The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-04-27
TER VI Hs---T'Wo DO lrars gcrs A II, ssSss
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party, and enrich themselves by de
predations OH the commerce of tl,s
other, and meditating enterprises O
this nature, as there was reason tt
believe. In this state ofpubl;c mind
and before it should take an errone
Gus direction, difficult to be set right
and dangerous to%.sthemselvcs and
their country, the President though,
It expedient, through the channel Of
a proclamation, TO remind our fellow
citizens that we we're in state Of
peace with all tue bclligent powers:
that in that state it was onr duty
neither to aid or iljure any; to ex
hort and warn them against acts
which might contravcne this duty,
and particularly those of positive
hostility, for the punishment Of which
the laws would be appealed to: and
to put them on their guard also, as
to the risks they would run if they
should attempt to carry articles of
contraband to any. This proclama.
ton, ordered OH the 10Th and signed
on the 22d of April, was sent to you
in my letter Of the Goth of the same
month";"
In subsequent part of the same
dispatch, the secretary says:
"Mr. Genet, not contcnt With
using our force, whether we will or
not, in the military line against ma.
tons with whom we are at peace.
undertakes also to direct the ciyil
government; and, particularly for
the executive and Legislative bodies,
to pronounce what powers may or
may not be exercised by one or the
other. Thus, in his letter Of June
Sth he promises to respect the politi..
cal op'nioh of tile President till the
representatives shall lave confirmed
or re;pct.sss .hi,rTf7;S5s.Spf Sl,a 4
!. * q q gss
In his letter ot*June l4th;fhe saws
more openly that the President ought
not to have taken on himself to dc.
eide on the subject of the letter, but
that it was Of Importance enough to
have consulted Congress thereon;
and in that of June 22d, he tells the
President in direct terms that Con.
gress ought already to have been oc,
cuplcd Oh ceriaiu questions which he
had been too hasty in deciding; thus
making himself, and not the Prcsi.
dent, the Judge OF the powers ascribcd
by the Constitution to the Executive,
and debating to him the occasion
when he shall exercise the power Of
converting Congress at an earlier day
than their own act had prescribed" "
Mr.. Jefferson there shows the
purpose of this proclamation-that it
carried with it his approval and
that it was paper declaring the cx.
isting state of things between this
country and the rest Of the world,
requiring neutrality in the war theI,
existing bctwccn France and the al
lied powers.
/ need not recall to the memories
Of Senators how severely the sympa
thics Of the people of this country
we're tried in the state Of things that
then existed. The whole, or nearly
the whole of Europe was armed
against France. She was appealing
to US, not only through our national
honor, but through treaty stipulatons
to give her aid. She sent a Minister
over here the celebrated Genet
who Thought that lie had rig!. to
appeal from the government to the
people, and to cocrcc the government
through the people, to depart from its
neutral policy. But Congress sustain
ed the administration in the position
ofneutrality, and it was never depart
cd from. And why? Not because IL
people did not sympathlZc with the
people Of France, but because oul
people felt, and our statesmen knew
that the first great duty of tho coun
try was to itself, and that nothing
should lead them to embark in a. wal
between foreign powers, but their
own direct and immediate interest. =
For the purpose OF showing the cx
tent to when tho government o
France went in that day, in attempt
ing to break down the Administration
which issued this proclamation, l an
mex here an extract from letter ad
dressed by Genet, the French minis
ter, 10 Mr.. Jefferson as Secretary
Of State, after the latter had request
cd his recall:
"Pcrsuaded that the sovercigut,
Of the United States resides essen
TALLY in the people, and its reprcsen
tation in Congress; persuaded tha
the Executive power is the only on
which has been confded to tn,
President Of the United States; per
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