Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1815-01-23

lenurciy dcurOycos upou pfrtcHCc o. ic-
touring other interclts. Had the mer
IchaEss If this nation been permitted, BY
Ithcir own Government, to purfne an in
Inocent and lawful commerce, how differ
lent would have been The fate of the
|treafury and Of public credit! How
fhort lighted and mifcrabls is tie policy
which has annihilased this order Of men,
and doomed their fhips to rot in the
docks, their capitalize waite unemployed,
and their affections to be alicnated from
the g oyernmen1 which was formed to
protect them! What iecurity for IN
ample and unfailins revenue can ever
be had, comparable TO that which once
was realized in the good faith, punctual-
ity, and 1cnlc Of honor, which attac he'd
the mercantile c'ats 10 the intcreits Of rhe
G vernmcns Without commerce, where
can be found III aiment for nav Y,
and without a navy what is to COR
ititute the defence, and armament, and
glory of tbs nation No union can
be durably cssmented, in which eve
ry great intereit does not find itielf
rsaionably occu,ed againit the encroaeh-
ment anu combination Of other intrreifs
When, therefore, the paft iyitem of en-
bargoes and commercial reitrictious
fhall have been reviewed. wh,n the
tluctuAsIon and inconsistency of public
lnraiures, Detraying wan. Of intorma,
tion as well as feeling in the majority,
ihall have been conGdeted, the reaiona-
blencis of lone reitrictions upon the
power of base majority to repeat thele
oppreiIions, will appear to be obvious.
/ he next amendment propoies to ref
sr:c, the power Of making objective war.
In the confederation of tnis anenument
it IS not nectila'y to enquire into the juf-
sice of the prcfent war But one ienti,
ment now exits in relation to lis expes
diency, and regret for IT'S declaration is
nearly urivcrial. No Indemnify can ev
er be attained for this terrible Calamity,
and iss only palliatlon mutt be found in
obltacles 10 its future recurrence. Rare.
ly can the fate Of this country call for
or iuitity cffcniive war. The genius OF
our lniti;utlons is uniavorablc to Its Tue
cefsful proleeution; the felicity of our
lituation cxempis Us from lis necefity
In this cafe as in the former, thole more
Immediately expelled 10 its fatal Effects
arc a minority of the nation. The com
merciaI towns, the flores of our feas and
rivers, contain the population, whole
vital interefs are mott Vulnerable by a
iorelan enemy Agriculture, indeed,
NUT fcel at lait, bur this appeal TO IFS
fenfoili,y comes too late Again, the
immerlc population, which has fwarmed
into tie Wet, remote from ia,med'ate
danger, and which is conAaDtly augmeli
ting, will not b. averir from the occa
iional disturbance Of the Atlantic iiatrs.
thus intcrcit may not uafrequently com
bme with palli9n ana intrigue, TO plunge
the nation into needless wars, aud com
pei it to become a military, rather than
happy and aourilhins people. lhsie
conlidcrations which il would be rziy TO
augment, call loudly for The Limitation
propoied in the amendment.
Another amendment, fu5ordinstc in
importance, bur It'll in high degree ex
pedien., relates 10 the excIuGon Of tor
eigners, hereafter arriving in The United
States, from the capacity OF holding OH
ces OF fruls, heaor or protit.
That the ttock OF population already
in theie States, is amply fniHcIcnt 70
render this nation in due time iuillcarEt
| ly great and powerful, is not a conuo
vcrtiblr queition-Nor will il be lrriouny
pretended that the national deficiency in
wifdom, arts, fciencc, arms or Viz US,
needs to be repleLiihed from foreign
countries. Still, it is agreed, that a Ebcr-
al policy fhou.d fer the rights Of hof.
pitality, aud the ch ice of iettIcment to
;laolc who are diipolei TO wifi The coun-
TRY But why admit TO participation
ia the government aliens who were no
parties TO the compact |; who are ignor-
ant Of the nature Of our initstutions, and
have no take in The welfare Of the coun-
try, bur what is recon. and traniitory
Its furely privilege fudiclent to al-..ii
them after due probation to become cit
liens, foe all but political purpoiss 10
extend it beyond shetc llmlts, is to en-
courage foreigners to come to theie itases