'TOWN MEETING !M PETERS.
BURG, Augud 4, 1795.
ON Saturday lad, agreeably to
public notice, a coruidejable num
ber of the inhabitants of this town
and the counties adjacent, met in
the town conrrhoute, for the -par.
jofe of eaprefline their opinions on
.the Treaty nowIepending between
the United States and Great Britain,
General Tofeph Tones was unanl-
c&bTen, chai
'moufly
andvMrV
airman.
Williatn WHjtteck; Secretary.
Mr. Geog k.-rariorppefted -'the
debate, and prefaced his remarks
by bbferving, that -arTthe time Mr.
Jay was appointed Envoy Trom the
United States to the Britira Cabinet,
our country was in a ferment, every
citizen was agitated, at thegrois
inlults and injuries whithbur com
merce was then dally 'fuftaining
from the depredations 'committed
by the orders of the Britifli court,
and we were then preparing for'
war, if proper redrefs fhould not
be obtained by amicable negotiation
that Mr; lay went to Great Bri
tain with a tuft knowledgeof thefe
circumftances, ; that the -people ex
pected he fhould have iufifted on a
com pletrlmmediate' reparation ' for
thole 1 injuries, and a fulfilment of
the Treaty of peace of 1)83 ; but
that none of the objects which were
then underftood to be the grounds
of his million, had been obtained on
principles confident with the honor,
fafety, and welfare -of' the United
States :
He then raid , ; that he fhould only
'make a few pbfervations on thfi
Treaty ' how before the "meeting,
and he flioiild take it op in three
points of view id. Aiiirefpclls the
conjitution of our country 2dly. As
it repeels our treaties with other nati
on s, particularly with France and,
Sdly. At it refpetlsthe ptople ofthh
country, :
Tathe-firft, As it reftelf sthe con
fitution of this country, he dd that
neither Mr. Jay, nor the Senate,
had any right to agree on iJipofing
reftriclions on the commerce of the
Lni ted States that the Senate by
fclvln their Client to the Treaty
had violated the'eonftifution, which
Hates that the power of making
.. commercial regulation's, &c. belongs
to Congrefs, that it was taking up
ion them.elves - an- authority 1 whicfi .
they had no right to exercife, and
which might tend to eftablifh a pre
cedent dangerous to the peace and
welfare of out country.
Jfs it refpeClt oar treaties with other
nations, particularly with France, he
went largely into comparative
view of the conduct bf.tne French
government and that of the Brittfli
government, towards this country,
that the former had received us
with open arms, had liberally af
filed as through a fevere bloody
conflict with Great Britamj and had
materially contributed to eftablilh
bur independence, that in tbcfc try
ing fcenes of danger, the 1'rench
government had entered into a
Treaty of Amity and Commerce
with this country, which it was our
duty and our interefl to adhere to,
and which would be Ibanrefallv
abufed and ungratefully disregarded,
by accepting of the one now defend
Ing between the United States and
Great Britain that we had alfo
much greater advantages fecured to
us in all our Treaties with other
European powen, which were ge
neral! founded Upon the law of na
tions and upon the principles of re
ciprocity, that we fhould fhew a
very unfriendly difpofitlon indeed
to the caufe of France, if we joined
!n the prefent Europe an combination
! In their attempt to itarve the French,
by admitting the right of the Britifli
government to flop our vcfleli load
cd with proviGons bound to France,
and that it was a principle not to be
denied, that neutral nations fhould
continue In the fame fuuation with
refpeft to the belligerent powers to
the end of the war as they were at
the coaunencement of it.
--Aritrefpcfts the people if this coun
try, he did, that a Itipulatioo had"
been made for the payment of debts
due 13ritii creditors, which woutd
operate vtry injurioufly to the peo- .
pie at large, and for the fettjkraent
of which a tribunal wis to , be? cfta-
blifhed, that was a reflection on the
M-American TudViary rand a dihonor-.
to our country, ttiat tnc iuhjct or,
payment for the property carried
off btr the Britifli army contrary to
the Treaty of peace, appeared to
be'tptally abandoned, and-nhere he
; appealed'to the cit&etrs of Virginia,
and akedahem' if they could tuffer
fo glaring ah irrrpbfition, fo grofs a
violation of the Treaty "of -Vfi to
, pals unnoticed, or W ould they fuffer
'to be thus plundered of their pro
petty, and not iiififl upon full com
peniation for the 'fame. He then
went into the fubjeft of theWeftern
Pods, arid faid be, believed It was
never ferioufly the intention of
Great Britain to give them up. Mr.
Jay, he faid, ought lo nave infilled
on an immediate delivery of thofe
pdfls, and compenfation from the,
Britifli government for having un-
juflly and in violation 'of the Treaty
of Peace kept us out of them folong,
by which means we had' been involv
ed in a ruinous and expensive todian
war, and deprived of a profitable
and advantageous commerce in that
country.
Mr. T. Thbmfon fblldwed Mr.
Tayldtj andafter expatiating1 dn the
right of difcufling political qoeftions,
and examining into the tendency of
the aft of our government, he ob
ferved, the magnitude of the prefent .
fubjedt, and the danger of the pre
fent crifis, render this meeting pe
culiarly "proper. We are called'
upon to examine a Treaty which .
involves the mod preciovs rigbii, t
,the mod valuable ' inter rfls, tlf
commerce, the peace, and the hp
nor of America. A concife hiftoii
cal detail will unfold the pecttfhr
circumftances in which America
flood prior to the enibafly which
produced this treaty. The Kingxf
Great Britain, who has fworn eter
nal rnmity to republics, acceded at
an early period to thafcombination,
which has convolfed hrppe, in at-
-tempt ing to ftifle the liberty 7 of
France. Under the obnoxious pre-
4 text of attempting to flarye thirty
millions otmen, he iflued orders lor
interceptinff , the . correfbondence.
and plundering the commerce of
neutral nations. He had long view
ed Iwith hidijgnant forrow, the rapid
progrefs which the Americans made
m fpite of all the .obstacles be rontd
impole by .commercial rtllricVions,,
or by .flagrant violations t of the
treat of 178J. The dettruclion of .
- our rifing.commerce, the annihila-.
tion of our growing nivigaiion
were the objects immediately con
templated by thefe nefarious orders. .
They were exetuted wth all the
deligence, and all the. (ppreflioq .,
which rapacity can practice. , A Ja
trjotiQ phalanx in Congrtfi propoCed.
every expedient which wiTclom coold .
didate, to obtain compen&tronfbr
thefe Injuries, -but our iuuQrioi.
PrGdnr, Minlirsted: bypaterqif (
folicitode for the welfare of Ame
rica, gently infinuated to Congrell?
that the fubjeft was out oftTitir
jurlfdiftion, and appointed aua
Chief Juflice to perform the honor-.
able duty of declaring the indigna
tion, arid demanding the rights of.
an injured people. It ftern arido
cracy had not" Heeled his bofiam
aainft the generous fenfatipn of a
triotifm, it gratitude, fenfibiltty
and honor, had not been enveloped
in the fable gloom of political pre
judice, he mud have been annimat-
..ed by a magnanimity worthy of his
country, in the prefence of venal
pride and courtly profligacy, even
at the foot flool of the throne, lie
would have "preferved the attitude
of dignity, and 'fpoken the lan
guage of truth. But bafely aooUa
trrfng from Republican principles, .
.he hoped to offer the incenfe of flat-
tery to a tyrant, the .fcouTge of his
country, the foe of mankind. After
'a -lobg negoclatiori, in which he
happViv praclifed the art of diplo-.
matic flattery, he has prefented this .
Treatyjo his expeftingountryi It
has received in very "art Tele -but
ftnev the tanftibrl of the Seoate .
The cwnduft ol tHatbfleinbty -has
indeed been niforntr'" -JSince ihi ,
' eftabliflxTntpt of 'the; Federal JGo-,
vernment it has never deiefned to
adopt the lentiments of the people,
or to communicate us own, except
in the dignified form of. Laws and
Treaties. The majefty of-that
aflembly has never been. polluted
by the vile feet of the fwinifli mul
, titude. The exiftence Q,f an ariftq
cracy in this country is too often
; regarded as the chimera of fotne
diliempered enthufiaft, or the ficlion
of fomc dangerous demagogue. I
will appeal to theunderllandfligs of
this audience,' if the Funding SyT
, tern has not Organiied a great arif
, tocracy, which' has ufurped the
( dominion of the,- Senate which has
. often preponderated in the Houfe .
, of Representatives, which proclaim
itfelf in'fervile addrfilTeg.lo our Su
: preme execuiive, in dangerous ap-
ftointtnents, itt monltrous accumu
ations ofvdebt, in violation of the
!: conftitution, in profcriptiotis of de--
f- tnocrats, and to complete the climax
of political infamy, in this Treaty.
1 will afk if the Seriate does riot
' difcoverabjecl fetvility in propofing
the ratification of a treaty in which
; the fine expreflionsof ffiendfhip are
proftituted by being'ufed to a King?
I will aikj it it ws delicate, virtu
ous, pr republican, to look upon
the fttuggle of a 'great people for
libert,y, with coWiditTererjcej fo
breferve a fulleri neutrality, between
freemen arid defpots, apd to grant
important privileges in peace and
' in waT, to. a government tottering
under its own abufes, and feebly
' waring againft liberty ? : -
' 1 will now. confider each article
of the treaty, I will corfrpare k
With the French Treaty, and de.
monllrate to this meeting the
neceflity of eaprelfing ourtleteftaii
on. "
Prior to a difcuflion 6f this treaty,
it may be pioper to oblerve that
the fcqudlrat ion pro poled iii Con
grefs, was preferable to the Tyfiem
oi niegociation udopted by the Kxe
cutve. The competifa tion' obtained,
'would have been inllantancbus and
adequate, the ponifhment inflicled
' fevere arid ju(l, the meafure adopted
tnergctic . apd republican. This
expedient Was oppofed, as leading
'to a war, by a party who conceal
ariftocracy under the gentle form
of moderation, whtilt I declare
the triumph rf this party 1 blufh
for my country. es, we liefitated
, to. offend a proud king, who had
' captured or veflels, enflaved our
fellow citizens, ruined our mer
chants, invaded our territory, and
"trampled on .our foveretgnty
Shrinking from this meafure, we
prort rated ourfelves before bim,
f Imiled in his face, flittered arid
; obtained this Treaty. .
The objeraions 1 (hall make to It
are, firfl, on account pf the articles
it does not contain, and,' fecomlly,
on account of the articles it does
contain. It osght to have been
exptefsly flipulared, that the king
of Great Britain fhould interpotc
f pr bs his good oflicea whjh
'the piratical (Utes, or at lead
that he fhould not negotiate a peace
between Portugal and Algiers
which fhould again render, plunder
ers the tyrants of the ocean. His
recent cordu6b in that guarter had
very materially injured us; tril'og
Wovlfiok agalnft a repetition" of ft,
. . has, been made by our nunifler. Ey
the Krench Treaty concluded in the
vyear.1773, in ther tumultuous mo
ments which attend the crilis of
. liberty, by a government fo much
1 r '- 1 c 1 .1 . 1
. aeipuea ior lmoecimy, 1111s prcnec
tlon from Ajgerioe Lorfairs wa$x
.prefly given by. a jkinc,from whom
we b,ad nothing to demand, and
every thing to f ue, and tq, w horn we
gfjed privileges much lefs impor-
vlant than thole we novt grant
A ili put at ion ought to have been
inijfted on for ample . compenfation
the dtentiop.of ,the7 w,fflerh
pods, a detention which Has de
frauded America of the fur trade,
and which has produced a long,
bloody, and difadrous Indian war.
A ftipulation ought to have been
made that Britifli fhips of war fhould
protect American (hips at fea. 'Al
though the articles relative to arm
ed fhips appear to be mutual ; fince
we have no armed Oiips, we receive
no conli4eration for the privileges
we grant theirs. Here another ad
vantage is giyen to us by the French
Treaty which this Treaty denies. .
As 1 have been forcedto anticipate
the comparifons between the two
Treaties, 1 will now- Continue itr
and then date my objections to the
articles contained in the Treaty.
The French are by Treaty to pay
no higher duties than the mod fa
vored nations pay. In the year
I778, we refuted to admit even
thofe generous allies into our ports
upon the fame terms with citizens
by tnis. 1 reaty tne crittin are to
be admitted on the fame terms with
American merchants. But the
French, the Duch, mod favoured na
tions, If this Treaty is ratified,
thev will be obliged to taV no hifrh-
0 r j o
er duties than American merchants.
This Treaty then aimed annihilates
the diflin&ion between foreigners is,
natives ; wliichwe refufed to re)in
quifh in favor of our allies and pro-
tectors in tne epeu m danger and
iufancy ; Let thucircumflanct prove
the abjeft humility with which
America has been prodrated before
the Britifli king.
By the 2d article of the French
Treaty it is provided, that enem'es
property fhall not be taken out of
nmerican veueis -ine rrencn. can
not take out of American veflels
IJritiih property. By this Treaty it
it - PtnfAlv rtrmt'tAeA - thr - ntnia
- j j K '
may take out of American veflels
French broperty, ! The objed of
this article was, to give the fancYi
onof America to thofe attrocious
robberies, which are wreded from
the, wretched Weti-Indian exile,
' the'lad pittance of difnaiilng pover
ty r By the French treaty the car
rying traac or enemies property,
nod only from neutral porta to ene
mies ports, but front enemies ports
to enemies ports, is given us By
this Treaty that valdable fource of
wealth is dented u It By the French
Treaty it is declared that ther
01311 not intercept American veflels
bound with provifions to the ports
of their enemies By this Treaty
it is declared that the Britifli may
J intercept Aaierican veflels bound
with provifions to the ports of their
enemies. The French then cannot
intercept American veflels bound
with provifion to the,ports of Great
Britain, but the Britifli can inter
cept American veflels hound with
provifions to the French republic
The objeft of this article was to
render Amerira acceflbrv to thj
nefarious fcheme of exciting by the
agency of famine, infurrection and
diforder, which may either exter-.
minate or enflave the French. The
cibjeel of this article was to render
America a cowardly confederate,
concealing under the venerable form
of frlendfhip the viled malice. And
. fhall this Treaty diffblve the com
pacl made by nature between the
two Republics, fecured by feelings