Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-04-07

.shsn,he United States have been under
the necessity of enforcing this rule was
riporousiy adhered to IN practice and
rour committee accordingly ind, IN the
wear 1899, salemn legislative dec!ara'
tion of Massachusetts That "every go
yerament has right to command the
ner,onal services Of all its members,
whenever the ex!gencies OF the state
shall require ii, especially in times 81 an
impending or actual invasion; no mem
Der thereof can then withdraw himself
Fl ON the jurisdiction Of the government,
and thereby deprive i, OF the beneft OF
ais personal services, without mourning
Justly the forfeiture of all his property,
RIGHTS and liberties, holden under and
derived from that constitution OF govern
,pent to the support of which he hath
refused to afford his aid and assistance,
Nor does tbi. principle appear to be
Inconsistent with the practice OF natural
izing foreigners, when the legal effects
of naturalization are properly consider
cd. When state naturalizes foreign
er. it binds itself, to protect him SO long
as he remains within its jurisdiction. Ii
he does net choose to remain within the
jurisdiction of his adopted eeuntry, but
will place himself within the power OF
the government of his natize country,
nv going within its exclusive jurisdic-
ton, or within jurisdiction which is
common 10 his nativr ansf ADOPTED coun.
tfy, as in merchant ships on the ocean,
the government of his adehfed country
will not consider itself bound to follow
and protect him.
Your committee find, that France,
for csntury and half, has maintained
the RICH. to seize her own seamen, In
time of war, in her own ports, on
bosrd Of neutrals vessels, and at sea-
In proof of this, your committee beg
leave to refer to the French laws and
ordinances on this subject, of which
some extracts are subjolned. See
Documents, No. So
Your committee will here ask the at.
tentinn Of this house to only one of
these edicts that of the 9th Ventose,
OH wear, Of the French Republic a..
d 1899 This edict declares" that
all English sailors on board neutral
fo,gs in the ports Of France should be
arrested and every msn avho spoke the
English language, should be considered
English, unless he could prove by au-
thentic evidence and documents that he
was an .4merfcan."
The pracuce of France appears to
have been coUtormable TO the principle
Of these l.ws, rs viii be seen by refs-
renee to the cases OF iDpressments con-
saioed in the 4 cument annexed. { See
Dctcsiions Nos. |, Ii, Is and iS
1t being undeniabIe then that France
has long maintained the priRcipie in
question, the mex inquiry of your com
mittec was, whether thl, cIaim Of France
had ever been considered Ivy the govern
ment Of the United States as q lie, essary
cause ef war They do not fed that it
has been so considered They find that
in the year 1860, the Y S. concluded a
treaty with France, Gu The various sub
eets in controversy, but they do not
find in that negociatIOn, any semand that
France should reAouncs the principle,
nor does the treaty itself contain any
such renuneiatien.
This being the case then it is for the
wisdom OF the people Of the L States TO
Judge, how far it is Just or necessary,
that neutral power should prosecute a
war agsinst one of the be lligercnt nations
to compel the remuneration of princi-
PIE which it suffers the others to cxsr-
else
The next enquiry Of your committee
was, what measures had been adopted
by the government efthe United States,
under the former and present admins.
trations, in respect to the imrrsssment
of seanen and what has been the result,
of those measures
During the whole prosperous admi-
nlstration OF that illustiioUs man. whose
real patriotism Justly entitled him to the
appellation of the father of his country,
the practice of impressments was ex-
ercisrd by Great Britain to a greater
extent, and in more yexatious manner,
than it has been for years past yet
Washington, whose nice sense ofnation-
al honor has not been surpassed BY
that of suy Of his successors, and whose
real regard for the rights of his country
men was Away, evinced by his acts, me-
yer believed that "the rights and no
nors" Of the L. S. required to be vim.
dieated by war against either Of the
two nations, to compel REIMBURSEMENT
of the claim in question, And never
did his sffeetionaie countrymen Of the
great commercial and navigating states
charge him with an abandonment OF
tbeir lights, because he did not resort to