Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-01-29

mods aiut wiuks and sly suggestions The |
ample columns of the Aurora have been |
will a huge mass q! papers, |
Iva, Ing Ro real bearing on the question,
and OF arguments dednccd thercirnni,
Which must Oi course be Of the sao,e char
acyer We lave been told what this
Southern patriot lid, and What ano,h,r
said-wheis one Was born, and where an-
other l,as lived or died /; all which laior-
nation, sufficiently interesting indeed in
itself, as must be every thing concernirg
the revolution in the South, has Yet no
sort oi.bearing on the question al issue;
since II neither proves the right Of the
s0i-disant patriots of Amelia TO occupy
The island, nor disproye the right OF ,he
United States to take il from them. Mel
Their does it AT all touch the policy of the
United States; which, after all. must be
the guide OF our statesmen, taking care
that, in pursuing it. they neither violate
the written or common law OF nations,
nor exceed their own powers. The mode
of treating this question * particularly
disingenuous, as il coniounds with the
rational and high minded patriots of the
South description of men of whom we
will say no more than that there were a.
mong them but one or two South Amerl-
| cans, and that their acknowledged object
was the plumber of the ocean.
The first objection directed against the
order for occupying Amelia, was the de-
| feet of power IN the Executive; the ex-
| pediency of the measure not being ques
| toned. The events of the last three
years seemed to have absorbed all recol-
| lection of our previous national history ::
and all memory appeared to have passed
away of an act which when ii passed, was
| the subject of much public controversy.
| Though the existence of the act IN ques-
lion was well known, yet, as it had never
been officially published, and appeared
| to have been forgotten, lis publication was
/ lately directed. On the publications oil this
| act, the clamor subsidized for a moment
aud nothing was heard but few exclama-
tions at such an act having been so long
| kept secret, and AT the danger oil the Ex
| ccutive being Invested with such secret
| power. To shew now just this complaint
| is, we have turned TO "a letter from the
| Secretary of Stale To Mr.. Foster, then
| British Minister, dated Nov. ,, 1911, more
! than six years ago, IN which Is the follow
| ing passage:
e The subject was brought before Congress
NJ its last session when an act was passed an
thorziDg the Executive TO accept possession of
East Florida from the local authorities, or 10
fdhe ~ against tHe ntteHDt NJ a. Foreign pOUtT 20
occupy ii holding it in either case subject to tu-
ture and friendly negotiation"
1t further app ars, from the same do
cument, that our Ministers at London and
Paris had previously officially announced
these acts, with proper explanations, 10
the British and French governments.
The recollection OF this uery secret act,
the import of which had been announced
10 the nation and TO the world some half
dozen years ago, having been revived by
lis official publication, the ground is
shifted, and the government assailed from
different position with what effect we
shall soon see.
There was no reason, it is said, for the
measure, admitting it to be authorized !;
| since, If Florida is 10 belong TO the United
| States, they might as well purchase il of
| The Patriots as of the Spanish govern
| meni.S Now, we undertake TO say, that
| the Executive UaS bound to act as he has
done, apart from all considerations of ia
vor or affection, and i'll strict conformity
| TO the declared intentions of our govern
| ment for many years past. No argument
| can be necessary to establish this, when
we have il in our power again to refresh
| the memory of writer's and readers, by
| producing documentary proof of The poll
L
States, in the most formal manner, so
long ago as before the commencement OF
! the late war with Great Britain.
Subsequent 10 the taking possession OF
| the part OF West Florida which we claimed
as forming part OF the pure hased territory
| of Louisiana as held by France, the Brit
ish minister resident here, (Mr. Foster,
| thought fit, at the instigation of the Che
Waller de Onis (who, like the Patriot MIN,
listers now, had been appointed but was
not received as the Minister of Spain
to make representation on the subject
| 10 our government. His official note
bearing date the 5th of Sept. 1911, will be
found in the National InteIligencer o!
| Nov. 1871 and in page 1871, vol. 8, of the
| American State Papers; to which vaIua-
| BILE work those DESTROYS To peruse all the
correspondence on the subject are refer
red. From the answer of the Secretary
of State (Mr. Monroe) dated on the I'd
| Nov. 1911, and communicated 10 Congress
| a few days after, we transcrlbe the follow
lug paragraph, having an important bear
ing on the present question
| Ii wOuidbe highly improper for the United
States, i'll their respect for Spain, TO forget
| what they owe to their own character, and to
| the rights of their injured citizens.
| Under these circumstances II wOnld be
| equally unjust and diShOnOT0ble in the United
! States 20 suffer East FLoridd 70 pass into the
| possession ofANY OTHER POWER. Unjust, be
cause they would thereby lose the only inden
| nifty within their reach, for injuries which
| ought long since to have beeD redressed. Dis
| honorable, because, in permitting another
| power to Urest from them that indemnity, their
| inactivity aud acquiescence could only he i'm
| pnted to unworthy motives. Situated as Eas
| Florida is, cut off from the other possessions o.
| Spain, aud surrounded III great measure bN
| the territory of the United States and having
| also an important bearisc or their commerce
no other porer could think Of taking possession