Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-02-11
CONGRESS.
DEBATE ONCOMMEGCTAL INTER
COURSE,
Ia The Toa5s IF Representatives..
IC0Atinned.



The House in committee of the whole,
MIR. BRECKBN RIDGE in the chair, on
tn, bill "to prohibit cN Con,merciaI infn'-
cowrse irih TIE parts or places, into o. NTH
'ohich tie resSeis ofthe United States are nut
ordinariiy permitted 70 enter and t,rde."
MIR. Smith, Of MARYLAND, then address,.
the COMMITTEE. The subject OF this biz,
he SAID, was re Of great importance and
great delicacy. Apathy appeared TO pre-
Vali III The House during lis consldera-
ton; aud vet never had any subiect
been Before Congress more important ia
rs consequences. IL had been observed
10 him, he SAID, by an honorable friend,
that i'll general, navigation and commerce.
were considered and used as SYNONYMOUS
terms, though materially differing ana
distinct from cash other. 1t was the
correct policY Of this country not to at
tempt TO aid the navigation of the coun-
Try by measures which might he greatly
injurious to It's commercial interests II
was equally its true policy to aceedc 10
proposiiCrs which could not prove ma
terialIy injurious To coinnert c, and were
at The same time greatly beneficial 10 ma
VACATION. Ii, then, no material injury
could result to commerce from the pas
sage OF this Bill. but great benefit To-
navigation, the House ought 10 pass L.
by promoting the navigation OF The
country, we secure the materials with
which we man our Navy, all establish
ment so necessary 10 protect the honor
andinterest al the country. Without an
extensive navigation, commerce corld
not be protected. Some sacrifices there
lore were occasionally required from the
coihmercia! Interest of countrv, 10 al
tain the great object of an increase OF na-
VACATION. ii was not proper for US PEE
haps 10 say that foreign nations, having
established colonies which they are bound
To protect, should not have gight 10 So
cure 20 themselves the whole OF the navi-
CATION and commerce of those colonies.
such hat been the course o! all nations.
Ia secure 10 themselves, In reuavhteii1 OF
the expences incurred by Tie colonies,
the exclusive right 10 navigation 10 and
from their ports five had colonies, Mr.
>. SAID, he lid not know that we sh1uid
pursue The same course. So far ~ ttic
history OF our government affords any
example on this head, there WAS an illus
traitor OF the same policy on oar part, IN
cur refusal to foreign nations al Ike sight
TO trade with TIE Indians Within our IL
mils without special permission--and be
believed proposition was now or the
with them or any conditions. But If a
foreign mutton, thus holding colonies.
derives great advantage from trade with
orr country and Vel excludes our vessels
from any participation in il, IL we can
coerce her 10 abandon tliat policy, we are
bound, attending 10 the interest of our
navigation, TO 10 so, if we can 10 SO with
out tie hazard OF too great injury 10 o.
thcr interests.
The friends of this bill then ought
trst to shew that we can coerce Great
Britain 10 admit us into a particinaiisn
of the trade with her colonies. witbouI
fnaleriallnjurv to the commercial and 9th
er interests ofthe country.
The effect ofthis measure on the com
merce of the United States. Mr.. S. said
mustbe considered in two lights first
as regarded importation, and, secondly, DIS
regarded expectation.
Shall we lose any thing, he asked, by
prohibiting importation from the West In
dies, unless in vessels of the United
States. The principal articles of impor-
iahon are coffee, sugar and rum. Shall
we inJure the revenue the United States,
or raise too high the prices of those arti-
cies IN the market, by the proposed mea
sure MIR. =. said he thought il could be
clearly shewn that no injury Of this sort
would result from it. NOT only did we
get enough Of these articles (r,n except
ED from the West Indies and other conn-
tries for our consumption, but a surplus
was left for expectation. IF we are now
able to export fen or fifteen millions per
dnnum OF sugar and coffee to other coi,D-
fries, and distribute them among the ma
lions OF the world, there could be no
doubt we should always have enough
tSnPposing our communication with lie
British Colonies TO be cut Off for home
consumption and 10 maintain the Rcve-
nue.. Rum indie q could be goionly from
TIE west Indies, except ia small but in
creasng quantity from Louisiana, and
eXcepta description of that liquor called
rama, winch our people will not drink.
But suppose we could get none The
brandies OF Europe are equally rood.
| and linot more hcalthy-and the whiskcy
OF our country (gIyc it age, or turn it into
| 9ln) was not inferior, in his opjaion. TO
either. On this point, he said he spoke
| experimenialIy he bad ofthafl innor six
| or eigh Int years old, and h. preferred i, lo
| brandy though Others did not The
people,. he said, would get accustomed TO
II, and # would be generally preferred TO
| Rum, which WAS IN no view an indisncn-
sable article. From documents on fine
table, Mr.. $. said, it appeared that The
| Revenue from importation i'm British yes
| sells from the West Indies was about two
| millions per annum. That Revenue he
/ az a.. L..