Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-02-01
Prom Co66en's Weekly Political Register
of October 90, 1914.
RETALIATION.

lie
newspapers, about the destructive mode of
warfare now waging in Canada, aud in the
United States. The two former have en-
pioyed the most violent invectives against
our government, on account Of the burning
of Washington, and other places, while we
have SET up, as justification of these rIgors
Gus measures, the plea of retaliation that
Is to say, have allcdged, that the burning
and ransackisg Of defenceless toms. and
the carrying away OF private property from
our Provinces in Canada. AEGEAN with the
Americans and that what our troops have
since done, what houses they have set fire
to, what property they have taken away
ard what numbers of innocent people they
have ruined, instead Of beng either wanton,
barbarous. or unjust, was fair retaliation
for the injuries they had done US, and per.
fectly consistent with the esta bliohed laws
O. nations. 1t the practice OF shedding hu- :
man blood in battle is at all justihsble, / do
not see why one nation has a right more
than another, of deviatiuS from the cons
mon and prescribed rules OF CARRYING OH this
work OF destruction. i cannot admit, be
cause one people, no call themselves ciUi
fzed, should, in order 10 get the better Of
their neighbors, take into their head to copy
the practices of sdUzses el61r6arians, that
the same practices. The one having, i'll a
moment of frenzy, employed an instrument,
TO cut his ncighbor's throat, different from
that which in cold btood. he had agreed to
use in Ihe performance of this humane act,
il seems To be only fair play that his oppo.
nent should satiate his thirst for human gore
in a way, at least, as horrible aud savage
as his neighbor. Were the party who hid
been provoked to seek his revenge in still
more terrible manner, perhaps something
might even then be offered in his vindica
ton At all events, if the Americans were
really guilty, in he first instance. of the
wanton aud dreadful outrages of which we
accuse them if they set the example Of de-
vastaticn and barbarity, of which we SO
loudly complain, and under which we shelter
ourselves from the commission of similar
outragcs, am quite satisfied that they have
suffered nothing iaore than they deserved.
and that the French people, in place of as
Stimulating us TO Attila and his Huns, or Ro.
bespierre and his bravad0es, ought, in jus>
tice, to draw the comparison between these
inhuman monsters and the Americans them.
selves. But there is a circumstance which,
it IS necessary, should be attended to in de :
termining this important question, namely
whether the acts and deeds of the Ameri
full revenge we have taken, were nnautho
rised, or afterwards sanctioned, by rte 4n.e
Tican government. If appeared that these
crueiIies were committed, in consequence
OF an order from the Secretary of War, or
any other person holding responsible stu
alton in :he government, then there would
be no room for doub. the question would
be decided against the AMERICANS, and
Great Britain stand acquiHea in the eyss of
OF the universe. il. however, it should turn
out, that neither MIR, Madison. nor auy in :
dividnal connected with his government di-
rectly Or indirectly, issued such an order,
eandor will compel US to acknowledge, that
We have been rather rash in the severe GEN.
sures we have pronounced upon the Anne
Tican government. But if, upon farther in.
quiry, we bod, thai every thing has been
done by that government which prudence
could dictate, or which We ourselves could
devise, to soften the rigors of war If it
should appear, that the American President,
anticipating the dreadful evils Consequent
OIL a state of hostility, adopted precautionary
measures, in order to aDletioTafe the condi.
tiun of the Invaders as well as the invaded :;
II we should discover. that where any thing
contrary to the usages Of war, any of those
Siolences inseparable from state of war.
ware, occurred, the individuals engaged in
these, or who may have exercised any IN.
necessary severity. were brought to trial.
or punished for the impropriety of their
conduct. IF, ] say, such should appear 20
have been the way in which the American
government have acted in such cases, it will
be impossible To condemn Mr.. Madison I'D .
on Just grounds, or to clear us ct those char
yes of cruelty, barbarity and wanton prcci
pitancy, which our neighbors have so lavish
ly brought against us. The Courier, and
all our hireling tribe of journalists, follow
ing its example, lave sta5ed, that from the
irst invasion Of Upper Canada by the
SAmericaD forces, upd. s brigadier general
Hull, they manifested disposition of
'marking cut, as objects Of peculiar resent
nlsnt. all loyal subjects of his majesty, and
booming their properly to plumber and
conAagration.' That the Americans ina,
ded Upper Canada after war had broken
out between the two counties, Is q fact we
canAOt doubt; but that they should behave
in the manner here pointed out; that they
should shew peculiar resentment towards
some OF the inhabitants merely because they
were loyal subjects, and doom their proper
ty to destruction, for no other reason than
that they were attached to their lawful so.
vereign, is what no reasonable person will
believe, who knows any Of the RESPECT
the American ministers have always shewn
20 the government of other States, and the
extraordinary devotion Of the people to their
own political institutions. The charge in
deed has been held so absurd by the Ame-