Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-02-23

open her Treasury to the Cow rnment. She put .
the absolute disposal OF the officers Of the Unitet
States all that she possessed-her men, her money
and her arms. She appropriated half million OF dol
lars on her account, in defence Of her maritime
frontier ordered brigade Of State troops to DO raised
md when lett to protect herself by her
never suffered the enemy to touch her soil, withou
being instantly driven off or captured.
Such, air, was the conduct Of the South-such the
conduct OF my own State, in that dark hour (Which
TIED men's souls"
When look back and contemplate the spectacle ex
hihied at that time, in another quarter Of the Union
when think Of the conduct Of certain portions OF New
England, and remember the part which was acted on
mat memorable occasion by the political associates o
the gentleman from Mas5Achusetts-nay, when I fol-
low that gentleman into the councils OF the nation lis
ten to his voice during the darkest period Of the
am, indeed. astonished that he 'hould venture TO
touch upon the topics which he has intro luced into
'hi' debate South Carolina reproached by Mas'a.
chusets! And from whom does the accusation come!
Not from the Democracy Of New England; for they
nave been in times past, they now, the friends
and allies Of the South No, sir the sccu'ation comes
Hon that party whose acts, during the most trying
anu cventfuI period OF our ional history, were OF
such a character, that their own Legislature, but a
lew years ago, actually blo,t-d them out from their
re cords, as stain upon the honor Of the country
But how can they ever be bloited out from the recol
lection Of any who had heart TO feel, q mind to
comprehend, and memory to retain, the events Of
that day! Sir, shall not attempt TO write the his.
tory Of the party 10 New England, to which I have
alndsd-he war party in peace, and the peace party
in war. That task shall leave TO some future bio
VI
ioun quite easy TO prove that the peace party Of
Massachusetts, were III. only deEni ers Of their
Try, during TIE war; and actually achieved all vic
tories by land and In the mean timo ,ir, and
until that history shall be wriu-n, propose, with the
feeble and glimmering light. which possess, to re.
view the conduct of tit party come cton with the
war, and The events which Immediately preceded il.
Ii will he rarellrct-d sir, that great causes OF
quarrel with Grea' Britain, were her depredations on
Nort crn conn,rcr, aud the inpressment Of New
England teamen. From every quarter we were call.
eH In rsinV IL Z.
now represented to be, another subject the mpcr-
tuniy Of the East on that occa.ion was lar greater
hold IN my hands the evidence Of the fact. Here
psutonS memorials, and circumstances, from all parts
oil New England, setting forth the injustice, the OPP
pre'sions, the depredaions, the n.us, the oursges
committed ty Great Britain against the unofendng
commerce and scamcn OF New Eng land, and calling
uron Congress for dress Sir. cannot stop to read
these memorials. In that from Boston, after stating
the alarming and extensive condemnation Of YES.
sells by Great Britain, which hrea'ened "to sweep our
commerce from The face of the ocea :" and "to involve
our merchants in bankruptcy" they called upon the
Governm. MT "to assert our rights and adopt mea
suies as will support the dignity and honor the Unit
ed Slater"
From Salem, we h-srd n iangnsgs still tnore deci
i've; they called ex licy for appeal to arms and
pledge their lives and property in support of any inca.
sures which Congress might adopt. From Newbury-
per, an appeal was made 'to the frmness and Justice
OF the IoverNment TO obtain compensation and proec
ton" IL was here, think that when the wa,
declared, II was resolved "to resist our Govern
meni, even unto biood!' (Olivs Branch, p. 1917
In other quarters, the common language Of that day
wa' that our commerce and our 'eamsn entitled
10 protection and that the duty Of the Govern
men' TO afford at every hazard The conduct of G.
Britain we were then told, was can outrage upon
National independence" These clamors which COM,
menced as early as January 1906. continued up
TO 1872 in message from the Governor Of one Of the
New England State-, az late the 10th October 1911
this language held manly and decisive course has
become indispensable: Course 10 eaii-fy Foreign Ma
tons that while we d.s'rc peace, have the me ans
and the spirit TO repe aggression We false to our.
selves when Our commerce or our territory 10 invaded
with impunity."
About th. TINA, however, a t6mark able change was
ob'ervabe in the tone AID temper of those WHO had
been rndravOrng to fotce the country into war; The
language al complaint was ch'nged i,to that of insult
and calls Tor protection, converted into approaches.
"Sfn Ike, smoke" Gays one wrer) "my life on il oIr
Executive have no more idea of declaring war, than
my grandmother" "Tbe Committee of Ways anil
Means, t'ays aDother0 "have out with their
Pahloras Box oil taxes. and yet nobody dreams Of
war;, Congress do not mean 10 declare war; they
dsre not. But why mhl lPly example,. An honora-
BILE member Of the ohcf House. from the city of Bo..
ton Mr. Quincy in speech delivered on the 81 A.
rr 1872 says, an cither pr one. nor threats nor Is
'everaiions, nor oahs, will make believe that you
viii 20 to war The navigation States .actiiiced,
and the Spirit and character Of the country FRUSTRATED
by fear and avaf'ce, "you cannot said the ZANE gen.
tenn on another occasion, ''bo kicked into var
Wen, air, the war at length came, and what did we
bthoR The very who had been for six wears ella
moro"s Tor war; and r whose protection il waged
became at once equally clan,orods against il. They
HWacHions ViSitatlOn; new light sud.
denly beamed nP'n their minds, tho scales fell from
their eyes, and II was discovered that the war was de-
cIared IRON "subservirDcy to France" and that Con-
greSs and the Executive chad sold themselves 10 Ma
poean; that Great itan had in fact 'done ne no es
sential injury; that she the buiwa of our te
gion; that where "she took OF our ships. she pro-
eced twenty; and that il Great Britain had mpre -.
ed lew OF our seamen il WA, because ".he could not
distinguish them from her own" And 90 far did ,hi,
.prt extend, that committee Of the Ma.ssebuset.
Lesiaure actually fell 10 cacula ion and discovered
10 ibeir INFINITE satisfaction, hut TO the aston. mt of
all The world besiIe, that only eleven Msoacbusett
sal 0rs had ever been impressed Never shall fo-get
the appeals that had been made TO the ,ympathi~s of
The South. in behalf Of the "thousands OF impressed
mrreans, who had been torn from their f,mie, and
friends, and "mmured In the floating ding con. Of Br.
tain" The most touching pictures drawn Of the
hard CONDITION OF the American ,siior, created like
slave fo'ced TO fight the battle, OF his enemy, "Isshed
10 The mast 10 he shot at like dog" But, ,ir the
ry moment we had taken up arms in their defence II
was discovered that all these were mere "6ctions of
tie bran and that the whole number IN the State of
Massachuseits was but eleven; and that even tbes-
had b. en- "aken by mistake" Wonderful discover VI
Tic Secretary OF State had collected auth, ntic .ts Of
o less Than six llousand npr- ssed Americans Lord
Cds'ereagl himself acknowledged sixteen hundred
Calculations the basis OF the number found on board
NJ the O." rrete, the Macedonian. the Java and other
British ships Captured by the * II and gaIlan,ry of
those heroes, whose Achievements the treasured inc.
numeC's of their cpunry's glory) fixed tic number Al
seven hOIsani; and yet ii seem, MaYarhuseus had
lost bu elevenl Eleven Massacuses sailors taken hy
m-lahc cause OF war indeed Their ship. too the
cap OF which had threatened "univeral bspkfupt.
cy," II wss discovered hat Great Britain was fhsir
friend and protector; "where che had taken one she
had protected twenty" Then the discovery made
mat 'nb'erviency TO France, hostility 10 commerce.