Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-04-03

! IS. niedced r1yenae ms i fSise, q,
whsn rajssd and collected, e apply Us
same in the honest dischatgs g sDe Puos
lie debts. 81.
ia private citizen, By his diligence
and industry, and the prudent nanase-
NEST Of his affaires, acquires P'eps.'Is
ne will at the same time obtain Iqnu -
scred;t, On which he may bsrrow, mohay'
or contract debts, corresponding VIZ
ri. nspal course Of business. But alter
thus establishing bis credit, u no cv.''
ines 10 borrow ard to contrae. aes.s
aid then abandoning his good habits IT'S
becomes ne gligent and careless n sus'
ness. rams into wasteful schemes 81 exs
) pence, and thus renders himself uhao'e
10 satisfy his creditors his Leputatlonl
is Destroyed and his new character y
that Of spsndthrift, prodigal, a cheat
Gosernment are capable OF misconuue'
equally reprachful
Without any regard to the rignts ana
interests Of The very numerous c'asss
Of citizens engaged in commerce. ana ha'
sieation, and IN, various extensive en-,
ployments Herewith directly connected
---.rithout any respectfo AeRIcuLTuRE
If which (seven years before, waeh 4
suited lis purpose to hatter ana seotns
the psople) Mr.. JEFFERSON SAID "co'n-
nerce was the handmaid"--he recon-
tended HIS EMBARGO; pretending that
L. was designed :" to ksep IN safety those
essential resourees--our vessels, out
,.anen and merchandise ;" while Its
Ultimate tendency, aud to pern'clons
dcs rec its positive effects were as eve
" man OF common sense and Interim.
,,oi. well knows, the destructlonof our
lsssels, the loss of sur seamen, and the
fuia of our merchants The Law ina
posing this dsceitful measure, was M
limited in its duration and unquestion.
ably intended by It's author to DO Com
rnensurete with the war between France
ard Great Britain and if so continued,
the revenues arising from commerce
faiiirg, the interest as well as the. prln-
eipal Of the public debt would nseessa-
,riIy have remained unpaid. That this
evil was prevented, and the embargo
shortened in its duration. was owing, not
to Mr.. Jefferson's regard to the interest
snd safety of the United States, or to
their good faith, on which the revenues
from commerce and navigation stood
pledged for the payment of that debt /;
but to the decided opposition of the
northern and eastern states to that peril
dioas act.
y The other acts OF n-intercourse and
non, importation which followed the eni-
barge, had the same pernicious tenden-
cy, and essentially diminished the pub
lie revenue so as to render the Dor
rowing of some millions of dollars indls-
pensible, in the two 6rst years Ut Mr..
MADIs,s's presidency, to keep in mo.
ton the wheels of government
In all the Oppressive and ruinous inca
sures, prior to his own presidency, we
,,ave had certain assurance Vi Mr.. Ma.
dison's cordial coop sra ion. And we
know that The same system has since
been pursued by him, until, at length,
the public revenues have become l,o-
gether inadequate to the smerous de.
mands upon them. Under this pressure,
to save the government fram bankrupt.
cy, the enormous loans, and issues OF
paper money. are proposed without
provision of any funds to secur the pay
mont of principal or interest. Al the
same time, Mr. Madison, in an angry
message, recommended two measures
TO destroy the little remnant
oftrade and commercial revenue which
his neutrality-suspicious. act and war had left.
These were, prohibition OF any trade
by special licencss--and of all exp orta-
tons in foreign bottoms. These mea-
sures, adopted in The House of Repre-
were indeed arrested IN the
Senate. However,, as was absys sug-
gested, the revenu5s expected from tho
little commerce which remains will be
uncomfortable, and wholly une lnal to
the public calls for meney. Rulers whe
can thus sport with the funds, Tor the
preser,auon and just application of
which, TO discharge the public debts, tie
tai,h of the United States stood pledged,
have forfeited all title to confluence Ard
credit. The same unhallowed views,
the same PASSION which have hurried
them or thus far, will, if they can be
gra,ifed, urge them along in the same
fatal course, until the United States are
plunged insoa depth of debt, from which
they will never rise.
Notwithstanding the ostentatious dis
play of economical arrangement, and of
acs ~. n