1t would be 90 recognize poll
teal foreign Pope, and 70 surrender to him
the actual regulation of our governmental
faith.
The opposi ion assert, that the prOcras;inatet
promulg ration of the decree OF April %. Wa,
the cause oC the declaration Of war BY the O.
States against G Britain. We have shewn ,hat
The Unifed States ae-e NOT bound 10 byse.y,
that deerce. II, then, they were not bound to
procure II, and the delay in it, publication WAS
The cause of the war, itjnevtably follows that
The war was occasi'ned by pcr,inaoious al
her.ncs to wrong by G.. Britain, upon The pre-.
teXt OF requiring further proof of a fact, winch
was already established by that kind Of testi.
'nony which is usual in such cases. Thus, it
may be perceived, that, what the opposition
| assert, na/ be true, rs TO the leading cause OF
The Ar, aud the Amerioan administration be,
| nevertl ejess, altogether innocent. For G. r.
10 risk anopen rupture with the u. States, I'M
der such circumstance, was 10 make the con
tinusnce offricndship with America TO depend,
not the fidelity OF the U. States. but on the
production of a document, which British price
demanded, and which French prid. delayed,
| and for the appearance Of which the American
administration was an no way accoun able.
But why, it may &c asked, if the President
vas not bound To- phDcure such document OF
repeal as the decree of the 23th Of April, 1871,
lid Mr. Barlow sUticit IT at Paris I! Aud Why
did the President approve CT that solicitation
To the sc questions We answer, that Mr.. Barlow
sas not instructed " solicit such decree
but he asked fo- 1t to s..tiJj G. Britain ard tke
feeOa!iHs. In Mr.. B-rlOw's lie ser 20 lie duk,
oi Bassano OF May, 1, 1912, he partic LARRY re.
ers to the d, cisrstion OF the prince regent
of the 2ist of April" which asserts thai the
DEGREES of France are unrsyoked," aud lac
makes that circumstance The ground OF Eis de-.
mand for a new act OF repeal. AID wherrflie
duke first produced 10 Mr.' Barlow the decree
Of the 2StIl of April 1911, 81 desired him Says
Nir. Bsriow in a letter of May Il, 1912, TO Mr
Monroe,) 20 send me copy of that decrec, and
90 any other documents that might proveto the
iHcYeiriOas If M coa4try mot to nae that the
DEGREES OF rim and MILAN were IN good faith
and Internationally repealed with regard to the
u. States" g am confident that the Presi-
dent viii approve the motive OF my soIicitude
IN th's affair" says MIR. Barlow, winch distinct
~ implies that he had not been Instructed on
the subject. The Pres,dent sanctioned MS
conduct, because 1t corresponded with the uni
form spirit OF the American admins tratIon,
| which had sought by every proper method, to
| satisfy and cOncliate the British government
Mr.. Madison also saw In the Course pursued
by our minister at Paris, an honest effort 70 pre-
thy hut deiuded citizzns. But in no official
| correspondence, emAnatinS from an orr N OF
the administration Al Washington, was u ever
admitted that any proof OF the revocation OF
| the Berlin and Milan DEGREES was necessary o
Their than the letter of the Duke OF Galore OF
Aug 5, 1910. But the decree of April %, 1871
hs0inS beeH ProniUI gdtel, in a manner not the
most rank and ineehUous, the President very
properly directs that il ,hall become Il subject
| OF IlIDlnnlltlC IA
IN relation'to the necessity of having produced
| the decree earlier, or the having produced it at
all but with respect TO the iTnpertinent aiec-
tation of surprizc at it's not having been rece
| ed by oar government, when, in all probability,
| 1t had never been communicated. l., on this
| occasion, it had been Mr.. W-e5ster's Object TO
throw odium upon the French duke or has SOW
ereisn, there Is scope enough tor no g--nuine
American Will contradict hIEi IN THAI pArticu
lar.
Ii the opposition had succeeded in convic
| ting Mr.. Madison of dupicity with respect to
The decree of April %, the orators and writer's
o that party would then have pushed the Sc
quel of the English argument; for, it is to be
| observed, that tn Immediate object of Nr.
| We6ster's resolutions was only to gain a posi-
| ton from which tie administration mi sht be
annoyed withmore effect in relation to the ques-
zion of inPressment. II would have then been
urged, that as the orders In council were now
satisfactorily revoked, they having been the
CHI Cause ofthe war, II would be proper that
the war should cease that impress sment never
having heretofore been considered, of itself an
I expedcnt cause of war, hostilties ought not
to be continued on that account: and, more
especially, rs the countryhad b en- precipitated
into be.iIgerent state by French artihce and
! pre- sidential duplcity. Such would have be n
the reasoning OF opposition, ifthc intended OBJ
Ject on MIR. Webster's resolutions had been at
tanned And even after the implied imputati.
ons OF the resolutions have been dissipated by
tue Report of MIR. Monroe, the English argu.
ment IS still prcssel in the federal gazettes,
with avehemence IT zeal which we regret to
see cmployed in so bal 4 caus- But it is easy
TO answer these Arguments which concern the
| que stion OF inpressIRg american sesmen. Be
! fore we proceed 10 The answer, however, let
us ascertaIl what is admit nd and what is aer;-
| Ell, on the one side and on the other. The fe-
deralists admit that it is unlawful to impress
| citizens OF the United States; which is pre-
cisely what the republicans insist ON. The fe
derallsts insist that the United states have no
r'ght To harbor employ British seamen on
| board American vessels which Is exactly
| what thc republicans admit, having passed IN
| act OF Congress TO exclude them. So FAR, there
Is nodiilcrence between the two parties. The
tedcraiists maintain that TIE question of iinr
pressfhcnt might have been accommodated by
negotiations but hey produce no proof in sup
| port OF the assertion, except an opinion once
| expressed by MIR Monroe, that a satisfactory
informal arrangement might have been effect
cd tie republicans contend that ncg,cia ion
had been Intellectual, aud they appeal ,,lor the
I truth OF their opinion, to Gus diplomatic corres-
| pondence upon that subject under the prese
/ denotes OF Washington, Adams, Jefferson and