The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1814-11-02


transferred TO Grca, Britain. II is or this
suads,ionstha tie British Government has
ased this rponstrous supersructure. IL is
With this kind OF argument that it attempts 10
ustify its practice Of impressmeus from our
'esseis. 1894 vnb ttttr Sa ft
oThe remark conssinedin the declaration Of
he Prince Reyeu,, thatin impressing British
yeamen from American vessels, Great Britain
Exercised no Fight which shelves not willing
- acknowledge as apper,ainins equally the
;oyetnmtnt Of the Uai,rd Stxtes, with res
beet 60 "A American sesmenia British merchant
!. hips, proves only, that tho British Govern
nentis conscious ofthc injustice OF the claim,
md desirous OF giving 10 II such aid as may be
derived froon plausible argument. The
bemhisnce Of eqcaiiy, however, IN this pro-
posi,ion, witch strikes at first view, dissp-
beass on q fair xamination. ftiscafair, Gfst,
, because hts impossiblc for the Uai,ed States
! o take advantage of IL. improvement Is not
in American practise, but utterly reprenaat
o Our constitution and laws. In Offering 10
Feciproca,e il, riothiog was offered, as the
British Government, we'll knew. Its uufair,
secondly, because If Impressmcnt was allow
Ibie, rcciproc alton Of the practice woaid be
DO ecJuivalen. 10 the Uuitcd Ststcs. The ex-
ercisc ola right in common, st sea, by two
Nations, each over the vessels OF the oiher,
Inc one powerful sud the other comparatively
ycak, .ould be, 10 put the latter completely
pt the mercy Of the former. Great Bfitsin,
with her vast Navy, would soon bc the only
party which made impressment. The Unit 4
ID States would be compelled TO 'abstsin from
4, and either 60 submit TO the British rule,
With al the abuses incident TO power, or to
iesist Il. Fvt, should the United States be
scrmit,ed 10 make impressment from British
jcsseYs, shc eject would be uneqrai. Great
3ritain has, perhaps, thirty ships OF war at sea,
o one OF the United States, and would profit
pf the arrangement, in that proportion. Be-
Aides, impressment is practice incident to
var, in which view, iikewise, the inequality
5 not less giaring, she being At least thirty
pcars at war, TO one of the United States
Other considerations prove that the British [
Government made this acknowledgement
merely as a pre,extto justify its prsctice OF
imprisonment, without intending that the
igbt oi practice should ever be rcciprocated.
What would be the effect of its adoption by
american ships OF war, with British merchant
fesscis. An American officer boards British
merchant vessel and claims,as American ciii-
bens,whom he pleases. How many British sea-
men would disdsin title TO take them to the
Us. and sccurc them there all tho advantages
'f 'fcirizenship? The rule OF evidence, as the
:ronud Of imprcssments in every instance,
uas, likewise be rcciprocated between the
wo governments. The acknowledgements of
he men world sureiy be better proof OF
heir national character than the decision of a
british officer who boarded an American vcs-
ell, however inparsiai he nigh, be, and strong
lis power Of determination, when opposedby
he voluntary and solemn declaration of the
par,y. In this way We might draw from the
British service tho greater part 1t not all their
fcamcn. might further ask, why waa this
acknowledgement made at this late period,
or the first time only, after the declaration I
(. e war, and when on that account II could pro- ]
ucc no effccts In the various discussions
( this subject, in many Of W hich il has been
emandcd whether the British government
you'd tolerate such practice from American
hips Of war, no such iniination was ever j
,iven.
k IF Great Britsin had found the employment
10 her scamcn in our service injurious TO her,
md been disposed 90 respect our rights, the
cgular course of proceeding would have been
or her government, TO have complained TO
he government of the United States OF the
lnjury, and to have proposed a'rcmedy. Had
his boon done, and no reasonable remedy been
dopted, sound in principal and reciprocal in
Is operation, the British government might
t,ave had some cause Of complaint, and some
lea for taking tho remedy into its own
lands.-Such a procedure would, at least,
aavc given to It's Claim Of impressment the
sreatcst plausibii,y. We know that such
omplaint was never made, except Ia defence
It the practice Of impressmcnt, and that in
he meat time the practice has gone on, and |
+ ;rown into an usage, which, with all its abu
es, had resistance been longer delayed, might
iave become law. The origin and progress
fthis usurpation afford strong Illustrations Of |
he British policy. The practice aud the
,laim began together, soon after the close Of
,ur revolutionary war, and were applicable to