Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-02-23
-, ADAMS ON FRENCH AFFAIRS.

,ba friends oil Inc nave uuOtcN
w.. ooinions Of Ex-President Adams, touching ouI
'T,if, with France, in order TO bolster the recon
1'.,, of the President and by consequence
ando,se his sagacity as a statesman. Ii has
" .o1 ms because these very gentlemen, who
l.o attached so much importance to Mr. Adams's
S'o,ons were not long since III the habit of de-
p';l,ng him as a mere booklsh politician, unversed
- me ways of men, and wholly unfit, by the vision
,barac,er of his mind, TO conduct the aff.ir OF
,,o,,nent with credit TO himself, or advantage to
D. n,,ion. Even our ancient friend Of the Rich
,aood ENQUIRER, charmed by the seeming accord
"s.e of Mr. AS opinions with those OF the Presi-
Ian, in reference to French affairs, reaxes his
tsL,uaI hostility TO the Ex-Presdcnt, and quotes
Can, the National Gazette, with evident approba.
INN. a paragraph, in which he is justly compl
nsned as "a profound, patriotic ard venerable
s,.,esman.n But, it seems that all this rejoicing,
md all these compliments, are premature-that
although Mr.. Adams was prepared TO do justice 10
,hs Presidents motives, IN recommending agains,
f,,oee measures of hostile character, his own
voce is nat for waI-and that, SO far from design
ing to castisac the Senate, by his alluson to the
course pursued by that body, in connection with
,hu subject, he heartily approves of that course.
Justice to Mr.. Adams, to other individuals con
cerneJ and to the subject, require that his explana-
ZION be given in his own words:
HDuse of Representatives. Feb. ID.
After the reading Of the Journal-
Mr. Adams, of M ass, requested permission Of
the House to say few words not connected with
any motion or petition, but by way of explanation.
In this request he had TWO objects in view the one
of personal nature the other of considerable in
leres to the community. 1t would probably be re-
collected that on this day week he had offered
solution in relation to certain documents which he
nl moved for and which, when obtained fom the
Executive, had been referred to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs. His resolu ions had proposed
that This reference be accompanied with instructions
10 that Committee to repor, forthwith that part
OF the annual message o. the President of the Unl-
ted States to Congress, at the commencement of this
session, which relates TO the state of our affairs
with France.
In the course of the observations he had submit
ted on that occasion, the expression had escaped
him tina, the other branch of the Lcgsl dure, after
dberating fully and thoroughly on the subject
mater Of the Presidents communication, had come
unanimously to determination "to dodge the qttes-
t0a' 1t would be remembered that the Speaker
Of Inc House had arrested him al the moment, refer
ring to tina, rule of the House which for5ids any
reference TO Proceedings in the other House of Con
CESS. BY thus nrrestmg him, the Speaker with
Oulany such intention, no doubt,) had deprived HIM
Of the means of explaining. Mr. A. had submit
led and taken his seat IN silence: but II had
struck him as very hard that he should have been
arrested a mere formal rule of order, rule
which was violated every day by every member of
The House, for mere reference 10 the proceedings
Of the other branch of tie Legislature. He had
Consequently, inquired privately of the Speaker
why he had en thus called to order for doing
what was allowed TO other members every day
The Speaker had replied, that II had not been or
he ground of reference to what had been done in
the Senate; but Of the manner of that reference
becslsc the word he had employed was understood
by the Speaker as direspectful to that body. MIR.
A. had replied to this, that il h ID seemed TO hun
peculiarly unfortunate when it had been merely,
his manner, and not the allusion he had made, on
which he had been arrested and called TO order, and
thus precluded from making an explanation. That
explanation he now wished to make, publicly dis
claiming all intention Of any thing dsresPecifuI |
uIbe Senate. lie disclaimel in the mos. explicit
manner, and had the debate proceeded, it had been
his Intention ultimately to recommend that the
sane course should be taken by the House. Tie
should have recommended the House to dodge the |
question" for the present, in the existing state OF
0ut Information. Mr.. A expressed his regret 10
Earn that some of the members OF the Senate mao
hlt hurt al the expression he used. He now, IN
he most public and explicit manner, deciared tha'
had been far, very far, from his Intention 10 IN
fc any wound upon their feelings tie lhouSh'
that the Senate had acted as II was their oo'y
Ndo and the conclusion 10 which ihtY mao "han''
mously arrived, was the conclusion whlch nc
should have been DESTROYS that the House should
adopt. But the Senate had acted !; they had not
gone to sleep on the state of our relations with
France; and he wanted the House to shew, by re-
curing its committee to do what every committee
ough! 10 do, that they were not sleeping over the
rights, honoe, and dignity of the country Thus
was the ex panaton he had desired TO make on this
part Of the subject.
But there was another subject lar more imPot-
hnt He had been advised by information from
he great emporium of commerce, The CITY OF New
York, that considerable com .nercial excitement
aad been caused there, not by the oct,0n OF ms
house, but by the remarks made by himself, or by
what was called the stand he had taken and he
mad scen paragraphs in newspapers repres 'n'ng
that such had been the effect that the holders OF
French goods, as well in New York as IN Phlladel-
pAa had advanced the prices OF those goods IN con
sequence He regretted exceedingly any such Ell
Nc'. lie should scarcely have believed II possible
mat such an effect could have foil owed from what
LOOK place in the House On that OCCASION he
should W have supposed that the merchants OF New
,orK and Philadelphia would have drawn their IN
c'ences not from what had been said in the House
~ any MEMBER much less by hmself, but rainier
nom The action Of tho House ITSELF and whatever
"iy, on the other day, have been his martial pro-
pens'''es, or however they may have been most or
.Oecous'y mlsrepresented he should suppose tha'
,s'erehce would rather have been had to what inc
mouse dtd than to what had been said by him.
Vow the fact had been, as the Speaker and the
house would recollect, tina, Mr. A. had not been