Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1814-01-17
from 7Se zsss1 { Sdlem } Regisfe1.
EMBARGO LAW ~

IT y y 1
Nothing ever gave me more pleasure than
the new Embargo Law, because love to
sec: a; rogue tied hand and foot. The Pre-
sident's message which immediately preced>
ed the law, does not deveiope q thousandth
,,s,rt ,f 4. yillainy which was every day
coming to light, in pursuance of a system.
of illicit trade with the enemy. In Boston
they did not pretend to hide it; the prostitu-
ton was open to the sight of every one
They have there become even more aban-
doted than the Dutch, for when this mer-
cenary people sold their gun powder to the
Spaniards, who were then besissiBs their CT
ties. they openly avowed their principles,
and boldly asserted that as Dutchmen they
must prey for the success of their arms, but
as merchants they must sell their merchan-
die insthe highest market. Before the law,
that froze up this moving cloak of corrup>
tiop. almost every mans foot that moved in
the abandoned place of Boston, was running
to do mischief
The message of the President had two dis
tinct objects in view, enc only of which is
effected by the Embargo law. The Presi-
dent, it seems, not only wished to prevent
effectually the provisions and other articles
which might benefit the enemy from getting
into their hands, but to prevent also-thcir
merchandise from coming to our ports. 81
The embargo will not only prevent sup
plies from reaching the squadrons of the e-
nerny at the mouths of our ports, but will
distress the army on our frontiers and at
Quebec, and the feet at Halifax must find
it ex remedy difficult to victual without our
produce. The armies in g. Ain and Portu-
gal must suffer, for they .ase absolutely fed
from our country, and the West Iudies must
-. ,ata 4 \tpt
The Embargo, therefore, must produce the
most serious pressure upon the enemy, ii Il
be most vigorously enforced.
But as the other part ofthe Presidents
message has not as yet been carried into eff
feet the enemy are left to bring to our ports
such articlesas are not prohibaedby the Nom
importation law. The sugar, coffee, run,
&c. of the West Indies will still find their
way into our ports, and the owners of it
will get their pay in bills, drawn on Lon.
on, and other places Abroad. Wether it
would be good policy to prohibit these arti
Giles from the West Indies, and thus distress
the West India merchants still more, tile go>
vernment have not decided. AS the clamor
of this class of merchants was the exciting
cause Of the war which Great Britain wag
ed upon us Sc insidiously. no one would think
their sufierings aud ruin uamerited |. a
gfeater pressure were given to their inte-
rests.
How win the embargo operate at home :
If we had permitted the system of neutral
commerce, which was found to be growing
mn. to have subsissed much longer, the con
seouences would have been first, that the
English commerce would have been substi
tuted in the place Of. ours, for they would
have soon taught their armed vessels to dis
st,osv Hal nc,
traIs and real neutrals. and would have har-
raised the latter, while their own would
have been unmolested Alleour commerce
would therefore have been carried on by the
Fnplish. and the object of the orders in coun-
Gil most completely effected, and this evil
IDENTIFY in worse degree than when those
orders were avowedly in force.
Secondly Our own seamen would have been
gradually entering this neutral commerce,
ana in hort time Gas bad already begun to
be the CASEY neither our public or private
armed vessels could have been Manned
Our seameD being MI abroad under this mi
SCRABBLE system of commerce, would have
been at the mercy of the English, aHd that
useful and unsuspicious class OF citizens
,vonld have found themselves in a foreign
service. or on board an English man of
war.
This is not all. The supply of the enemy
with our own produce, to carry on his wars
against us, enhanced the price at home, to
a most enormous degree; while ny the ope
ration Of our non-importation law, we were
oblige to pay the highest price for foreign
articles struggled into cur ports. The en-
barge will happily lower the price OF our
own produce, which are the necessarles OF
life, and enable us to meet the exigences OF
the war with more ease and less complaint
Our own produce was enhanced, q the goods
of the smuggler were enhanced, and in this
double system Of extortion, the rich NOM
led speculator made his money, and the DO
DIV OF the people suffered. The embargo
therefore, is seasonable relief.
government not only is bound to attend
tothe qeneralinteresto OF hepeople, but ought
always to have in view the preservation and
Improvement Of the public morals. OF ali
people ON this earth, il has been ingenionsly
said. there are nope so skilful as the Ame-
ricans, in passing through the net OF the Law,
without either breaking it, or entangling
themselves in its eshes. This may be "a
proof of their keennsss, but by no means
favorable circumstance TO their morals. In
Boston the old embargo law, was and the
present non-im portation law, is violated with
p hold and shameless front. To facilitate
the system Of smuggling our own produce
10 the eaemy, there is a little Island down
off Mlachas, owned by some individuals IN
Salem. known by the name.of Rognes Island
since the smuggling system commenced, We"
nv we'll calculated for tho illicit trade. On
one side there is an inlet Of the sea running
nearly across it, say for mile; about half
way in it il widens into bason large enough
10 contain several smugglers, so completely
covered in the midst OF forest, that you
might pass by the Island thousand times
and never suspect any thing within 10
this place the smuggler resorts with his