Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-02-05
EXPORTED FOR THE NATIONAL ISrELLiGEScEf
Eighteenth Congress.
DEBATE ON THE GREEK QUESTION.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,, JAN. &c.

floUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,, JAN. 70.
Mr.. ALEXANDER SMyru, of Virginia, ad-
dressed the chair. He said, that, being deep
" impressed with the Importance nf the
question before the Committee, bewould 81
licit respectfully the attention of members,
while he delivered his observations HE then
read the resolution offered by Mr.. Webster,
=" That provision ought To he made, by law,
for defraying the expense incident 10 the ap-
pointment oil an agent or commissioner Ia
Greece, whene,er the President shall deem
It expedient To make such appointment ~
Before he proceeded, he would, he said. de-
clare, in consequence of some remarks which
had been made in this debate, that his ieri-
ings towards the honorable mover of this re-
solution, were those OF respect, as well for his
head as his heart.
Mr.. Chairman What are we called on to
do To acknowledge a new power to intro
ducr new nation into the great family of
nations 1t has been said, that This resolution
IS perfectly harmless that 1t leaves the ac-
know rdS'n"nt TO he made by the President
of the L. S.to whom it belongs. cannot
agree that the resolution ~ harmless or that
1t leaves the acknowledgement 10 he made by
the President Ii declares. thar provision
ought to he made, BY LAW, for defIaying the
expenses nfa mission 10 Greece. Is not this
an acknowledgement of The independence of
Greece ? Yes, sir, this is AN immediate ac-
know ledg'nenf, and one IF the most solemn
Kind. An embassy la Greece, s.nt by the
President, with the Consent of the Senate
would he a less SOLEMN recognition of the in
dependepce of the Greeks; for, bv this reso
iutino, a law ist hr passed by Congress, de-
ciarlng Grecce an independent power. Ii will
not only be an acknowledge of a new pow
srby Congress, but BY the President himself
II ne should Approve the act, and yet the mi
tiatlve, Ia making the ackuo vledgm9nt, will
have been taken from him. Should such a
law piss, the ackn"m lydgment of Grerce, as
an independent nation, Is complete. The
mischief, II II is mischief will have been
done; and no subsequent prudence, an The
part of the President, ran avert tn, cunse-
quences, whatever they arr 10 be. The ma
lion must then be- Responsible
Let as Consider wiIu will be the probable
consequences Of this Acknowledgements, We
must lock into he history at natiuns We
are not Ia conclude, from the forhesrance of
Spain when W. acknowledged the indeprn.
denoe of her American provinces, that all
other nntions would hr equally passive on u
similar occasion. Ii is always u question Of
policy and discretion, whether "a government.
which may deem list Ii injured by such AN ac-
acknowledgement, shall. or shall not, resort TO
war. The cases from which we derive the
most aid, III deciding what is the law uf ma
tons IN this partir, lar, are The cases of the
United Prn,inces of the Netherlands. when
they rry"lted against Spain, and the case OF
these United States, during our revolution.
According 10 these Cases, the knowiedg-
ment OF new power, during the civil war
which follows ihe revolt of protnc against
the mother country, by a third power, is, {
the mother country, cause 0f war I will h.-
81 hat tb e,
luton, England made war on France and 9th
er European powers for favDring us. HIRE
Mr. Smyth read, from Martens law of IA
lions, tue following passages " Suppose thai
the interior troubles of "a state, cOmetn All o.
pen rupture between the sovereign aud his
subjects, aud that the whole nation, or "A part
ot II, should wish to drive him from the
throne or suppose that province, or terri
tory subjected tn another state, refuses nbed-
ence 10 IT,, ard endeavors 10 render itself 10
dependent 4 4 +" r. With respect tn the frs;
OF these, foreign nation, not under Any OBJ
iiSHuonto Interfere, does not appear Ia ,iUlate
It's perfect obligations Dcr ~ det late from the
principles of neutrality, il, IN adlIering TO the
posSesslun, (withIut examining into its lega
N.Y. 1t treats as sovereign him, who is actu-
ally on the throDe and as an indeprDd, n
nation, people who have declared, aud : il
maintain HtemselreS independently r n In fact
whether we speak Of the passive conduct OBJ
served IN such circumstances, or Of the succOrs
furnished by foreign powers, IL is state policy
That generally decides whether he who feels
himself ofendi d shall disspnblr, or, at inosf
complain OF the injury, or whether he shall
seek retaliation by violent MEANS = The
conduct that Great Britain observed, pariicu-
iariy towards France, Spain and the Pope, af-
yer the revolution 0G 1885 and that which
she obser.s5 towards srt rral other powers
alter the colonies ut North America declared
themselves Independent, may seem to Illus
'rate this subjrct"l Thus we see that En-
gland several times declared war against IA =
U0ns for interfering between her and her for
mer provinces, while she CONTINUED t0 max
war wsh view 10 e-snbject Them TO her au
thurity.
When people have declared aud also
maintained tceir independence, they may b.
acknowledged rs an independent power with
OW giving just cause of war to their lorlnel
sovereign. Can that be affirmed With regard
Tue Greeks? BY no means. They have
not yet achieved. much less maintained Their
Independence. They possess the Morea,
9ulan part Of continental Greece; hut tn,
s'est accounts inform US that they have beer
ur'Ven from Athens TO take refuge 10 one .
Sne Islands. = II might have hven timely at
urmPd OF some of the Spanish provinces
wnen their Independence was acknowledged
"y VS., that they had usaoiaised il.
The honorable Speaker has observed, tina
"e received from Revolutionary France, mi
listers sent by kings, conventions, anarchy an,
sInrerors, ADD therefore we may send 4 mi
p,,,s'er to revolutionary Greece. But Cenpi
'""chrt, and AGei, were ministers from nndi