Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-04-22
MIR. Cheves' Speech
ON THE
NEW ARMY BILL.


I Mi. Cheves rosc.-tt was for SOME tim
during this debate, said he, my intention t
have mingled my unimportant opinions ant
sentiments with those of other gentlemen
in this discussion but / gave way from
time to time before TIE eagerness of other.
who were DESTROYS of presenting them
selves to your attention., and had entirel,
| abandoned the idea of taking any part il
the argument: but the sudden and uneX-
| pccted indisposition at this moment of my
worthy friend and honorable colleague (Mr
Williams,) the chairman of the committee
! with whom this bill originated, who was
| expected to close the debate, has left a va
| CUM in the argument which / propose to
fill. Could he have addressed you, as he
was prepared and anxious, in the faithful
discharge OF his duty, to do, it would have
reduced the feeble attempt which 1 shall
make as unnecessary. as it would have
been impertinent and obtrusive. j propose,
then. to speak, as my honorable friend woulc,
probably have done, generally, but briefly
on the several heads OF discussion which
have been introduced into the debate, which
has not been on the bill before you, but on
the general psrits of the war; the origin,
progress and Continuance of it. mean no.
to csnsure the wide rsfse which this discus
sion has taken. It's fair and right in gen.
tlemen of the oppositidn to select some oc-
cason during each session Oh which to dis
csss the great questions of state h;ch tie
public events OF the passing times present !;
and the one furnished by the bill before
you was perhaps as proper as any other.
Almost all the gentlemen who have adj
dressed you, havevery gravely told you, by
way of exordium, of their unquestionabie
right to do so, and of'the hrmne.s with which
they mean to assert and exercise it, as if
theEs had been at any time, really an oppo-
sjtihitp this freedom of discussion. These
introHuctions must be a little amusingto the
members of this House and to the attend
ants in our galleries, who have been in the
habit of listening to the gentlemen But If
there ever could have been Coubt OF this
subject, and surely there never was any.
the debate, which hope is about to be
CLOSED, affords an ample refutation of il.
There are parts OF this debate which will
descend to distant posterity as monument
OF the Freedom of discussion in this ball.
trr,st, sir, we sha II furnish few such testi-
monies-I hope never to see. another eXhi
bited on this floor.-They must be looked
upon with apprehension by all those wh"
consider the restraints, of personal poiIte-
|GcSsxnd, he urbanity Ia social esteem as
sfordips u better security 10 those who love
Epeace and good manners, for the preserva-
ppnO VI stbChC valuable OOICCss, Ibau cdn DC
lent by the strongest arm Or the seyerest
sanctions which positive institutions have
established, restraints under which even
I" vice itself loses half its evil by Iosihg all
its grosgness'" shall initiate the example
OF gentlemen who followed in the debate.
shall pour oil upon the wares and endea-
'or TO still the raging OF the storm.
Gentlemen, fruitful in epthets, yet rather
irutfu in their abundance than iii their va
riety, have called this an unjust, wanton,
wicked and unnecessary war;. i, OH the con
trary, assert it 30 be Just and necessary
war. One characteristic difficulty here pre-
sents itself, which has occurred i'm ali the
discussion IN and out of this House on this
subject. What is just and necessary war
BY the advocates of the war it is asserted :,
that the injuries and insults of the enemy
demanded war, and rendered this war just
and neccssary.--lhG opponents of war adj
NIT the magnitude Of the insults and inju-
ries but deny the inference. They ASSERT
that the war is unnecessary and not iusril "a
Bile, because the pecuuiary expenditure and
losswil exceed in value tho commercial oh.
jects Cor which we are contenajhg. The ad
yocates ofwar deny bo.h the premises and
the conclusion. The Objects of the war are
not merely commercial but If they we're,
the inferehce is denied. They admit that
the pccunisry expenditure and loss viii ex
coed the pecuniary value of the commercial
objects for whic. hey contend, but they de
ny that war for commercial objects is the! G
fore unnecessary or indefensibe. To an
Ineligible aiguEent it seems, therefore, I'M
der these circumstances, necessary that We
should begin by some definition Of a Just and
necessary war ; and yet il seems to be
melancholy laborin great and free people
where public sentiment should be unequivo-
cal ON such subjects, to proceed by rules of
logic to establish great firstpnnciples Of pub
lic sentiment; but fear that, as all good
things are purChaSedsby concomitant sscrifi-
cez, we have not obtaiacd the innumerable
blessings and advantages of the freedom of
sPcgcb and "a the press for nothing. fear
they have sometimes substituted an err ing
r2lstn for better guide--the great uncon-
Eliminated current of pc5lIc fecli6s-the
moral sense OF theynation. of which the ho-
noFable gentleman from Massachusetts, (Mr.
Q1incO SO often tells SO much. But we
mast enquire, what is just and necessary
war; a war is just and necessary when
yaged 10 protect and defeud the violated
peeUniary interests Of country or to- de-
fend and secure the sovereign rights and
indeI endence Of country, or lastly and
principally, 10 support and maintain the ma.
tional honor. Tie last indeed embraces all
the othcEs. and, u have distinguished, it Is
rather itit&nfTmity with custom, or for the
purpose Ct lslpcidation than from any prac-
teal sepaPe kn which | admit between the
last and dic former But | am likely to int
cur the decIsiohlsf the honorable gentlemen
ia the opposition by speaking of national non
or. They seem not TO have admitted the