The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-02-12

pay sufficient tor all the purposes OF de-
fence, and for the purpose, he trusted. OF
also chastisIng an di0g enemy.
Mr.. Grosvenor CT N. Y. spoke at some
length against the amendment. Alter go
ing over the ground taken by MIR. Shelley
against adding to our present army, he sta
ted that. what ever might be the circumstan-
ces OF he Country, they could nave DO weignt
unless is were proved that the men a,rsad, au.
thorized by law TO be raised could be recruit
ted. We had mt in service altogether more
than perhaps IS 900 regulars, whist officers
were appointed x Receiving compensation for
fur tlmes the nutnber. He protested also
against the doctrine that this force was to
be voted because the Executive had requir-
ed it. On all sutjeCis coming before t.i-m,
they ought to Judge for themselves, as the
Constitution required. The only question
ought to be, not, does the Executive request
this or request that, bat, does the country
require thus Or require that He then noticed
the remarks on the present aspect of Euro
pean aHAirs. l have iong thought. said MIR.
q. that this war would lead you inio the
difficulty the gentleman from Louisiana sug-
gests. never believed you would carry in
to effect your project. / am glad thai gen
tlemen are waking 20 then senses on this
subject, that they are think ing OF ma
king provision for defsnce instead <uf con-
quest Once the subject was diffef ently
few regiments into Cansda, and sweep bri-
,iSh power from the Continent. In theory,
Nj q. said, we were coming to our senses,
Blu, our practice was against our theory. AL
though the object of the war never could
be at aimed. .%e were pussns Oh in the same
old clustering manner, laying enbargoes,
raising armies Sc.Mr. @ ridicuied the idea
| which had been held out Of the eff riency IF
the protection afforded TO the maritime from
tier quoted the address of the Republican
Legislature of North Carolina to disprove
it cited the exposed situation Of Nsryiand
and other states bordering on the ocean !;
and seid, in short, that there were not ten
points from Maine 70 Georgia, but what
were exposed and lay ~ the mercy Of the
enemy, &c. The country possessed fesour-
ces enough in men and Money. and would
unite and freely eXpend 10th IN oppositi, n
to any invading enemy. Bat, the people
would not agree to carry on this offensive
war, about The causes Of which its very adj
vccates disagree they were not satisfied
thai the blood of tAe nation ought to be I,onrcd
for to attain objects not essentially impaI--
tant; and which, if important they were,
are not within cur grasp at this time. Mr..
G. again turned his attention u the bill, and
sail there were thousands of men appointed
20 military office living like levches on the
Treasury. who were unemployed AID he
! saw no reason for adding to their numbers,
as proposed by this bill.
Mr.. Rhea OF len. spoke in favor of the
amendment. He paid all respect to the atI-
vice OF gentlemen in opposition to il, but at
present he could not take it. because he
was compelled t. pursue his awn opinion
which was favorable 10 every measure CAL
cuated to support a war which he religious
~ believed to be just and undertaken in a
good cause
Mr. Robertson OF Lou. again spoke part
iy IN explanation and partly II reply to those
who hid followed him. H disayowed any
assert ton, as impu,ed tn him, that tie OIL
Gers now in service we're not &c be trustee.
lie denied also, that he had cort nded for
the infa'llbiiity 0f tx cative recon- nenda-
TONS He had been veiy much misunGer..
stood too, he said, ii ne had been UNDER
stood to feel any paiic or aft ction of the
nerves at the magnitude of British power
b It was it not well TO unders, and the cha.
racfer of your enemyf The gentlemen on
the other side had frequently Xprs ssed heir
fears If the performance of France. Were
thew panic struck at the power Of the Cor
scian VrantI Were their nerves affected, &c
we're they fearful OF his might or did they
take clear view Of his power x see cause tor
apprehension in lis magnitude ? Whether
tearfdl or not OF British power, it was pro-
per to pay some regard to the extent of pow
~, greater perhaps than ever had been pos
sesseh BY any power since tn DAYS Of civil.
cation began. The situation of things On
which the present war was predica,ed was
very differeat from the present-and was it
not wise to make preparations to meet it
Mr.. X. declined On this occasion entering in
70 the subject Of the expe oditure of public
money as il!-timed, SSc. &c.
MIR. Ghnls3n also spoke in explanation,
and vlndicated his remark as to the defence
xtanded to the maritime frontier TO be
sure few villages in MarylanI had been
deau oyed. but who ever thought If defen
ding harmless villages, IN no way connected
with military operations What govern
ment but that Of BrI an ever thought of ma
King var upon them He made number of
remarks illustrative of The general defence
provided by the government, and Of the
comparative assist anCe extended to Mary
and and Virginia, and the relative CO. ope.
ration of'the,stat governments, &c. &c. &
concluded by repeating the opinion he be-
fore expressed relative to the defence of the
important posts on the seaboard.
MIR. Calhoun of S.. G.. spoke in reply to
Messrf. GrosVenor AID Webster. He said
the arguments OF these gentlemenin relation
Is the protection f the frontier, would be
much better it our memories were worse
Whp did not recollect the predictions so
often reiterated during the first session of
he twelfth Congress, that within six or at