Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-04-12
CIRCULAR,
!, OF THE
HON. D.a.NIEL SHEFFEf,
TO HIS CONSTITUENTS.
coSTINUED.

il is unnecessary to say any eui"6'
cause nope such existed in fact at inc
time war was declared. 1t was wen
understood by our government, that the
blockade of May 1906, which Mr. Men-
roe at the time thought favorable uea'
sure, but which was afterwards com
planned of as well as every other BLOCK
ade, was Included in the orders III coun-
Gil and on the question what constitot-
ed legal blockade, there was no oiner'
encs Of opinion between the TWO 60
vernments,
Ssch was the state of the controversy
between this country and Great Britain
on the ls.h June last when war was de'
clared. On the 23d Of the same month
the British orders in council were re-.
pealed, and thus the leading cause OF
hostility is removed.
The means by which our government
contemp plated to secure the objects IN
controversy, and to compel Great bf'-
tain to respect the rights OF this coun,
try, were the conquests of Canada, ana
other British provinces on our frontier
For my own part looked upon that as
hopeless. Many thousands OF jives VIII
be sacrificed, and many millions OF mo.
ney squandcred before We shall be able
to obtain possession Of them, and II we
ever do. our rights on the ocean are as
insecure as they were at the commence
ment of the war. I do net believe we
shall be one step nearer our object 49,
We shall then be in possession OF a
country which it will require strong
military fierce to retain; to support
which, the people of the United States
must contribute their means. AS to Its
real value, wha, eau it be to US, who
have SO much territory already what
friend to our union can wish to weaken
il, BY adding population unaccustomed
and ininical to our free institutions
The consequences which will follow
this new experiment, ought not to be
looked over. A people whom Heaven
has blessed SO pre-eminen,ly, deserve
to be slaves, if they do not look with
cautious and even suspicious eye upon
every thing tending to divert them fron
the path in which they have hitherto so
happily moved through life. And what
are those consequences You must have
a large army, who in republics have al.
ways been considered dangerous to IL
berty--who often have turned and may
again turn their arms against their coun-
try. You now have host Of officers,
contractors and placemen, who are quar-
tered on the industry Of the people, and
eat out their substance--and this host ls
increasing daily. You will have to pay
enormous taxes to support them In idle
ness and dissipation. Loans OF meney
to defray the expenditures, which such a
slate of things will make necessary be-
yond the means Of taxation, will tasten
on you and posterity burthcn, which
experience warrants usin believing time
will continue TO increase. The disposal
of these large sums, aud the appoint
ment to SO many Offices, and employ
ments, tend to unite in the executive
department patronage and influence,
always considered dangerous to liberty.
The YOUTH of the country, instead OF d.
recting their attentionto omelndustrlous
useful employment, will have their beads
turned with notions of military glory,
and their morals corrupted with the dis
sipation and itlleness ola camp. These
are not the visions of speculation--they
are realities which inevitably attend a
state of war.
Such were some of the reasons which
induced me TO believe We were putting
too much to hazard by renouneing our
peaceful attitude. When ] moreover
reflected Oh the state Of our country
the want Of means to annoy our enemy,
and to defend our extended and defence
less sea-coast-subicct to the attack OF
a maritime force, could not persuade
myself to put So much in jeopardy, Tor
so paltry On object as the acquisition OF
Canada, beyond which, saw no Proba-
bility of securing any other. ! thought
we were inviting danger without the
means of repelling it, and without the
hope of retaliating with SUCCESS on our
enemy the evils which we should suffer.
AS commentary on what lthave said,
permit me to state some OF thc inca
sures which have been adopted as ne
cessary to prosecute the war, with their
consequences, and to anticipate others
which must inevitably follow. The re-
su!ar army which has been authorised,
including every description Of force, is
little short of sixty thousand men. 10
this army belong upwards OF four thou.
sand officers, whose hay and emolumenfs
amounts from three hundred and eleven
dollars, to thirty two dollars per month
each-the Grst being that of major.ge.
neral, and the last of the ensign and ca.
dst. Although net one fourth of the
priya,es are enlisted, all the officers are
n