Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-07-31
RICHMOND. lULY al
THE FLORIDA QUESTTON-AGAIN

| All suspense and anxiety are at an end The
| able article which we this day republish from
| tie National Intelligencer, places the course
| OF The administration before the people. We
| have pride i'm saying, that we have never pub
lshed an article which gave us more real salts
faction. We feel that the honor of our country
| Is saved from disgrace, and the constitution
from violation
We are now explicitly told, that the Spanish
posts were taken ,DithOVt orders on general
JacAson'S q" responsibility, merely Though
his operations are ascribed to motives of the
purest patrIOtism."
We are told that the postsare TO be restored,
" bet with requisition that Spaiu shall here
alter respect the 9th article OF her treaty with
MS.
Our government thus disarolo the act, and
they ORDER restitution.
They give up the posts; they Wiil bring
uack The Spanish trooPS TO Pensacola they
VIII put every thing, far as they can in
the stata quo. This is all the reparation which
We can make-it is all that we ought TO make
| at present. For, If Spain should turther de-
inand the punishment of the commanding Of
ilcer, what DO we say TO her! A" Your own of.
hcer has done The first wrong-it was his inn
| proper conduct III stimulating the indians 10
arms that led 10 the act of our own officer
Punish your officer first, as guilty of the first
| aggression and IL will then he time enOurh TO
/ talk about ours"
! So far the Executive do their dgtv by Spain
but they are not imsensible of the duties
which she owes tOus in retern- She ought to
disavow the acts OF her own Oilicer-but we
! have further claims upon her We ;,tu5r saw
| 10 her, Inc troops which you have posted in
| Florida, are too few 10 carry your treaty into
eiiect-l on DO not restrain By force all !ostili-
| ties on the pa,tO the lniiaH nations living with
| III your boundary. We make this fair demand
| III YOU do not comply IN good faith, with the
| stpnldiions you have made, we must shape our
| measures accordingly"
| The administration are bound 10 hold this
language, and 10 deal by spain FIRMLY and in
genuOnSly. They should enter al once into
| negotiation, to know her determinations If
| she refuses TO do her duty, then lay the facts
| before Cong ress-and If the SemInoies wilinot
make peace with us on terms which we have a
| right TO demand, Congress Slipnid empower The
| President TO garrison the Spanish posts with
| American troops.
We owe this 10 that public faith which is
| broken to our rights, which have been dIsre
| garded to the settlers of tue frontier, who
viii he exposed to the savage t0mabawk. To
secure these blessings, To punish Spain for the
IniractIOn Of her treaty, Congress might declurc
rGr-they might of course do any act short of
Htaa-ihus, tkey might seize and occupy the
Florida posts.
There is a PLAIN distinction between this
course aud that which we hare dsdvow ed -
| When Jackson occupied these posts, there was
IN the first place no such extreme necessity as
| to Justify the act without previous demand
of reparatiOn End, ii was of course an act of
war. an act done by military officer without
the constitutional sanction of congress. But
in the course proposed, reparatiou will have
been demanded, and the act will be authorized
by the representatives OF the people.
WHAT then rs our course!-We disdvow the
active surrender the pOsts-we put Spain, rs
| far Is we can, IN StatH glO we wipe away The
| wrong tGjIlch hGS been dORe-we place things ia
| the condition they we're IN before the post or
ST. Mark was taken. Having thus repaired the
wrong which has been inflicted, we SHALL 20
into the discussion with clean hands. We call
upon Spain in good faith, 10 fulfil the treaty.
II size coniesSes that she caunOt comply; and
if the danger still hOvers over us we must then
do fOr her what she cannot do for herself; we
must pass law to garrison her posts, and keep
the savage in subJectiou.-but let us beware
That we take not these measures lightly. The
honor of the American nation is toe valuable to
be tfiiied wilh-it Is more precious than hun.
bred FlOTidas-We shall derive bat little honor
from war with Spain. We shall only be dis
gcaced by any attempt TO impose upon her
Let us, IN trnth be satisfied that she has viola
ted her treaty; that's she is unable TO control the
savages; that the lives Of our citizens are still
IN danger, before we occupy the FlOrdas. -
Let US satisfy ourselves, as well as tie world
that we seek not territory, but safety; not TO
inure others, but 10 save eurselges-We have
hut too lately escaped the imputatioH of stain
upon Our national honor, TO run the risk Of il 4
second time. Bnt moment past and some of
our citizens were fer thoughtlesSly throwing
away " a pearl which was richer far" than all
the Floridds. We must beware how we lightly
sport with it a second time.
We hare escaped disbOuoT we have set an
example Of respect for national law aud for
the provisions Of our constitution aud tor this.
we have to thank the President Of tue United
States.--We have passed indeed an interesting
crisis. We wanted FlOridd--her best posts
were IN our hands The English prints had al.
ready ascrbed TO US the most crooked system
ofpoiicy, that OF ssizjng the country under the