Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-01-20
ALEXANDRIA,:
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1919.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT AT WASHINGTON
TnesdGu. .Innunru 10.
ITO be continued.

Tuesday, January 10.
The report of the committee on the con-
duct of the Seminole war. including the pro.
ceedings in the cases Of Arbuthnot and AM
hrister, was all day yesterday IN agitation
before the house of representatives, III
committee of the whole. Though the de-
bate upon 1t was little more than opened
by one speech and small portion of ano-
Their, enough transpired to show that much
OF that venom which gives rise to acrimo-
Nous remarks, is lodged in the minds OF
some of our political disputants, and that II
the public are not in few days possessed
of every circumstance belonging TO those
singular subjects and every existing motive
that gave rise 10 them-yea, and many cir
cumstances and motives that never had ex-
istence perhaps in the world, it will not be
owing to any want of good will or effort on
the part of the debaters and am more out
than usual if the case of the Seminole war,
as parliamentary topic, will not soon ret
solve il into as Grant party Scutile as the
old judiciary bill, or the impeachment OF
Judge Chase and the executions OF Arbuth-
not and Ambrister into future election ex-
pedient. If" the grand philanthropy" of
congress can only contrive to put general
Jackson in the wrong, and then by another
move Of their men 10 put higher parsonage
into the place ofJackson, they flatter them
selves that the game will be their own, if
not this, the next rubber or two-and that
they will have our president check mated.
1t strikes me however, that they are on this
occasion, not less than they are on all o.
.hers deceived--and that after their princi-
pal orators have shewn off TO the great en-
tertainment of the house, and strutted and
fretted their hour on the floor, things will
remain just as they are at this moment.
Mr.. Cobb, who opened the business OF
the day nveighed, in good round terms, at
the whole of the conduct OF the war, and
gsinst the Government for entering Flo.
rida with our armies, as if it were an usur-
patton OF right exclusively vested in Con-
gress aione-in bis consideration of which
subject he seemed rot to be willing to ad-
nit that the Indians taking refuge under
the Spanish guns in Florida as a ground Of
defence, or even of palliation on the part
Of the commanderin chief but on the con-
trary endeayoured to prove by a singular
train of argument, that the affair taken al
together had actually placed us in a state
Of war with Spain; that Spain herself differs
with him upon that subject must inevitably
be inferred from her conduct since that
event-so that the question now lies as a
matter Of argument entirely between the
king of Spain and Mr.. Cobb's friends in
the house, who lift should turn out that the
Spanish authorities still continue on foot
ing Of amity with our government will be
left most ridiculously in the lurch For our
parts, we think that ifGen. Jackson acted
otherwise than be did,a resultnot very favo.
bic to the interests of this country, or at
the best not sufficiently grave or decorous
Tor great nation, must have followed