Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1814-11-07
FOR THE CAZETT q.
Count the Cost /;
or, consider well the consequences.

or, consider well the consequences.
1T is easy to ioresee, that Mr. Madison and
his friends will endeayour to turn the commu-
nicatons from our Ministers at Client to their
own advantage. And there is reason to fear,
that they will spread the war fever, attach Vi
client men to their party, and dupe the ignorant.
But we ought solennly to reflect upon the SUBJ
iect, before we resolve TO unite in desperate
war.
II must be remembered, that our rulers COM
menced the war, at time and under circun-
stances, which prove disposition in them to
unite with Bonaparte IN his deadly projects a.
gainst Great britain. Can we then expect to
extricate ourselves without making some sacri-
fees
five are obliged to submit TO some evils to
get rid of the war, we ought to lay these evils
upon those, who madly plunged us into the
war, against the wishes and entreaties OF the
yisct and best men in the nation. And it will
be happy circumstance if the evils, to which
we must submit, are such as vii more imme-
diately affect the guilty authors Of the war.
The friends of peace have generally pro-
iessea to believe, that the war was unecessa-
ry and unjust in the beginning. Can they
with good conscience, then, unite in sup
porting it! BY doing this must they not be
involved III all the guilt, which has been, or
which may be, contracted in prosecuting it ?
If the war is to be continued, can any one
believe, that it will be conducted with greater
wisdom, tllan it has been hitherto! II ii is
not, aud we maintain the contest ten years,
what will be our situation What our
prospects !! Can any man contemplate them
without dismay?
But it will be said, the British claims are
unwarrantable, and ought TO be resisted. They
may be unreasonable, so have Mr.. Madisons
been. We have provoked. the enemy and
do we expect they will take no advantage OF
our folly? They are subject to like passions
with ourselves. And we must expect the SER
pent will bite, five provoke him.
A roguish fellow in Vermont contrived to
get one Of Mr.. Madison's custom-house officers
who was very oflicious in seizing Struggled
goods, to put both his hands into Bear-trap,
which he had set for the pnrpose. Being caught
in the trap, the officer made dreadful cutlery.
But this did not extricate him. Finally he was
obliged 10 compound with the sharper, and
give him FIVE dollars to let him out OF the Bear
trap. This was hard, TO be sported with, and
then to pay the sportsman. But surely it was
better to pay the money, than to have lost his
hands s. bought wit is often the most valuable.
If there be any disposition in the two gov
ernments to put period to the horrors OF war,
some of the British claims might be so modi-
fed as not to injure us to any great extent.
They have given US but one sine qua non. This
respects their Indian allies, and seems to be
the necessary consequence OF our conduct In
proclaiming to the world, that the British had
employed the Indians as their allies. For II the
Indians are their allies, rs our government have
often declared, it is their duty to provide for
their security in settling atreaty OF peace. And
il would be Inamousin them to desert their al
lies, and leave them unprotected to our resent
ment.
It's time the attention of the civilized world
should be turned to the su.terings of the poor
Indians. They are the creatures oil God and
the day will come, when those who have
butchered them, will have TO answer Tor their
conduct to righteous Judge. The blood oil
Africans and the blood OF Indians cries ior ven