Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-03-18

assei ton contained in Mr. Madison's late
Messfgc; because he most explicitly as.
'er's, that se SYsrc the aggressors. HI !
says:
"Ha;ipg for5one to declare war until to
ether aggressions had bs,D added the cap
turc ofnearly ore thousand American YES
sells, ard the impressmsnt Of thousands Of
sea-taring citizens, and until final decla
ration had been made by The government oi
Great Britain, t;.It her hesti.c orders against
our comWercc would rot be revoked, but
en cCnditiors as Impossible as uriust, willis,
IL was known that these orders would no
otherwise cease bat will, war, which had
lasted nearly twenty years and which, &C.
cording tn appearances at that time, might
last as many understanding mantle sted on
every occasion ard in esefy proper mode, a
sincere desire 10 meet the enemy on the
ground of justice, cur r, so'u'icn to defend our
beloved country, ardto oppose 70 the enc,
my's perserering hostility all our energy,
with an undimnished disposition towards
peace and friendship or honorable terms,
must carry with it the good wishes Of the
impartial world, and the best hopes of SUP.
per, from an omnipo,ent and kiad Provi4
dence."
Now, sir what could have wished to
see was contradiction OF this assertion with
regard TO these thousand vessels and these
thousands Of impressed American citizens.
You may be well assured, that this Message
will be read with deep and general interest
on the Continent Of Europe. This Message
and your Speech are before the WORLD
Not before this nation only, but before all
the nations in the world, Every man viii
form his own judgment upon them. 1t IS
not reasonable TO suppose that Mr. Madi.
sons assertion will be disbelieved, unless 1t
be proved to be false. II may do here for
our public prints to call him, as they do
" liar, fool, traitor, usurper, coward" and
the like. This may satisfy those who in
habit the country through which runs the
Serpentine river ; but it will ave no weight,
or at least, no weight against Mr. Madison,
in other countries His assertion, therefore.
relative to the thousand vessels and the
thousands Of impressed sea farins citizens T
could wish very much to see contradicted
and cisproved in some Official and authentic
way; for until that be done. / am afraid
that we may Law our account with his be-
ing believed by 4 great majority of the
world And II he be believed il the world
d. believe. that we really did CAPTURE
Thousand Republ car vessels that we real.
Iy did impress thousands of sea faring citi
zens het.re the Congress declared war / am
afraid hat il must be doubted whether the
declaration Of war was wholly an unpro
V ked aggression on the part of America =
j am aware, that there will he no doubt
upon the-suajectin this country, which me-
yer was oDeaged in war so popular as
this believe, that, If the whole nation
panpers ard all. were put to the vote, thar
there would appear for the war nine hum
dred aud ninety nine out of every thousand.
4
pitch where It keeps them. There are p,e
valent ihcse notions list, that the Repub.
lie joined Napoleon in the war against us
I'd, that we now are able to punish her Tor
this Sd, that she went to war for the pur.
pose of robbing us OF maritime rights essen
tr;l 10 our very existence Eth. that she NAV
row, now, now, be crippled forever; Str.
that we ought, ut least, to Continue the war,
) Till we have effaced by victories oyey he
Republican ehiDs, the recollection of the sf-
fairs cf the Java, the Guerrier, the Mace
doniaR, The Avon and Of those on the Lakes.
The events in the Chesapeake, and the de.
'scription of them, have caused the nation 70
lock upon the Republicans as cowards.-
Ibis rs very Inconsistent with the before
mentioned notion but it prevails. So. that.
here are all sorts Of ingredients necessary
TO make war ropular, and popular it is
pVI"ht SNSIJ tHlnB VIII ever vas DODuar
1t is quite useless for any one to attemnt 10
remove any of these notions, which have
taken fast hold, and which it will reonire
soue years Ct war to shake. Jonathan
therelore, has no ground for reliance on auv
opposition in this C nntrv. The opposition
IN Parliament will only be as to the mode q,
PrcsS cutting the war. If they censure. the
burden Of their censure will be, not aeaius,
the war, but against those who have not
done enough against the enemy. The war
therefore, has popularity to recon mend II
This allow, and, in so doing, / have the
modification TO confess, that all nv lab, ~
against tie var have proved wholly useless.
Still hiik myself bound 10 endeayor. as
occa'ios may cEer, to give my reasons a..
ga'nsl its further ntinuaace.
Twas happy to see, 10 he newspaper re.
port cf our Speech, that you have ga tin
cere dcsire TO bring This war to Conclusion
en- just and honorable terms :" and as Mr.
AZ adiscn expresses the san desire. LET me.
hope, that The conclusion Of the war NAV
soon take plsce, wi.hrut wsiing I'll more
sea battles have efa-ed the fesoll. ct;on of
those 'hich have already taken rlace. Rnt
SIR, wha. pity it is that the ar did not
end with the war in Europe. What a pitv
It IS that Mr.. Madison has 70 Complain cf
delays TN our part 70 give eject To- our o,s,
proposition Tor 4 CtTeCt uepct;.t;n, .er1.