Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-08-21

l'noralsy, out even those powerful agents
AVE an uncertain and TEN orary control
yer the counteracting force of vice ann
Ioition, prejudice Il ignorance. | repeat
lit, that in the bad consequences of vice
land nothing else, is to be found its infaI.
libie corrective. Of what ADVANTAGES
vas reason in France during the reyoIu.
Ition Of what advantage were the ey-
|perience Of ages the pefsuasions, the
arguments. and denunciations of wisdom
Virtue and religion They were as chalf
I'm the whirlwind. But the disorders Of
France created their own remedy. Poll
/ tlcal and moral evils multiplied in pro.
!portion as vice and folly triumphed, unit,
-ithey became insupportable, and imposed
a necessity for reformation Or change. In
la tyrant, France found relief from apar.
!ehy. Her disorder was desperate and
required desperate remedy, and Ma.
lpoleon was the appropriate remedy. I
always considered him blessing to
/ France in that respect. (" Confusion
heard his voice. and wild uproar--stood
ruled :" Bonaparte had possessed the
power, but lacked the will to render
France great and happy. Bat although
he steered her POLITICAL bark through
.|the pillows OF popular tumnlt, he did no,
-Iendeavour to alay those bi lows. though
Ihe guided the vessel Of sta safe in tie
|midst of whirIpools and quicksands, he
directed her to haven 0 peace and
safety. Though he g rode the Nhrld.
wind and directed the sfcrm,' he did
not endcavor TO lull their rage and roc
train their impetuosity, but he directed
them against the world; ana Spain. Jtaly
Germany, T. ussia and Austria were I,,
sastafed by their fury.-But what was
the consequence of bis wickedness and
ioIly' They were punished and cor.
rected by the political disasters which
they produced. 1t required all Eprope
TO administer the remedy which again re.
Iieved tie disorder, which NaHoIcon,s
wickedness had brought upon France.
Again the remedy was desperate but 50
Twas the disease. Napoleon and his &C.
complies in guilt, have been ingulphed by
the food, which they themseles
/" wrought into tempest" for the destruc.
lion Of Europe
Thus it always has been and ALWAYS
Twill be; for luckily, mankind labor under
a moral necessity to be virAous. The
History of every nation that ever existed.
!confrms the fact, aud none more So. than
that OF these U, States. She TIVE, has
Experienced her vicissitudes from bad to
Igood. and from good to bad She has been
rewarded with prosperity for her virtue
and patriotism. and wisdom: aud she has
lbeen punished for her vice AID folly, with
poverty aud war. Under Washington,
Ishe vas in the zenith. and under Madi-
IsoH, she is in the nadir OF her orbit. Ever
isInce the administration of Washington,
vice and folly have been at work, and
they have, as usual, produced disaster
upon disaster, until they have become
almost intolerable, and demand aremedy.
These disasters are operating. TO them
alore we look for relief from political dis
iorder, for the voice of wisdom. of virtue
and Of experience have been lifted upiu
vain. For fifteen years the voice OF Fede-
alism has been warning The peope Of
their political errors, but it has been dis.
regarded. The nation began to decline
under Jefferson, and her momentum
increased, as she descended.
Embargoes and non-intercouHe laws;
the destruction of the National BANK, ard
the ruin OF commerce, FASTENED her de.
cent to the gpiph of ruin. The people
still remained blind and obstinately per-
sisted in their errors. ThevOiee Of truth
and experience was still dlsre9arded The
doctrines of federalism were still tram.
pied under foot by thetaotjous multitude.
The calamites Of the nation multiplied
in proportion to the multiplication OF those
errors, and at length rulnous wal brought
her disorder to a crisis. The people,
who heretofore, could not understand
their error, were now obliged to tee!
them, and were reduced to the necessity
of abandoning them. They did abandon
them. They built navy. and compelled
by necessity, adopted all the grand tede'
ral measures, which their reason had re-
jected. and thus the nation was saved.
Error chastised and corrected Itself wee
and folly imposed a necessity for rel"fc.
nation, and they did reform, in spite OF
their folly, their pride, and their ebstinacy
The people conceded. t necessity, W''b
they denied to reason, toey have beeno-
biged to abandon delaoc ate measures !;
they have been obliged lie adopt federal
measures-Ne foreSaw il was inevitable
we foretold it was c, ,alu f: for we de-
6. tLo L.. L1.n..cLnfic IMmo.