Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-01-14

SuUItCt Shoh Coco the
c,,;,;ts If # As a cause Of national
mar. when the evidence Of the certl-
aeates of protection would not Dc
heM sufficient, even in court OF
law While the law protested 10
nfo,ect American seamen. 1t lnlureu
them. the practice being the reverse
If the laws intention. The house
could not shut its eyes to this ah'
less Il intended to make the country
a barhor for foreign sailors, it ought
to alter the laws, and make tbem As
effsctual to the protection of our own
real seamen, as possible. Mr.. r.
confessed that the subject was dill
fieuIt-it had occupied the attention
ofthe first of Presihents-No reme-
DIV could be provided; but he never
thought of war for it, though nego-
t;ation failed; nor is there any but a
law that our own vessels shall be ma
vigated by our own seamen. whether
in peace or war. BY our own la"
| the captain only is to be American
all the rest may be foreigners. The
evil we now feel is the consequence
of cur erroneous system. War. ne
said. would never cure il; the leSIs-
lature must cure it themselves. In
all other countries majority, at
least. Of native seamen was requisite
TO constitute national vessel. Lou
is XIV, who made the best standard
of that regulation, ordained that two
thirds should be French; after, in
17f6. they weat further. and made
it a law that crery sailor should be
French, but being found injurious to
merchants, the former regulation
was restored. In England. the cap
tain, all the officers, aud three
fourlhs ofthe sailors must be British
subjects: and yet We think the cap
tain only enough. This is what
BRINGS such multitude of foreign
rys into our service. to our native sal
Tors Injury. and the disturbance OF
the peace Of the country.
Ii was important 10 enquire who
were to be under the flag we were
to fight for1 If That we are bound
TO profect, he would agree to ex-
pend the last shilling for it-but o.
therwise not cent. 4, to the TO-
reigners not natnralized. what dId
the country owe to them ?-Nothias.
IT had been the established principle
OF ages. in Europe. that every coun-
try had in war, right to call all its
subjects &c its aid. Whether the
princiI& was right or wrong, MIR.
pitkin would not enquire-but il was
established, ar'i sanctioned by all
the abIest iurisis-W'len the nations
ofEurape are at WARMTH each other,
america must come in contact with
: this principle. whether right or
wrong in the abstract; and ought
not to fight against thor WAS she
hennd 20 protect any foreign born
ncrsaa OFT Of her territorial jurishic-
ton. For want OF due consideration
some een,lcmca might revolt at this
old law. as moi savourins sufficiently
Of this new code. hut to silence Ob-
irctions. Mr.. 2. stated. that the now
President Of the u. States had re-
cogniscd it very lately as the estsb-
Iished principle OF this country. BY
court martial. one Elijah Clarke,
was brought up. and as spy con-
demned TO suffer death. The com
mander suspended the execution OF
the sentence till the presidents OPT
Mon was known. IL turned out that
Clarke was born in New Jersey aud
had moved eighteen months before ,
into Canada where he married, set
tied. and had his wife and pro-
perry in the British dominions. Yet
the President ordered him to be Ii
berated. using on the occasion these
words. "said Clarke being consider
ed as citizen. unless arraigned of
treason, must be discharged" Yet
he was condemned under the law,
Which enacts that every one not be-
ing a citizen. or o1ci',g allegiance to
the .. States, lurking abou' camp
must suffer as a spy.-This man
though settled in British dominions,
is still held by the laws as expound-
ed by the chief magistrate to be a
citizen.
The ease Of naturaiized subjects
of foreign countries, Mr.. Pitkin ob'
served. was more delicate ard diff
ficult suhjeet-and this was an evil
induced by the facility Of naturaiiza-