Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1814-10-24
From the Pofton Daily Advertiser

this unhappy E0a' on terms not dis
b0norabie to our country, and cal
euiated to produce a laqing and d.
rable peace.
A free but candid difcuflion Of the
late Negotiation. mo. /.
This country is divided into great;
parties the Friends of Peace and the
Friends of War. The former, it is be
lieyed. are much the mott numerous.
The latter are prepared and determined
to avail themfelves of every opportunity
to inlame the palIons and increaie the
partizans of the war.
: The Friends of Peace are competed Of
men Of all'cla1es and all characters. Ma.
ny of them are young and ardent. They
love their country-they juitly value its
honour Others of them love popularity,
and lock forward to political power. That
power they know depends on public O.
pi ion. II fudden Glamour is excited,
they fear thar the popular opinion will be
asainft them; & determined to be on the
ifrongeii iide, they often join without due
examination in the outcry which their
enemies pnrpofeiy excite.
The writer of the following remarks
has lived TOO long in the world TO be govs
erned by fuch hrit impreflions, which his
experience has ihewn to him are ufualIy
wrong
1t has been his wifi, to wait till the
ferment lIas (ublided; to read attent vely,
weigh, and compare, before he decides
Hence, though in the minority at 6rlf,
he often has found himfeIf in the end
fupported by the public voice.
Never was queition 70 deeply interes-
ting as the prefent, and one would fup-
pofe that if we were as vile and 'n,elIi
gent as We profefs to be, our candour and
deGre Of ipveitigation, would be in pro-
portion to the lnletelt we feel in the quef-
ton.
Borne down by the diltreles experien.
Gee, and the f,ll greater calamitieS to be
fe97d from this war jut OF the eve Of
an Important election which is to decide
the character Of a future Copgrefs, when
our fate for perhaps one hundred years
is 10 be decided by our prelent con duct,
it w.uli be madnefs in moment Of pas
fion and agitation to decide haitily on
the conduct of an elaborate negotiation,
and TO declare at once that all hopes Of
peace are precluded by the demands Of
the enemy.
II we DO this, we DO every thing cur
interna! enemies could with Never was
Mr. Madiion in fuch fpirits we are told
and why Becaule he believes there is no
hope of peace, and becaufe he hopes the
people will act like fools and madmen,
will forget the man who has brought thefe
eaamities upon us land reserve thei, indig-
nation wholly for the enemy. who. as in
al! negotiations, happens to demand much
more than he means to take.
My rem arks OH this topic will | know
be intereiting. aud will be generally read,
not on account of their merit, bur be.
cause every thing on 70 vital topic will
be read with avidity. The diituflion
will however be long, and will require
patience ard candour. Ihoft who are
in too great PATTON to reafon, would
counfeI not to read thefe remarks. hey
will inHame them the more, because they
will be temperate and difficult to antwer
The frlt remark will make is, and 1t
is one which no Nan can deny, that new
er since the Dritiih treaty, that NOT
admirable guardian and preierver of our
peace, did any political Nqueition appear
before the people in 10 unfair and preju'
diced light. The public mind was ins
almru AND preoceupied before the def
patches appeared
MANY men confound the previavs re-
bsrss with the actual demands, and the
palionate and unfounded fuggettion that
The terms were fucn as none but " con-
quering nation would impoie on con-,
querrd people," will have funk 10 deep
Ia weak minds, that all The arguments in
the world. and full dlfplay OF facts, will
not remove the impreifon.
Afeoond remark would make is, that
it is not my purpofe to prove the BrltIth