Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-02-04

4
4 yieid inordinate profits you may raise
the blockade, and, satisfying the wants
winch that produced, thus create for
yourself great profit at the expense of
others, and In which none will be allow:
ed to participate with you Suppose that.
by the blockade OF the Havana, you raise
the price OF flour to $50 per barrel. and
then RAISE your blockade, who will enjoy
the benefit of this high price? The me,-
chants OF the neighboring ports in The, u.
States. Thus ii will happen, then, that.
by your own power, you create wants
which you viii not suffer others to pre-
vent, and, when they have attained their
highest point, you withdraw your mea-
sures OF war, assume the attitude of peace.
and SO satisfy the necessity, and enjoy the
profit your own act has occasioneel. Neu-
tral States will never submit to this, Sir.
they will not suffer you thus 10 blow
not and cold through the same lips; but
will tell you, that, if you choose to war
with Spain, do SO; for when by war you
cut yourself Oft from all peaceful iater-
course with her, the trade YOU give up
becomes theirs, subject ONLY to your bel.
Iigerent rights. That they will thus be
compensated fol the Inconvenience to
which you subject them. But if by the
measures OF war, you create wants which.
under the garb ofpeace, you yourself may
satisfy, they, and they only, feel the evils
OF war, whilst you, and you only, can en-
JOY the benefits OF peace. They will say
to YOU that this Centaur form, half war,
hail peace, is deiormed monster, which
the friends Of humanity must extirpa,e:
and more than one Nestor will be found
at this least OF the Lapithi, ready and
willing TO essay the task.
Sir, it IS fraud on neutral rights. and
1T cannot be expected they will submit
to It, If you SO to war, you enjoy its
benefits, and take the consequences: but
here you take the benefits to yourselves.
and throw the hardships and annoyance
on the innocent.
There Is one more view of the subject
To which l should wish to call the atten-
tlon Of the Senate, if it were not for thu.
contempt with which my honorable col
league seems to consider every thine, like
detail. cannot jump, however, at once.
TO mN conclusions, as he does-I must
20 step by step. and satisfy myself of its
i operation every way. before | can pro-
nonnce that any measure is good. it's
my misfortune, Sir, and you must pardon
me,if, accustomed as have been through
my whole life, to arrive at conclusions
only by the slow process Of reasoning.
l still adhere 10 my old course; and. hay
( ing no pretension myself to intuition, L
am distiustful OF US apparent effects
| upon others. | do not pretend, sir, to
! argue by conclusions-I must plod on,
and ask, at each step, not merely gu0re
but quo mOdO, also. In this instance I
have done SO, and do not see my way
clear. II we mean to institute blockades.
take it for granted we mean to enforce
them when Instituted. If so, we must
presume sir, that there will be cases of
capture. and, of course, efforts at c, n
demnation. But where is condemnation
to be made? VIII the committee tell
me by what forum this question of con
demnation viii be tried, and what allega-
ton they will prefer to attain it? If il
had been a war measure, it would have
been brought before prize tribunal; but
the bill has directed no prize tribunal to
be Instituted, and, indeed, it would have
bech strange if it had. a prize without
war would be as great an anomaly as a
blockade III peace.
Suppose vessel is brought before
prize court, however, and YOU saw she is
an enemy, or that she has conducted her
self ora enemy, because she has violated
your blockade-yes, Sir, your blockade
declared by statute-what will YOUR prize
! Judge first ask? Does war exist? The
answer may be given in the language of
+ the advocates of this bill themselves-war
does not exist, but we are merely praCtis-
! ing measure Of war in time of peace.
and therefore ask you to help US out bv
your decree. But what must that decree
be? 1t must be this, and this onlv, Prize.
the fruit of war, is not to be won bv the
acts Of peace; he who asks it must have
risked his life, his liberty, and his bro
perry for its acquisition. You who have
risked nothing can take nothing, at least
from this court, but must seek the boon
which YOU ask elsewhere.
Suppose that you apply to some other
than prize tribunal, to some court Of
admiralty, or other forum, bound to adj
minister the jus 9eniium, and there ask
the conhscation Of the property Of neu-
trail captured on the high seas, fora breach
OF your statutary blockade-what viii
the Judge there tell you? lie will tell
you, as he has often done, that municipal
power is, in its very nature, territorial;
1t cannot reach beyond the bourne Of the
country where it is exerted, except over
the persons orproperty Of its own subjects,
and that he cannot condemn the proper
ty OF strangers for the breach Of law,
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