Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1814-04-28

sons for opposing the war with al ny
might, and for still wishing to pat an
end to it, BY the only means Depending
in any degree upon as, which believe
can be effectuai--the expulsion OF Mr.
Madison and his friends from power
These reasons,I admit, have lost much
Of their force, by the overthrow Of bo-
naparte in Russia, and still more by his
recent defeat. 1t was therefore that !
rsioiced in those events, with Joy ex-
ceedingly great. My heart, / confess, IS
lighter now. / care little about the war,
for consider the poisonous tooth OF the
serpent as drawn. He may draw our
blood By his bite, but he cannot infect
our veins. Let the war therefore, rage,
till its authors are contented or Ia
tigued. Let them be supplied with
the treasure of the nation, and lavish its
blood, till the nation is scourged into
reason and soberness; or Till through
their own futility and incapacity, the
reins drop from their hands. shall
sleep in quiet, for l no longer foresee
exile or scalfold for myself, nor slave
~ for my children. / will cheerfully
bear my part of the burdens, and take
my share of the, fatigues and dangers OF
war which consider as foolish mere
", but no longer dangerous: Ouriiber.
ty, our constitution, have been rescued
on the plains Of Russia and Saxony, ,anc
when peace returns, we shall 5000 re-
pair the trivial losses of property which
we have sustained, or may be still des'
tined to Sustain, & which are mere dust
in the balance, compared with our hber-
ties and constitution.
Such being my views Of the war, you
will perceive that 1t is not so much to
the war itself as to its time and attend
ms circumstances that l objected -
Those circumstances gave it, in my
Judgment, all it's venom. Although |
consider the aggressions and injuries of
France, as incompatible greater than
those OF England, aud think that we
ought to have chosen her as the object
of cur attack on that ground alone, yet
in the ordinary state of Europe, / would
net have submitted to one half of what
we have suffered from either. would
have gone to war with England in 1898,
if she had not then done US justice; be-
cause then the balance of power still ex-
listed, and the war could not have endan
gered our liberty. did promote war
against France in 1898, by which she
was induced 20 do US justice and /
would have fought England about her
interruption ofthe colonial trade and her
orders in council, in 1906 and 1903, if ]
had not considered her as the bulwark
of national independence at that time;
and believed that 10 weaken or embar-
rass her, by an attack or quarrel, was to
assist in paving the way for our OWE
destruction. would have armed a.
eainst the Berlin decree in 1907, which
would in all probability, have saved our
national honor, prevented the British or
ders in council, produced the repeal Of
he Berlin decree. preserved our peace,
and protected our commerce.
AS to the proper manner OF carrying
GA the war, and the true system OF ma
tional defence, your opin ons and mine
precisely accord. That contrary systs"
has been at all times obstioateiy pursn-
ed, on both heads, appears to me 10 oe
decisive prsof of the infatuation, slnls-
,er views. or utter incapacity OF those
who have governed US for fourteen years.
I find, my dear friend, that ny letter
has insensibly grown into speech. As
I am to make one soon in public, upon
an analogous subject, you must not be
surprisedif you should see the substance
of this in print. In the mean tlme' and
always, believe me- my dear sir, truly
and affectionately yours.
(Signed)
ROBERT G. HARPER: