Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-01-29

enough 10 warn you into s0bliety and caution.
You saw the struggle which arose amidst the
heavy embarrassments of the country, be-
tween the advocates of economy and those
who were determined TO support the institu
lions of the country at every expense. You
know, sir, what painful scene was then ex-
inhibited in this House. Shall we renew such
scenes Is tbs Committee willing 10 run any
risk of their renewal? Can you doubt, if
such embarrassments should again recur, that
your crafty enemy would seize upon the crisis
To attack you ? No, sir let us cherish peace ::
let us pay our debt: let us accumulate treas
ure then your enemy will be less willing tn
assail you, while you will be the better pre-
pared To meet him.
All the reasoning that we have heard res
pecting the Holy Alliance, goes evidently on
thus assumption, that there exists 10 us some
danger Of war with those powers. This has
been shrwn to be the tendency of all their
doctrines. Now, sir, it, as gentlemen argue,
there is danger Of the Allies attacking us here
on our own continent, while we do nothing
To disturb them, is there mt, on gentlemen's
own ground, sill more reason 10 apprehend il
If you go To their continent? They threaten US,
II seems, because we are republics, though on
this side the Atlantic will they no, do more,
the very heart of their Kingdoms aud will
they not say to unhappy Greece, who lies vir-
tually at their mercy, "lf you rely on these
western republicans, and call them IN To your
aid, we will teach you that such Interference
shall be ruin tn any who invite il and as "A
warning and an example on this subject, we
will pour down upon you our accumulated
vengeance" Yes, sir, as surely as you go to
the old world To set up fortress of liberty
these despOts will rase it to the very earth, if
il were only to stop the precedent.
Suppose, sir, that the Turk, ignorant of
what your exact intentions towards the Greeks
may be, should seize your agent, and put him
to death, should massacre your seamen. and
resident citizens, and thus lay you under the
immediate necessity of going to war with him
Can you believe that those allies would long
remain without a pretext for mingling in the
quarrel Some question of blockade-some
scare h--some implied interference ex
cuse for hosiiIites ? Remember your old
enemy the Briton. If he gets your little feet
shut up IN the Mediterranean, on any quarrel
forged, he sweeps il from the ocean. That
will at once throw you back century. Re
member, sir, the seed of re-, enSe is there land
as soon as opportunity is furnished, depend
upon it, sir, that seed will terminate.
There is another view of this matter. Ii is
not only imprudent to adopt the proposed
measure, butt is equally impolit,c. The Pre-
sldent is already authorized To employ agents
of the kind contemplated. BY legislaling you
publish il, and set all, who are concei ned Ia
prevent your object, on their guard--you put
your opponents on the alert. You go out of
your sphere, and interfere with the President
in the duties of his own department. by max
ing the proposed appropriation in pariicu-
lar case and in none other you seem 10 direct
the President to send in one case, and not 10
send in another. But the measure, if done at
all, had better be- done silently, without invit-
Ing notice or resistance.
One word more, Mr.. Chairman, and have
done. Have those who oppose The measure
no sympathy for the Greeks ? Yes, sir, we
love their cause we wish, we long, we yearn
to witness its success. When they triumph,
we exut at it W hen they are unfortunate,
we grieve OVERT. But because these are the
feelings of our hearts, must we be indiscreet
We are entrusted with "A nation that is proud
Gifts sympathies with the oppressed on every
foot OF eaIth's suriacp-a people not selfish
and narrow-mnded, but full Df the finest and
the sublimest sensibiiites but, surely, sir, the
happiness and the dignity of such people are
not valnly To be put at hazard. Their souls
are sOltened by their own happy privileges,
and they long to impart them 10 the wrrtched
but shall we, therefore, precipiate them
into difficulties and plunge them in sulferings
and dangers? Sir, am satisfied the measure
proposed to us will do the Greeks no good
may do them much harm. That it hazards
every thing in relation to ourselves, and in
endangering us, endangers the best hopes of
the rest of the world; for SD signal, so sub
lime is the station now given us by Heaven,
that with us is identified the bliss or the mise
ry of large portion of our species.
Mr.. CLAY then rose, and commenced his
speech by distinctly stating the original reso-
luton, as moved by Mr.. Webster, and the a
mendment proposed by Mr.. Ponsett The
resolution proposed providing the means to
dstray the expense of mission whenever the
President, who knows or ought IN know, the
dispositions of all the European powers, Tur-
kish or Christian, shall deem it proper TO
send one The amendment goes TO withhold
any appropriation, and to make public de-
claratlon of our sympathy with the Greeks,
and our good wishes for their cause And
how, sir, asked Mr.. C.) has this simple, mo-
dest, unpretending, this harmless proposition
been treated 1t has been argued, as if it
proposed aid TO the Greeks rs if il proposed
the recognition of their government as an
act of uniustifiable interference AS measure
of war. And those who thus argued the
question, while they themselves give unbound
ed range TO their imagination, in conceiving
and setting in array the monstrous conse-
quences which are TO grow out Of so simple
proposal, impute TO us who are IFS advo- |
Gates, Quxotism, Quixotism. While they are
taking the most extravagaBt and limited range,
and arguing any thing and every thing but the
question before the House, they accuse us Of
enthusiasm, of giving the reins TO feelings, of
being carried away by orr imagination. No, |
sir, the proposition on your table is no propo-
sition for aid, nor for recognition, nor for in