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m Jim ' Im. NERYA. - ... . " ' ' . -J L RALElCHj N. U I'U BUSHED (WEtrtUY) BY LUCAS AMD A. H. BOYMN. on $2, to ft.vrs. in ADVANCE;. Vol. 16. FRIDAY, JANUARY $h 1812. No 825. i 5- '"I-- i x r - p(ngrefs of the U. States . , . . HOUiE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Friday, January 3- SiiSTC.I-OF MU. SHJ-FFEY S SPhECH. It wa3 not his intention to tlistuirU the tran. quility with which ne mtasures have hteu so" far jrsue.l ; but it wttS his lnty to explain the nv. lives by whicty he was jfivcrned. while he vish A rot and did not doubt tne purity' of those whu had advocated measure which to hi n aOpvare! irt cant vuh the moI ruinou cousequences. !1- had houed tli.-.uiie fllU SUoa ot ea'". ni- ,Ar aoiri hav? b-i r'' pffft4V r wctijt 'iMvtt'f'ii.-; 4jbw.Utpttr spirit is oul, and we aie Cse ht should hae gone with . ihe." fudjvity in heitf not econdir.g but checking it. Lk at the furnishing the means of war, if the ho.vur 4n.l tn.! fuUome addrrssts to Mr Adams from legislatures terest t! '.he country demanded it. 'Hie cai?w! (.ndpublic ; bodies, 'pigging iheir lives, fortunes of war, the means of carrying it on, and th- o!V" and Wred honor : " the finger of heaven points to jeet to Df auatneu, ougnt a uuve all-tit-er, iuij and fairly state;!. Insteiid ot which he h.id huurd co.hing out high colore.! statements of wrongs He would openly avow that Ik re was cause of a war against t.-reat Briu&n, bu not less so against the other belligerent. The orders in council are Hot founded iri justice : they arc causes of war ;! Stanford) has shown you, what you cannot deny, nor are these orders beneficial to Great Britain , that The provocations to war were far greater in herself t he dtcrees ot France idockadtng tbe , 63 than now. Why dU not you then go to war? British Isles werely nofni al ; fior w,is there on Much has been said of Volunteers. Mr. S. had the iartof England any just ground for her rttali- not known one who would volunteer as a private ; atiri orders. 1'he or'en ot N'.o-mttr,fto7. , as officers there would no doubt be enough. .Will were calculated not to benefit .Otcai-iiritaia but your farmers sons, or any hat can gtt'a living aoly to injure us. at home turn ut as priaTHs to go and fight Cana Of what has been.Siid of Uie iiopressnient oNU ?' In '93 when no fighting' 'was expected, du American seamen, part is- true'.: but i:oi to the rim; a year and a halfVrTCruhitig, n-t half the ar. extent stated particularly by 'ht entlcoa from my was filkd Up " Such is he pi-osperous. state of JiLeutucky. (ohnsoii) who painted in the most nocietv in this 'country, that you' connot'get .men glowing colours the dis.ressst-s uVJitty th'juaand- for, such a war.' "lie rejoiced it was so ; and hoped American citizens in 'iaerv, Mr S. .sard- hr; the time was far distant .when society shoo Id" be would never go to war for any ,iher-than -Kmc rican native citizens or such as were life ut the time oftherevolutioHs We are notbouu i to pro tect Jiritith tubjecta. They owe allegiance to ths ir government, and that government ill claim it. When British subjects come here and stay a gi. Vtn time, they become if they ciiuse citizen -of ihe United - States, and we are b uu.! to protect them while under our jurisdiction ; but to say that our flag shtll protect hath pi opeviv and men is claiming more than c -,n he grant ed. ,' The right of a belligerent, to search f r cmitralmnd goods .&c, cmviJi te denied permit afV1 but our ownci'.iier.s to togo 'on hoard T!' ' our own rot'ichantn en. She nrens her ru( jeetsj Britain, if you ko to Canada will soon b.iujj bjck i " and she -ul! obtain them if possible tthe army to defend your sacked cities'. What do is reat difference -b twei-n a caue ofjvou obtain for) our certain losses ; immense lo. ' war anji an ?r ol war;-Why wasfi Ofrblbot! and"ses 1 "The frozen lands of Canada, that wetiooot i treasure without subsiai'iia!-. biec: of naiiot.a wa.it. Will not G- Britain attack u in the south, benefit e claim the right of trading tQtht. conti nent. VOt .bat value is this ' Is it wonli a wan The trade jtn.he continent is now '6f little value, " nd is duilyiminishing. Such is ihe policy of the French government tint foreign trade is to be destroyed. What is the value of -a 11 Vcur com .:iefccjoF "port' commerce'- there before the" orih-rs i'a council or French-decVees was. but S 2,700 000 "out rt above 4S-'0,000- and evti tivih. wtul ! now he f ar T ss. Coff-e and sugar ai t .oily forbidden. How uhatco I Only one fiftieth part of the tobac co used n France can be of fo'ti.;'! growth Is this hoHntended to amount to .. toul prohibition ? It i a part of the system !T total exclusion Ot cotton, in a little tirce none will, bv this system, be admitted. Including Holland and Italy your commerce to France and its dependencies is not r. worth two millions 'of dollars, llf ihe orders in council were this moment repealed coinmticeto Frauce tt her dependencies, so shackled by duties, and being bound to take certain articles in return, -would no be worth haying. In 1807, our export rade to Great Britain was bouf $ 28,000,000, besides nearly S 5..000 000 "to places since fallen into the hands of Great Britaiiv Shall all this be sacrified for a commerce of two millions,"and that not wprth jiavoig ? Till it c? be - prov'e'd that we sha'l have a mai ket -elsewhere,' -he would not relinquish the commerce we now have, r or eoiild have.. " r " - We have been told that this, is to. be a wer of honor. The civilized world hs,assumed,a. new aspect ; neutral righ s will not' be permitted to flourish till there is ,i change, We have thought our ' trad-: of too muc h" conseotuoic- fo f .t iin nations. ' - Belligerent claims will interfere with neutral rights. Public law has been consigned o ihe grave by French domination. There e "no w TvTntuTral pow. vr.' exceot ourselves and yni say we1 are shortly to' relinquish that position;' it caanot be" supposed ion the country a .ceotot one hundred and thirty that neutral rights will be protected W the hands millioiiB. , , v 'cf an hundred millions of Uliigt rents. j And is there po danger to libertyj Standing If w 'do not understand beforehand, we must! armies wers lormerly dreaded. But now, strange Uderstand practically Why did we not go.to! -lr: war Joitij aKO,:.WherrJxincc cation : or why not before with . p1" Britain ? " FradeHre:Torba.l.eVle'r:hev same iirudtVn.c. operate now. Shall we be -overwhelmed with' the calamities I of Lwar,- with probable ruin, for this ideal honor ll is'a question of prudence, of calculation what -itr your-powers for -maintaining' this honor. ... If uHer a seven years war for the defence of our Hon 'or, afterthe wasit. of wealth and blood you are at l i it obligedlo sit down under the continued orders i t council, what becomes of ywr honor. You buy -Jf Algiera with money. Y' here is your hon6r in ' this case. Vn iv mrrhfli-d 'front' France the riefct of a contract. When the Berlin decree was issued why ud you not sro to war ? Prudence dtctatated ollterwise. Where is that prudence now. But nations lonj in peace need war we are told, for the recovery of their mrlkil spirit. Sir, it is not true that nations are injured by lon continued (witce. IjDok at what Switzerland so long wis Why plunge into the evua ol war lest we should he miserable without ii. A war with Great B''i tjin will be a conmtrc'ul war. Tito object is the removal of the orders in council ; jnd this to be effected by taking Canada. Now the Srst question is. can you raise the men who can atchittve this &lle hesitated ot to say they could noU. Calculations are-xnaile on pruritic- km ar irfnhition for foreign contiuest. We are wsr. Uow soon was u discovered tnat a tew such addresses were not the voice of the great body of ih people. The people are not now the friends of war : nor will they support a foreign war, or waf of foreign conquest. . The t'entlenvm from. North Carolina, (Mr. Mich as to afford proper charae'et a for sue!) a war. If you pass this hill jou will not in three years pro curt 2 5 000. men ' , vVe have m nei of the means or materials of - ar : not even bJ 'keis. But perhaps the army is. t i march in dog days and corr.e back victorious .before ihecold weather comes on ! i Some suppose if we onl v;o to can da and prof lev them lioertv, they will all flock to your stand ard. -No, so. A rcat part of the population is fim the United States persons who have settled here because tley prefer the soil or the govern. Thtjy will not forsake their alkgiance. '. r t.mi i.'w JUr. i- -X-.. the time yi art .making these prep nuttons li' every where indeed alo;ig our coast ? Will there not be invasions not for tenitory but plunder aud' rapine- Yet we are told that if we-all. goto he bottom this side of the Allegany, liberty wil; be triumphant still in the west, it was an exchange not to be desired.. WJiat are the pecuniary resourct-s of tips coun try ? He would not ad'! it that the nn.ans of war could be raised. The 2 ,K)0.000 dollars, collected by-anUifernalla sive - U.tw is it to now ? i'h'ily thousand m-n (ad milled they rould be raised) wdl cost how j much ? (Mr Slieffey here made a calculation for, one year, (perhaps 1809; ot the expenditure lorjmsy Happen i- present nixj-jnty, like all otner the military establishmenj, and-. found it 492 dol-majorilita, Kav; a prevailing iitctinatioii to reserve lars HjriMu) The esiihiute (he said) is gen'-j in their own hands the exclusive privilege of a erally aln.it one half the real expenditure. Under ibusew And without doors the subject is ot no less the prr filiate- administration of Mr. Adams, inl ditfu uhy. For, of late years, the popular ear has 1798. .th military and naval expenditure was not been so vexed with spetch upon' speech wind up so1 great by above a million as under our cconomi on win ! the public patienct has-been so exhaust i al (democratic) republican-administration, for the ed in hunting up the soliiauy grain of sense, hid. year 1808 ' r - djeu in the. bushtts of chaff,- that it is ready to sub The expenditure, according to this bill, arid j mit to r,y limitation of a privilege which subjects other preparations, wilbe about forty-five mil-; ions of dollars anually-. about one-fifth of the pro. - reeds of the labour of the whole 'people. Where ill you raise it ? Yes, with the naval prepafa - tions. necessary, and without which there is noi system, 45 millions ol iloUa'S will be the lowrst calcuLtiwn .'Where is your commerce to be ? To the East Indies, or. West ; pass toe iron-bound coast of .. Englsnd to the Baltic ; Mediterranean, or" to Spain ? AH. these places will be inaccessible on account ofhe Britjjsh Your whole commerce will not be two millions of dollars , Y'ou will bor row t On motion i No man will lend withoti tsc curitjj ; what can you give ?. You cannot secure even tlicTinterest ; supposir you would get the mcneyrho w long is the war-to-continue ! Three years will be the .shortest. This will adule5 up- metamorphosis f standing armies are composed of din'erent materials, all patriots. No ! 'standing armies are flic same. Never was one more vim tuous than that of tie revolution v yet wore it not for one man, whose like we shall never see- at' the close of the w ar,t perhaps we should now be actine under a military despotism.- Yet we" are told, there is no danger. Circumstances do not extinguish, may obscure the spirit of J ty . How were we alive when the provisional ar my was raised : vyhat danger's 'did we apprehend , yet. now we are told there is no danger. " But then we tre out now we are in He feared there was j no-distinction "in political parties. (Mr. Sheffey i here noticed the pretensions of patriotism In En- in, which thty before condemned ; and he ex- pressed his fear that the same course was in op. eratiOn here.) ' . i'w ' ' ' Itia trvef he said, that EnglandHs fighting the battles of the w orld. And what is t succeed the downfall of England ? We are' told lhat other ob jecta will employ the attention of Bonaparte. The m'reer may prefer a Biitish to a French guinea. but he will take both if he can. We are -talced, what are we to gain by peace ? (by Mr. Speaker.) He was astonished at the question. "We are ytt the happiest nation on which the su O'er shone. Liberty and security are ours, ly; me these and take your orders in cotUKtt, cr our ifade to ! ranee. Almost our all is secured by peace : and what is not risqued by war " ' -Engfand ;5 not to he driven from her purpose by our embargo and nmlintercotirsc We have proved the folly of tha. hope .After we hverais ed the srmy. aixTits purpose- should lie effected, what is to be done if Great Britain still hold bo her course-? Is the army to oe disbanded ? He tohcluJed with returning his thanks to the Speuktr and the house for Hhe, attention giveni and by beseeching that they wouM not embark in the European contest, nor thus put to sea with the vtsse! of Slate, when the winds were up ; the horizon overcast ; the storm gathering; the bil lows running mountain high ; and thus risk the danger of shipwreck or total loss. ' Decerkber 23. GAG RULE. The house resumed the Consideration of the unfinished business of Saturday last, vizi Mr. Nel- son's' amendment to the rules and orders of the house u That whcyi -ths.- previous question is or tiered to tie taken, -upon tue main question being put? every member vho has not already spoken shall have liberty to speak once." -MrsQaincy .Mi. Speaker. I do not regard this question in the light in whichsome of its ao'vo. cates, as well as of its opponents, have consider ed it ; as a mere contest for power between the ! majority and the minority. It is of tin higher I cbaracter. It -affects the essential- principles of ' civil liberty, anJ saps its hopes it its vtry foun . . . " ' dation. I rejoice that the gentteiiian from Virgi nia (Mr- Nel-on) his limited his proposition, so as to preclude any' mistake concerning the object of it. We are not now advocating an unrestrain ed privilege of oebatt. 1'he ir.qiiirv is shall a own question, m this deliberative Ixxly, ever be W attmJ spoken, shall have ittd aii opportunity, if he wisht i avail himself of it. to speak at least once upon the qvies ion. Tie ground taken by those who oppose the propoiitinii, is that of necessity and : convenience. Thcrr.c are the very points, which, in a free country.-, ought .most vigilcntly to be guarded. For it is, here, that-jthc spirit of des potism always. lies in ambush. Under the cover 'if necessity or convenience, it steals upon ihr-li-berrtes of the people, and never fails, sooner or laier to make .them its p:ty It i r.6t to be d;.ttttd, that the Subject is tri some respecs difficult to nnnage w'ith any hope's of con - vincmg Tacit h a siate of t'cding, both within i his -house and our-efit, very unpropitiotis to an qtiestion couci ruing -who shall Viaye. the powtr, a majority or a nunority. And as it is agreed on all linds, .that in ihe exercise cF the power, abuse u to so irksome a labor. l ready to exclaim, "di! what you will with the li- jwerty of spcttli, provi'ded you will nave us from j thrt,rA of words, with whiL'hTve are periodically iiiuiulated;1 Now this is the very state. of the public mind, in wnicn tne. -corruption ot esseutui princip4e4postpontng toe main qocsiK4 rifi un u kctv.tr,- conimeiiCt;s.--ThrtiUirh iDLtrer.t neccssi'' ojrhhe nract'.civanMu-es ol -this .house rtnut'Uv l -temporary cw.venit-nce, or msgost at abu ttie popular sent'r.tent is n.ijjle to acquiesce in me in. troductton. of.doi trines, vitally inconsistent nj'ith ihe perpetuity ot liberty aslttlie house to consider ---what is - that prin ciple of civil liberty, which is anullgamated-itnd identitied with the Vey existence ot a legislative bpdy In-Whatd'oes-'itxonsist ?.A-nd wharit its character? It consists ir. the rigiit ol delibe ration And its character is, tint it be-lohss, not to'the body, but t,o the individual mfml)erS;consti:uting the body.- The body has the power to conuoul, and regulate its exercise.-. -But i ha4juj!f- the power to .lake away that right altogether by the operation of any genera! principle. An individual mFmbeV may Tendcf liimstiinwofthy of thiTpTi" vrltge- lievniay be set dtiwnt jlle may be de I ,iii-il the right, because he has abused it. Uut when a legislative body assijmes to itself the pow. er of Stopping, at its will', all debate, at any stage iceSjJtVthey lof drliberutjon, it assumes a power wliolly incon irit of liber-! sistent with the essential right of deliberation," and totally destructive otthat principle of civil liberty which exists, and is idtntiffed with the exercise of that right. - ' . The r'.t of every individual rnember. is, in Tact, lhe'it:vhlof his constituents. I lr.is but thfir representative. . It is in theirtnajesty, that he ap- prrs. It thf'rjr i;l,t.-njrMii 'reBectsTli right of being htard by their representative i the inherent and absolute light of the people. Now it is the essential character of such a riyht, that it exists, independent, and in desj.ite o any maa, ; or body of men, whatsoever. I is 'ourd to say, I that any right is independe'n', vhtch depei sopon the wiil of another., It is ahsmd tossy, that any rifht is absolute, which is wholly relative u ihe inclination of another ; which lasis only aa loug as he chooses, and terminates at his nod Now, whether this power be extrcised, by i tie, or ma. ny, it matiets not., The principle of civil libfty is gone, jivhm the inherent and absolute nature of the right iHone. ; .. . Apply this reasoning to the tsse before u ft is impossib eto conceal the fact, that as our rules andOidcrs stand, independent ol thcprdpoMUon, now offered as an amendmentfjt is in the power of a majority to preclude all debate, up'.' any question, .-and force every member of the houst to vote, upon any proposition, without giving him the opportunity of explaining his own 'tains or siating the interests of his r-ons i- uentt Tsftis t undeiiible. Is it not then, plain a coucluhi'-c. tiiat as our rules nnd orders how stand iccordij'g t recent ccmsiruction, every mem bet of this house holds his right of speaking, "not on the principle of the inherent, absolute and independent rijjht of his constituents whose representative he is, but upon the will of the majority of this house ! For . that which another may at any time take away from me, 1 hold n.i by my own right, but at his will. Can any thing be more obviously at varu aoce with the spirit of the constitution and the first principles of civil liberty ? Let not any man say this power will not be a: bused. This is the favoiite argument of everjr despotism, and of eourst, will not fail to be ur ged, when it is about to plant "itself irf the very temple of liberty. I have chosen to consider this subject in relation To the right of tlu whot.; bo.iy. and of one of its iunividual members, ra'.ht-r than to thai of a raa jority niid ' minot ny. I he right to speak ts an in. dindual light. Liiml.it as u please, continent a single tbztrche of'thai right . Bui w hen i hi is taken? away, or precisely the same thiou: s r . 5 - . a . t i iar as it respects me pnncijiie oi civu iuvrtyf whenlt is m (he power of one or many, at itisov eretgn will and pleasure, to lake it away ; there ..... ,1 "'- "-""7 I ,M-t is no longer ar.y right!8' .We have our ttnuie of speech as the slave has hisat the of a mas'- Tier But it is said the legislature raut ')cn.et'.mes liberty of speech, pre vtn' whoie w- tr m " acting." Aud I sav- lir?;; tXMCi e el he right as you please, only Co m i assume tu y( ur- sd-ts the power M taking away the whole right at your preasure- It is, in this doctrine of the ntcesty of act. mgi mat lies tne wnoie mystery oi mat trior, which we are now combatting. 'Strictly speaking; a legislative body never " acts " It's province is to h.libeVte and detide. " cticn" rs alone, correctly attributable to the extrulive. And it vill be foend, that ail the cases, in whicli bis i'nv.cS3jiy of "action" has been ui'gtd have been ea-.3 in which the legislative body Jias (!earled from its appropriated duties of t elrbt ration and decision, ami ekscendeu to be an iustmtr-tut or engine of tlieMFcutTVe. . .1 Tiesitat'e" ftoTto'Say'" that-this position may be proved by a'.most every instance in w hich this'tiece-ssny f action has been urged. It jv as an ckecutivt haste to its own pur poses, which prevailed upon the legislative body lodeny to cfeny to its own nietiibers, their pri vileges. ' . It has been a'ssened, hah " if thiSTtroendrtitnt. passes, this will bathe only -deliberative, body in the world, wnich cannot stop tichate.' On the other hand I assert, that if this an.einljnen' does not pass, this -w.ill be the ViiiTr deliberative hetty in the world, pi ttendin'g to bi Free, in -vhieh tt isln The people are almostfthe power of a fhajoiiry to force a oecision nith- out any deliberation. It is noi Biitjsh pailiament, the previc debte and forces decision on not. true, that m the previous qsesiu.o s;cps the vriain question without deliberation'.- Ihe previous qtitstio?, ihire, if decided hi the negative, s'ippt.-csse.s. dc'.w ,y Dave ot t ne main ('u.uon, aiiei n. ainrroaijve- at' cision of a previous qi'estion Whoever uivdcitaken to examine the subject) i!l find it as I fiave stat ' ed ' , ,'..-. 4t is not true, that this power ever was. or eve can be rreorv, in a legislative body. In "e';ery e . . . . I . ir. . . - .1 case, in wltich the previoiis qncstion, acciudibg to; recent t-otia' I'llctioii.vi'asbeTn-'-t'.sstd upon the i housr, it will be lound that there was no wartrc.-".-or state 'nircikiry for ah immediate decision, 'I hat is toViv, in every instance it will be found, that it wasofno sort jof pul Jb lniptrtt.rxej wthtthf t- the rnsin qocsii(!b ere taktuon Uiisday, on the next,, oi on a third djy.- Always the -question might have been taki nal-a r'e6nsalle ti.iu-; 'r'evij.ry in. dividual peir.berrvho chose to .RiKTsk7iidffir hsv5" had the'" privilege) if he' pleaac'' rt'-pei;hint',v"' at least otice. As tar as x coscry-fi. ii tin se pf tences ol necessity have been" e.isilv i'tsejTb'e in'. '.' -to party tunning. This subject.' was, i.-ne iUHVcuit to"Triaintain- had. popular brating', which it ffiiifed rut the pleasure of the- in ijr.i jty 'tr. have iiTvc'siigated.' They pTessed the minority to ni ' -stant decision, by refusing adjournment. And i,s it happens, in sdeh cases, rt-actiol ifJ ecjual to action. The minority wtre put upon 'he'r -. nietthv and they ph"Tlb tiial the-mettle cf the majoii'y. '-.-'-- - . ' -' ', - -' LutioorliIeclj'-truethjiL Uns.p&wcr aif.y-ae--- -t- t -' .1 'if t- , If
The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, N.C.)
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Jan. 24, 1812, edition 1
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