Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1814-02-28

!. ton from their own government !;
that, IT he usual outlets of commerce
were fhut, new ones would be Omen
ed, that the trade with neutral ma
lions would be mdulged and encoura-
ged and that means would be fup
piled them by provident Govern
: ment to meet the exactions and con-
tributions, peceilary to defray an G.
nornous and continually increafing
expence. Inifead of this, they find,
thai In proportion as the demands of
government multiply, the means of
complying with them are cut off,
until their flare fjbery, and coating
trade, the poor remnant which had
been eft them of their once fourth
ing commerce, are prohibited, by an
act more unfeeling and odious than
the Bottom Port Bill, which routed
the Colonies into independence
This act is denounced by all the
memoriallits in the warmea and mott
energetic language, as a grofs and
paipab.e violation of the principles of
the Contribution and they express
decidedly their opinion, that it cannot
be fubmitted to without puiilani-
NOUS furrenoer of thofc rights and
liberties which their anceitors
brought to thele fhlres, which they
fought and bled to maintain, and
which we, their descendants ought TO
be ready 10 defend at the fame ex.
penle and hazard, or forfeit the char
acter of frcemen.
With fuch Iifplay of grievances,
fufferlngs and approximations before
them, couched in terms of affecting
eloquence and breathing a fpirit of
firmnefs and relolation, to procure by
fome means competent relief, your
committee cannot but be forcibly i'm
prened. They beiieve in the exit
ence of thofe grievances, and in the
cauie to which they have been ascri
bed. They believe that this var 10
fertile in calami,ies and 70 threaten
ing in its consequences, has been wa
ged with the WORT pofibe views, *
carried on in the WORT poiiible man
ner, forming union OF wlckednels
and weakness, which dclies for a par
allei the annals Of the world We
believe alto that its WORT effects are
yet to come, that loan upon loan, tax
uDon tax, and exactioE upon exaction
mutt be inpofed, until The comforts
ofthe prefent and the hopes OF the H.
Gng generation, are deitroyed An
impoverished people. will be an emilia
we'd people. An army Of lixiy thou.
sand men, become veterans by The |
time the war is ended, may be the |
initrunent as in former times, of def
troying even the forms of Liberty !;
and il will be as eafy to eltablilh a
PreGdent for life. by their arms, as it
has been for fonr yea,5 by intrigus
We remble for the liberties OF our
Country We think i, the du,y Of
the prefent generation, to ftand be
tween the next and defpotifm.
The committee are opinion thai
the late act laying an embargo is an
conitltutional, and void, in divers of
its provillons not upon the narrow
ground that the contribution has
expressly prohibited (uch acts, bat up
on The more broad and liberal ground
that the people never gave power to
Congref to enact them "A direct
prohibition would have weakened the
argument againh them, becaufe it
would have induced an apprehension
that fuoh power might be ufurped.
A power to regulate commerce is
abufed when employed to deilroy it,
and manifeit and voluntary aouie of
power functions the right of reGf-
anoe as much as direct and palpabe
usurpation The sovereignty relerved
to the States, was referved to protect
the citizens from ads of violence
by the United States, as well as for
pnrPoies of domeitic regulation We
ipuin the idea that the free fovereien
and independent State of Maflachu
ietts is reduced to a mere municipal
corporation. without power to protect
its people and to defend them from
oppreilion, from whatever quarter it
comes. Whenever the national