Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1814-02-16
MARYLAD MEMoRIAI.


! An animated Debate not Invested of par.
| ty spirit, occurred in the House of Repre-
| sentatives of the United States on Wednes-
day last, upon motion TO PRINT the Memo
rial from the House of Delegates of the Ma
ryland Legislature (noticed in the procee
dings of ConSress.)1'he opposition to prin-
| ting the Memorial arose from the exceptions
| able terms in which it was couched, its dis.
respectful language towards the adninistra-
| ton, &c. 1t was more fn minaton of vi
| client party zeal, than any thing else de :.
nouncing the war. and proclaiming that the
government of the United States, in the sys
tenn of retaliation it had adopted, was about
to give q character of ferocityito the contest,
| unknown to the civiiised usases of modern
warfare-that it was affording projection to
British Traitors, &c. Mr.. Eppes, observed
that the memorial contained nothing new, or
that deserved printing il was the mere
common place trash daily circulated thro'
Certain presses in the country. Mr. Wright
of Md. was severe against the memorial
nc saiu it was fraught with every thing dis
graceful and he pre5u:AS I'd bot lutte res
pecn would be shewn II. as it was the instru
ment of only one half ola State Legislature.
not sanctioned indeed by half the numbers
of that one body, for if was signed by only
81 on. Of 80 MEMBERSHIP hoped il would
receive its merits, and be thrown under the
table, &c.-Mr. Pitkin, =. Goldsborough,
Mr.. Grosvenor, Mr.. Webster, Mr.. Hanson,
Mr.. Castor, and Mr. Macon, advocated The
printing Of the memorial-the latter gentle
man, however, upon different motives from
those which actuatsd the rest. Although (he
remarke d) he did not approve. ne was not
afraid ofit--that State Legislatures had SO
much claim to respecr as other collections
OF people, and no morc--,hat tho the paper
in question did not Contain the TT nth. the
whole truth, & nothing bat the irath. lie weuld
vote for the printing OF it. Nir. NJ, tiefen-
ded the war, the embargo, SIC and made
some severe animadversons upon the con
duct OF the British government, which he
observed was :. living upon the corruption of
its own vitals''
Some members objected to the memorial,
in consequence of the indeCorous language
used in it towards the French government;
with whom, MIR. M'kim observed, although
there were points OF litigation, we had am
icable relations. This gave occasion to MIR
Grosvenor to introduce the extract of let
ter from Mr.. Jefferson, which has been pubs
lished in al: the papers. Commenting sc, ere
ly upon the Conduct of Bonaparte ; & which
Mr.. q. said sanctioned the language used
in the memorial. As toftbe letter, Mr.. Ro-
bertson, OF Louisiana, observed, that it con
r.
Jefferson, and of the Republican party, for
series of years past there was nothing
new in it. and this gentlemen themselves
well knew who had clamored most about it
that at one time MIR. ]. is stigmatized as
French partizan, &c. and at another, to an
swer particular purposes. his letter is addu>
ced 10 shew his detestation OF the French
tyrant, &c.
AS is usual Of late, the whole subject of
repatriation and naturalization, was brought
upon the taps.. Mr. Grosvenor, alluding to
the expression in the memorial that we
protected British traitors, and to the % SOL
diers taken at Queenstown, which the Bri
fish had sent to England for trial, remarked
that these men were not naturallzed by
our laws; that consequeDtially they were
traitors, and ought to to be I" swung between
Heaven and earth" that whether natu,
rallied citizens were entitled to protection
beyond our territory, was a matter of doubt,
but that aliens were not, there could be no
difference Of opinion. Mr. Robertson pro,
nounced the opinion of Mr.. Grosvenor, to
be novel, and as " abominable as it was no
veP--the foreigners found in our ranks,
were individuals who were permitted to
leave their native country, whose laws do
not forbid emigration, who have families
here-and it was such men as these the zen
tieman called traitors to the British govern.
ment-The names Of some men Of this cha :.
racter he said, occurred to him of Serge,
ant Henderson, for instance, Who so nobly
distinguished himself, on various occa sions
on the Western frontier--Military deserters
might be punished as traitors but not the
man who has emigrated in violation of no
law, has taken up his domicile, and has a
family among us, &c. As to the protection