Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-03-26

.un iavo-s were granted by them TO o.
t,er na,ioqs themselves possessing CnlO-
s.e,. .or tn equivalent OF similar fayprs
contained in return, which could not
-, be c,rcclvd t. a nation possessing no
,..J$s, and therefore not cnableJ To
c,ncale IN; equivalent. The same OBJ
lection having been ma 'e by the British
-ayerament 10 the admission Of vessels
II the Ua.ed States into tGeir,cOlOnles,
Il appea ~ deserve attention how far
tIe priaciVl. itself is juStifsbie, aud how
&c 'he URt ted States ought TO acqmesce
IN il. there are various grounds upon
witch it a??Hsrs Objectionable. I. B.
cause all the other maritime states, po.-
seSSiag colonies more or less significant,
= classification, however general in terms,
which applies by way OF exclusion, ts the
United States alone, is manittStly a m"a-
sure savcurins OF hostility TO them, as
much as i il was applied to them by
name 2. Because the United States not
only ~ the constant and unparalleled
rapid increase of their own population,
bat By the g.eat enlargement Of their
territory. and the admission of new states,
producing almost all the articles of Eu-
ropean colonies in this hemisphere. aford
To all the commercial nations Of Europe
an equivalent similar ia principle, and
Infinitely more valuable than the mere
admission ~ two or three small Islands
of the West Indies, which is all that
some o. the European states can grant
for access TO the colonies Ut ine other
5. The UTIjel States have . Just claim
20 free trade with most of the colonies
Of the West India Islands, founded in
tie occasional INDISPENSABLE necessities
u the latter. Ii the United States should
exercise their unqbestjOnable right OF
meer,ng prohibition with prohibition. the
vecy "xtteuce Of these Islands would be
IN jeopardy whenever thev should be
VESTED b. those hurricanes which So FIRE.
greatly happen among them. 1t would
ir3 urSenctsuS. and scarcely reCoDCilca-
DE II he principles Of humanity, should
-ae u. SIa,eS avail Themselves of those c.
lanlt,uS occurrences 10 stop on their part
the Intercourse which At all other times is
iaterdicted 10 them. Bv the laws of ma
ture. 10 society can be jasti6abie in a.
GoptiUg measures towards another state,
which may compe, the latter to retaliate,
IN seli-le'cuCe By measures Incompatible
with humanity vet such is the charac
tee ut the intercourse permitted by Sc
yeral Of the European nations between
thar calrnieS in the West Indies and the
-te,! States. Thus we have seen, Nth
IL ;hg last half year, the exclusion of our
vessels from the ports Of several West
India itands, and their re-EdHission an
npuncrd almost in the same gazettes. That
re- ,iriSsicn. however, limited 10 the
tms indispensable for SAVING the colony
frUIa .amiRe AMI utter decoration Their
Is >a,aythjvg so S'ariugly unequal and
Ic'Gsh in :hese alternatives ct arbitrary
inieriictioH, and uf compulsory inter
Sc, thar y is believed the nations Ct
Elrnpe possessing colonies, cannot 'ail OF
ee,ng ultimately made sensible oi IT, and
Of COnscu,irg TO establish an intercourse
upon prinCj,.es more permanent and
u,ors layuyably marked with reciprocity.
In the mean the as the government
o. the Netherlands have placed The YES
sels ot the q 5. arriving in their ports
IN regard 20 tonnage duties on the same
tpatiTg with their own, i. is believed to
be consistent with sound policy TO ex-
tead the same principles to the vessels OF
the Netherlands arriving in the ports Of
The United States The same lberaIity
NAV be extended to the vessels of Prussia,
Hamburg, and B-emen, who, by virtue
Of the like regulations in their respective
mort, have chimed the benefit Of the
proifsr made in the law Of Sd March,
1915. As an act OF Congress is ne'e'sa-
ry for the purpose, p"- hap the most ex-
pedient course would be 70 make il gene
raj, and limiting is operation to the ton
maze duties, or chcrses, upon vessels.
- declare that no other or higher duties
Of thai description than ars paid By yes
scls Of the u States, shall be paid m the
rnrts 81 the United States by the vessels
.; anv European nation, in whose ports
no other or higher duties OF the sap'e
kind are paid by vessels af the Unied
States. than by the vessels Of SUCH Euro
ppan nation itself The measure IN re-
spect 10 the Netherlands, is of immediate
urgency--the regulation in favor OF the
vessels Of the United states there having
s!ready been more than year IN lorce'
in the confidence that he corresponding
Measure on the part Of the United states
wnu,d have been ajop-ed f course, by
yirfue of the act Of 50 March, 1915,
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.