Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1815-12-09
THE FOURTEENTH CONGRESS.


THE FOURTEENTH CONGRESS.
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The Council FIR Of the Nation is, at
length, kintlcd under the happisst circum-
stances. Peace is around ali our borders
The People st "under their own vines
and their own hg-trees; and there is none
to make them afraid'' Glory gltls the
past; and hope, the future. For the yst
time, for these many years, the Talk Of
Uur Sachem is full of the most joyful IT,
dings. Ii breathes peace and good will TO
all men. He has no tale to tell, which
can harrow up our hearts, or alarm our
honor-ao aggresslons upon our rights to
denounce--no impressment ofour seamen,
no sweeping blockade upon the s-as--no
bloodshed upon the frontiers--and no citi-
zen seiz d by pirates, and cast into the
dungeons of BarbaIy. HIS Talk is all
peace, all harmony, all hope. 1t speaks
the words of the S9ge--it advises; it
points out the rccks upon which we May
split, the precautions which we should
take-but he does 1t III so cheering and
cheerful tone, that it soothes While il in
cites ms.
Indeed. which Of as can look back upon
the sceoes thro' which we have passed,
without feeling the most raptuFous emo
fioGc 81 The ;ss'Ge,sert = .Os 4 az -, mal
lndigni,ies had we not sustaineds What
injuries had we not suffered? The Moth
er Country, rs she calls herself, had hruis-
ed us like reed. She had tramp.ed on
our jurisdiction had she'd the blood of a
citiZen III our own waters had seized 900
OF our vessels, under the most iniqutous
pretexts hal made slaves of 5000 of our
seamen /; had struck our fiag on board
) the Inflated Chesape axe. AS was the
A go oil
4 dress, had been answered only by repeat
q ed injury" More Citizens were ipprison
n ed--more vessels were seizsd--toore ini-
n qutous pretexts we're employed At
length, their wrongs became SO fisqrant,
and oar suiterings so acute, that our char
acter bad sunk ia the eyes of the world,
and what was worse, III cur own. We
were the scoru of Europe. A party in cur
own bosom, who We're gTaSping at the
4 Teins Of power by whatever arts thy
could obtain it, sueered at 10 for our impo,-
tence, declared that We could not be
kicked into a war; ;" at the very moment
when they were>deDying US the means of
carrying it on. Che b,st patriots among
US began to droop. Whispers went forth
mat our constitution ought to be charged !;
that our government was too weak and
.'at twas necessary to impart TO it grea-
ter energy.
The Crisis az length approached.-
Should we submit should we become
slaves--or, should we risk every thing BIZ
craving the sword Livery danger seem
ed preferable to submisson-and the sword
GVas drawn. We had been at peace for
more than IS years-the heroes of the last
war nearly gone; and our military skill at
very low ebb--our fleet small--the rolls
OF the army incomplete.-But we trgsted
20 the spirit of the peope-we trusted TO
s mat love of country, which works miracles
IL asRepublic-we trusted to the energes Of
our minds, the stcuiness Of our hearts, and
70 publc credit which had never known
STAN IN all its engagements-Had our
& country bsen united, our resources would
nave been improved--but, we had partv
amongst us, who took part against us
VINO vindlcated the enemy, ridiculed our
aoihties, and did almost every thing ia their
Mpower to deprive us of men and money
ne war was waged too, while the ener-
s. 6'es OF the Constitution were untried and
many coed man apprehcnsve. that II
F. Vas too weak for war, and that the union
W"ould be split to pieces in the shock.
What difficulties we experienced, what
Oahgers we sustained, it is unnecessary to
Mfepeat. They are too fir sh in all onr .
~N-Di'"s -ADH NAN-ii tilt ilcATE was gtuTu
ml2torsun~, how often it was thrilled nv
dc brightest trophies whieh ever beameJ
pom the warriors brow, it is useless to
y. But even now we cannot look bock
poh The dizzy precipice, on which we
ere supposed TO hang, without the d. ep.
emoton-when The war was elossd in
,@hce' and the troops Of Wellington
91Fed upon orr country, when the Eng
s"han came in the pride Of his heart to
ana to conquer, when Washington, in
n dctenceless village. though nomi-
.y the metropolis If the Union, was
Heu by the cncmy---and, when at this
@est day of our republic. the tide was
go by toe strength Of freemen, nd the
o,,'eS at Baltimore. jhe glories Of Ma
10 OF MeOonougR, aud Of jackson,
1aYsly flashed before US How tha'