Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-02-18
JourRentb Gougress... and Sfssicn
DEBATE ON COMMERCIAL IN
TERCOURSE.
In the Houjs Of Representatives.,
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20.


The Hcufe in committee OF the whole,
Mr.. BREcKENRiDeE in the chair, on the
bill to prohibit oil Commercial lnts,cour,f
1vitb b5rfs or places, into or 1vitb 1Ubicb the
ve0ds Of the United States are nat oydinari.
" permitted to ester and trade"
DIR. KING, of Maifachufetts obferv
cd that it vas only nece6ary to fuggeit
10 the committee the great mpertai.ce of
the fubiect under dltcutiion to iniufe to
il al! the attention il demanded. Il was
not subject that reipeeted particular
claffts III iocietv, or particular ftctIons OF
the country but it had direct bearing
upon our national PROPERTY and national
de encs. Commerce aud navigation we're
indeed indiviiible, and their intimate con-
nection with the agricultural and manu-
featuring intereit was known to all. The
regulations propoled by the bill bore no
analogy TO the reitriGtive fyiiem, COM
meRc,ng with the non-importation act OF
1906, and ending with war IN 1912 /:
to convert it into an engine of war. which
reacted with greater force upon our eiti-
zens than it acted upon our enemy,
The prefent regulations, it adopted,
would be in felf defence to retaliate upon
foreign nations fome of their injurious
impoGtions. II never has been the poll
cy of this country to begin fyfem of
this kind, but it is her true policy to
countervail the regulations of ether ma
tons. An hon. Gentleman from South
Carolina (Mr. Calhoun, who does not
appear to have examined this subject
with his ufual accuracy and preciGon, in
the few observations he fubn.i,teo yeher
day, thinks that regulations Of the kind
contemplated by this bill ought to be the
fubjed of compact or treaty why then
is the power to regulate commerce yeit.
ed in Corgrefs Especially if the doc
trine contended for by fome hon. gentle
men be correct, as in the cafe of the late
commercial convention with Great Brit
ain, that the fanetion of Congiefs is not
necefary to the validity of fuch conven-
ton. But, FIR. it requires the content of
two nations to form treaty, though we
may pats laws regulating commerce And
fuch laws are infinitely mere permanent
than treaties. Take the cafe of Great
Britain in relation TO her celebrated nav
igation act which has now exiited fer
more than one hundred and fifty years
How often have her treaties within that
time, been renewed, with the principal
nations of Europe ! Laws thus paiIed,
thus permanent, are not liable to be torn
aiunder by every bait of war. But, FIR,
we have no option left-fome of the ma
tons of EUROPE, one at leaf, has eftab.
liihed her regulations, injurious as we
think to our navigation, and refuies 10
treat on the fubjed nor will fhe ever
treat thereon, if you thus acquiefce. A
free and fair commerce with all the
world is what we with AN absence of
all reitrictions but If other nations will
not puriue this courfe, we mutt retaliate,
or facrifce the beft interells of the coun-
try.
| with, Gr, to draw the attention of
the committee to the language and opin-
ions of fome of our moa diitinguithed
itatelmen on this fubjtct in 1884, the re.
port of a committee Of Congreis under
the confederation. two of which commit
tee were Mr.. JeiIerfon and the late Vice
PreGdent, MIR. Gerry-co contains thefe
paragraphs /" The trulf repofed IN Con
grefs renders it their duty TO be attentive
to the conduct of foreign nations, ADD 10
prevent or refrain, as far as may be, all
fuch proceedings as might prove injuri-
Gus to the United States. The htuatlon
of commerce at this time claims the at
tention of the feveral ftates, and few OBJ
ieats of greater importance can preient
themfelves to their notice. The fortune
of every citizen is inrereifed in the iuc-
cefs thereof: for it is the conitant fource
of wealth and incentive to induitry and
the value of our produce and our land
mutt ever rife or fall 10 proportion to the
prosperous or adverfe rate of trade"
Already has Great Britain adopted
regulations deitructive of our commerce
with her Wet India Hands. There was
reafon to expect that meaiures so unequal
and 70 little calculated to promote mer-