The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1824-08-27

siilierfHge and lttUs arIcatl.n concerning 1t
and al the san. aaumeHt had ISSUED niilios
notification tn the go,crbnest OF The L al
i..l States, OF to their minister inLondon
the orders ~ enunci .hich Dat faf th'
embargo, would. while Dir. Ros- WE a
ulnslu.s US with The fragrance of lbs dtplo
cy. iIatc swept three lonrtl,s Of the ionnag'
ol h- United States iata theP ports of0rea
Britain for eoni-c~iio0.
fl was in tllis slate af things that TIT
rue-rase tfecummr ndug the embargo
AS received aud discussed, IN seeret ses
sion. hy the s~aatc. The oR,y molise foi
Il. bali0g It with closed doors Was the ne
cessty, IT the measure recommended was
sdten,eb prppei, of adopting H. tmBtd,dfdy
Every Luir tf debate tended 10 defeat the
object Of ii,e message. For the instant II
should be- known IN the commercial cities
thai al c.nbafgo VAS impending, The spun
of desperate adventure @auid have rushed
o. SEA. With every plank that could have
bren made IN float and the delay of a
week ia. dtllbcfaliou, Insfeitd oi shelierlnS
the property of our merchants from depfs
dailou, would only have cast il forth upon
| the nHlerstn be- Intercepted hy thaernlzers
of both lhe combating CATIONS.
! The message WAS referred, IN senate, to
committee VI five, Of which general Sa-
mnel Smith Iimslf an eminent mel chaui,
brother To the secretary of the Navy, aud
~ thu lull sonfdcncc-ot Mr. Jefferson, was
chairman, aud nj which ! MAS member.
The chairman proposed to tie committee,
10 report a hili in compliance with III. re-
commentator OF the message. object
Ell that the two documents with the mes
sag. were not sufficient In Justify 80 strong
and severe u measure rs an embargo; and
cnqui.d, whether besides the general mo-
tofleiy of the dangers, mentioned IN the
message, the executive had other REASONS
fur the MEASURE. " hich IL might not be-
convenient TO assign. The chairman oad,
IL WAS. expected and hoped that the act
waull have favorable rfrci, To aid the
executive IN The negotiation with Mr..
Rose aud also that il MAS intended as a
substitution for the non importation act,
which had passed on the 18Th of April,
1906, hut, prndlng the negotiations, had
been suspended unlil lhe lath sc Dccem
her, 1907, only four days before the mes
sage This att was Itself nrarly equivalent
to totR, commercial non Intercourse with
Great Britain aud to have repealed, or
longer suspended it ut that tune, would
have Teen a surrender AT discretion, upon
nj thr subjects of controversy, then in 40
high state VI aggrsyaton, "uh that pow
or. To th.s, reasons ,irkt<d, and the bin
for laying the embargo Was reported To the
Senate with the unanimous assent Of the
committee.
Thr bill was opposd in The Senate. very
lerhly upon its merits, and exclusively by
the federal members, then only four in
n mbrr. The principle effort made by
then waste oLtain delay which would, AS
his been shown, have defeated in great
measure the object Of the bill. They oh
tanned against the bill only the vote of Mr.
Maelay of Peansy lvdil, aud of Mr.. Craw-
ford, ihrn = n~m member, but who after
wards constantly supported the adherence
H. administration 10 the act, "a long MS
l. continued.
In a- isniug To tn SENATE very br ely NY
rrdsons for asserting u The bill, aud for the
brllef that II ought 10 pass without delay,
adme!'d that the two documents trans
niittd with the message, would not have
been Of themselves, t" Gay mind, sufficient
to warrant the measure recommended III
ii; but referring To the existing state or
thugs, of public noiorirty, aud denomina
Ted IA the mrassage "the present crisis"
ohsef, ed thai the executive having recon-
mrnded the measurc upon his responsible
~, had doubtless other reason for itwhich
| WAS persuaded were satisfactory !; that
with this view, oon,i nccd of The oxpcdiency
of the bin, ! was also impressed with the
necessity otits Immediate adoption that
II WIS 4 time, not for 1rlibcratlun but Tor
action and that wished the bill, instead
OF l'agrrlnG through the dla,ory process Of
ordinary legislation, might pass through all
thr stages ul its enactment in "A single day.
With these views decided majority of the
Senate cuncurred The rule ~ hich reqnlr
eel that hals shorld beread three tinos Oh
three dill,rent days, was suspended all
notions of postponcnrnt Were discarded,
and the bill Was passed in Tia, Senate by a
sote of - lo6.
My allusion 10 the recommendation oC
thc es~cu,ivr upon his responsibility and
- my confidence in it, was purpnsrly
niadr IN general terms ; but it had refer
enc. te the reasons which had been assign
ed ito tne la tho committee, by the chair
man. deemed IL less necessary To- sprci
~ it'Hi, b'Fduse as ! nave observed, the
opposi;ion To the bill upon it's merits was
csceediugly feeble; scarcely calling ror an
answer
About two months after the embargo had
been enacted, and while il was bearing with
severe pressure 1p"n he commercial, ma
'isatinG Jnd fishing interests of the north,
MIR, Pickering wrote IA Litter to the, Cover
Gar Of Mas ,husctts, Tor communication
10 the legislature, denouncing the cxecu
tive and congress of the United States, for
passing the embargo; and calling for the
'nierposition oftlc commercial states To
save the country from rain. The governor
! sent il back to'him, with.a letter of rebuke
for expecting him to make such commit.
nlcailon to-tite legislature, Mr.. Pickering,
aprroheusiv", Ms he says, that he should
{ Ola ,i al, Al.