- ' ' - ' s ' U.w.fp'dbyp.rtyr.se.wlWelikebrothern1 - . - ' " " " , " ' '' J' V.CV "
vol. vn. .e.. , ' . " ' -MoNDAYAPiiE r, i806.-: - ; - -i-; s;:txoUxJi$ H
' , , , : v i ik.' " ; 1 " . . .
Debate on the
DISPUTE with G. BRITAIN.
v fv
Ml." Gregg's. Resolution.
A
Continued from-twr htU
Mr J. Clay was, opposed to Jthe
passage , of thisr resolution, because
if carried intoeffectj it would place
greater means in the hands, of Q,
Britain of yjnjuring ys than . the al
ready possesses : for while we are J
prohibit ed from i m porting 3 he r rna -nufacturesv
she will-be atTibeny to
receive our produce which "will acr
cumulate in the hands of the British
jhecHkht:; anq,.they" will have no
means of paying for it ; and he
doubted even, at present, whether
there were not greater sums due to
this country from G. Britain, than
there are recoverable debts due from '
American, cuizens to mem. lie ai
. to insisted that the resolution would
not be carried into effect as the ar
ticles jgefrom G. Britain, could
not bej got from anyJ othei dountry.
Biit tht greatest injuryfit would c
casion was the destruction of our
revenue. v..
. MrJr Crowninshield spoke in
favour of , the resolution. He said
the balance of trade wijhi G. B. was
betwixt 11 and 12 millions j against
us, which ve had to mnke up by re
mittances in cash or bills from other
countries ; when if we did not pur
chase to a, greater amount .than wt
sell her, this amount would be , re
turned o the United States, probably
hi cash from -othef European Na
tions. He had no idea that the pro
position would have an injurious tf
iecvon this country, but would ina
lerially affect the country it is aim
ed at. But it is said it will lead to
war. He had no such UIed, but if
it did, the United States would have
greatly the advantage. Our priva
teers would make two captures' to
their one. He hoped however, the
resolution would never go into effect,
but that the British would give us
back the property they have wrong;
fully taken from us, and liberate
our seamen. . But if Britain persists
in her captures and impressments,
he would not hesitate to meet her in
'war. In such an event, she .know
that she would lose her Eastern pro
vinces Canada - and Nova Scoya.
She knows also that her subjects
would .lose immense sums which
they hold in our government stock.
Knowing this, he had no doubt, when
Britain saw the proposed measure
adopted, she would come to terms
Mr. J. Randolph. I am ex
tremely afraid, sir, that so far as it
may depend on my acquaintance
with details connected with the sub
ject, I have very little right to ad
dress you, for in truth, I have not
yet seen the documents from the
Treasury, which were called for
tsorne time ago, to direct the judge
ment of . this house in the decision
of the question now before you : and
indeed, after what I have this day
heard I no longer require that ctocu-.
ment or any other document in
deed I do not know that I ever should
have required it to vote on the re-;
solution of the gentleman from
Pennsylvania. If I had entertained
any doubts they would have been
removed by the stylin wluch the
frtcitds-of thtfTesoluuori . have; this
morning discussed it. lam perfect
ly aware, that on entering upon
this subject, we go into it manac!td
handcuffed, -' and tongue tied ;
gentlemen know that our lips are
sealed on subjects of momentous
foreign relations, which a e indisso- j
lubly. linked with the present ques
tion, and which would serve to throw
a great light on it In every respect
relevant to it. I will, however, en
deavor to hobble .over 'the subject,
s well as my. fettered limbs and
paKied tongue Will enable me to
' i0 it.' . ' :,
1 am not surprised to hear, this
resolution discussed by its friends
Zi a war measure. They say (it &
trwt) that it is not arwar measure ;
,iUt they defend it on principles
liich would Justify none but war
JTnt-aburcs, and seemed pleased with
the idea that it may prove thefbi e.
ftn:'ier of war. If war i,s necessary---,
have reached .this point, let us
u war. But M hilc I hc life.I
vv 11 'lever consent to those. incipient
vr t!icasuie4 which, in theicorri-
menccraent breathe fiothin:i but
peace, though they plunge isat last
into war- .It has been well observed
by hegentleman from Pennsylvania
behind me (Mk J. ClaV) that the
situation of this nation in 1793, was
in ever respect different from that
vin which it finds itself in vl 806. j Let
me ask, too, if the situation' of
England is ' not since materially
changed l gentlemen, who, it would
appear from their language, have
not got beyond the horn-book of
politics, talk of our ability to cope
with the" British navy, and tell u of
the War .of our- revolution. What
was ths situation of G. Britain then ?
She was then contending for the em
pire of the : British channel, barely
able to maintain a doubtful equality
with her enemieSf over whom she
'y never gained the superiority until
I Rodney 'a victory of the 12th of
pril. What is her present situation ?
The combined fleets of Franc e
Spain, and Holland are dissipated,
they no Jonger exist. I am not sur
prised to hear men advocate these
wird opinions, to see them goaded
on by a spirit of mercantile avarice,
straining their feeble strength'to ex
cite the natvbrito war, when they
have reached .thjs stage of infatua
tion, that weafe an over match for
G Britain on the ocen. It is mere
waste of time to (reason with such
persons. They do not deserve any
thing like a $et ious refutation. The
proper arguments for such states
men are a strait waistcoat, a dark
room, water gruel, and depletion.
It has always appeared to me
that there are three points to be con
sidered, and maturely considered
before we can be prepared to vote
for the resolution of the gentleman
from -Pennsylvania. First. Our a
bility to contend with Great B r i tain
For hqucstmn in disptite t Second
Iy The policy of such a contest ;
and Thirdly, In case both these
shall be settled amrmatiyely, the
manner in which we can, with the
greatest effect, re act upon and an
noy our adversary.
, Now the gentleman from Massa
chusetts (Mr. Crowninshield) has
settled at a single sWeep, to use one
of his favorite expressions, not only
that we are capable of contending
with Great Britain on the ocean,
but that we are actually her superior.
Whence does the gentleman deduct
this inference ? Because, truly, at
that lime when Great Britain was
niot mistress of the ocean, when a
North was her prime Minister and
a Sand wich the first Lord of her ad
miralty when she was governed by
a counting house administration,
privateers of this country trespas
sed on tier commerct. So, too, did
the cruiztrsvoFDunkirk at that day.
Suffrein hefd the mastery of the In
dian seas. But what is the case
now ? Do gentlemen remember
the capture of Cornwallis on land,
becausei De Grasse maintained the
dominion of the ocean ? To my.
mind no position is more cfcar,,than
if that we go to war with Great
Britain, Charleston and Boston, the
Chesapeake and the Hudson will be
invested by British squadrons. Will
you cull on the Count de Grasse to
relieve ih-m, or shall we apply to
Amiral Gratina, or Admiral Villen-
euve to raise the blockade.: But
you have not only a prospect of ga
thering glory, and what seems to the
gentleman from Massachusetts,
much deat-qr, profit, by privateering,'
but you Vill be able to make a con
quest of Canada and Nova Scotia.
Indeed i Then, sir, we shalf catch
a Tartar. I confess, however, I
have no desire to see the Senators
and Representatives of the Canadian
Frenchmen of the tories and refu
gees of Nova Scotia sitting on ,this
floor, or thai of -the., other House
To see them becoming members
of the union, and participating e
qually in our political rights. And
on what other principle, would the
gentleman, f'oni Massachusetts be
for incorporating those provinces
with us ? pron what other princi
ple cculd it' be done under the consti
iutionj If the gentleman has no o
ther bounty to offer us for going to
War, .than the ' ihcorppratiorof Can
ada' and Nova Scotia wit ji the United
States, I am for remaiiig at peace.
n What i$ the quevtion in dispute ?
The carrying trade. What part of
it f The, tair, the nonest ana tne
useful trade that is engaged in car
rying bur own productions to foreign
markets, and -bringing; back their
productions in exchange ? ': 'No, Sir.
It is that carrying trade which co
vers enemy property, and carries
the , coffee, j. the sugar, . and other
West India products to the mother
country. No, Sjjv if thU great a
gricultural nation is to be governed
by Salem and ' Boston, N w-York
and Philadelphia, and Baltimore and
Norfolk and Charleston, let gentle
men come out and say so ; :'and let a
committee of public satety be ap
pointed from those town s to carry
on the government. I, for one,,
will not mortgage my property and
my liberty to carry on this trade.
The nation said So seven years ago,
I said so then, and I say so now.
Ir is not for the honest carrying
trade of America, but for this mushr
room, this fundus of war, for a
trade which as soon as the nations
of Europe are, at peace, will no lon'
get exist, it is for this that the
spirit of ; avaricious traffic would
plunge us into War. !
I am forcibly struck on iThis oc
casion, by the recollection oifa re
mark made by one of the ablest Tit,
nor me nonesiestj i ministers mat
England ever produced. I mean
3ir Robert Waipoley vKo said tliat
that the country gentlemen poor
meek souls 1) came up every year
to be sheared that they laid mute
and patient whilst their fletccs were
taking off but that it he touched a
single bristle of the commercial in
terest the whole stye was in an up
roar 4li was indeed sheHinng the
hog great cryt(lnd little wool."
ut we ire asked, are we willing
to bend the necl to England ; to
submit to nejv outfages I No, Sir,
answer, that it wjli be time enough
for us to tclLetlemenvwhaIwel
will do to yinrlicate ;tBe ;vioiatiphs of
our 6aKontheS oceM whe) they
shall have told jns what they have
.1 "i ,i' -fiii ,' -'' T- . . I
done in resemnlent of the violation U
of the actual ' territory
itdry of the United it
Stateshy Spain -the true territory
of the UnitedStaies, not your new
iangiea country over tne jnssissippi,
but good olet-United Sates part of
GeoiKia, of the old thirteen states
where citizen4 have been taken, not
fro .n our ships, but from ur actual
territory. When gvntlemeti have
taken the padlock from our mou hs,
I shall be reacy to tell them what 1
will do, relative to our dispute wilh
Britain, on the law of nations, on
ontraband, and such stuft.
I havt another objection to this
course of proceeding. Great Britain,
when she sees it, will say the Ameri
can people have great cause of dis
satisfaction with Spain, She will see
by the documents furnished by the
President, that Spain has outraged
our territory, pirated upon our com
merce and imprisoned our citizens ;
and she will enquire what we have
done ? It is true, she will receive
no answer, but she must know
what we have not done. She will
see that we have not repelled these
outrages, nor made any addition to
our army and navy- nor even clas
sed the militia. No, sir, not one of
your militia Generals in politics has
marshalled a single brigade.
Although I said it would be time
enough to answer the question which
gentlemen have put to me when
they shall have answered mine, yet,
as I do not like long prorogations I
will give them an answer now. I
will never consent to go to war for
that which I cannot protect. I
deem it ro sacrifice of dignity to say
to the Leviathan of the deep, we are
unable to contend with you in your
own elepient, but if you come with
in our actual limits we will shed our
last drop of blood in their defence.
In such an event I would feel, not
reason, and obey an impulse Which
never has which nevercan deceive
me. V-; - , ;: ' - '--,
France is at war with England.
su p pose h t r po w t r on the comih e n t
of Europe no greater than it is op
ocean . ' How wou Id she make he r
enemy feel it ? , There would be . a
perfet nop conductor between them..
So with the United Sta.s arid England-
she scarcely presents to us a
vulnerable point,' Her commerce's
now earned on for the npst art in ,
flectswhere in' single ships - they
are stout and well armed vtry dif
terent trom the state of her trade
duringthe American wari when her
mercnanunen Dicame tne i' prey ot
paltry privateers. Great Britain has
been too long, at war with the three
mnst powerful maritime nations of t
Europe not to have learnt hoVr to
protect her trade. She can afford
convoy! to it all--she has 800 ships
m commission, the navies of her
enemies are annihilated. Thus this
war has presented the new and curi
pus political spectacle of a regular
annual increase (and to an immense
lbuht) of her imports :;trtjd exports
and tonnage and revehuefahA all the
insignia of accumulating wealth,
whilst in every former war, without
exception, these have suffeied a
greater or less, dimhution And
wherefore ?; Because she has driven
France, Spain, and UolLnd from
the ocean Their marine is no
more. I verily believe that ten
English ships of the line would not
decline a meeting With the combined
fleets of those- nations. - I forewarii
the gentleman f omv Massachusetts
aid his constituents of Salem, that
all their golden hopes-are vain. I
forewarn them of the exposure of
.their trade beyond the Cape of Good
Hope or now doubling it) to cap.
ture and confiscation of therunpro
tected sea port towns, exposed to
contribution or bombardment. Are.
we to be legislated into war by a set
of men, who in six weeks after) its
commencement, may be compelled
to take refuge with 'us up, in the
country. And forNwhati; A; mere
fungus, a mushroom preddctibn' ol
war iii Europe, which will disappear
with the return of peace an unfair
trade For is there a man so credu-
i lous as to believe that we possess a
capital not only equal to what may
be called our own or oner, trade, hut
r large enougn aiso ro transmit to tne
respective parentttates-foi the vast
ana wealthy products ot therrench.
' . ... ,"- r .
Spanish and Dutch colonies ? 'Tis
beyond the belief of any rational be-
ing. But this is not my only objec
tion to entering upoi) thisUftaval
warfare. 1 am averse to a naval
war with any nation whatever. I
was opposed to the naval,warof the
last administration, and I am as
ready to oppose a naval War of the
present administration, should they
meditate such a measure. "What I
shall this great Mammoth of the
American forest leave h, 5 native ele
ment and plunge into the water in a
mad contest with the shark. Let
him beware ihat his proboscis is noi
bitten off in the engagement. Let
him stay o-.i shore, and' not be exci
ted by the muscles and periwinkles
on the strand, or : political bears, in
a boat to venture on the perils of the
deep. Gentlemen say, will you not
protect your violated rights ? And I
say, why take to water, where you 1
can neither herht nor swim. ,-Look
at France, see her vessels stealing
from port to port on their own coast;
and remember that she is the first
military power of the earth, arid as
a naval people second only to Eng
land. Take away: the British navy,
and France to-morrow is theltyrant
of the-ocean. ' -4 "
This brings me to the second point.
How far is it politic u .the United
States to throw their weight-into the
scale ot r ranee at this; tune ; ji orn
whatever motive, to aid 4the views of
gigantic ambition, ' to make her mis
tress of the sea and land,, to jeopar
dize the liberties of mankind. ' -Sir,
you niay help to crush GrealBiitain-
y ou may assist in breaking down v
her naval dominion ; but ypu 'caiv
not succed to it. The irPn sceptre
of the oeean will pass into his hands!
You may tlien expect a .new code ot 1
?v. t : - xirt lit . "JlL
manuinc iaw.. ; y ncc;wiu youwuK-i j
to for. redress? can; tell the gen?j
tleman from ; Massachusetts, J. that
there is, hbthing in his rpleof threek
liiat win aairc. us,' sim huuu iic
should 3out-ao , mmseit anuexceea
the financial ingenuity vr fiicn he so
memorably ; displayed on 'recent
pecasionv NoVsir Let'; the battle,
of Actium be once fought- arid 1 the
whole tine of sea.coast will be at the
mercy of the conqueror, ; The At-
Ian tic, deep and we as it is,;;
will
' iinivr ' iiii i mri trii i iiirnrr hhmiit ii
r - .11
his ambition directed ,againsty ouj Yst
as the-Mediterranean tof the; pbwetl; H
of the Csars, Do I mtan wheii ;X;
say so) t to crouch j to t be invader? ut
No -I will meet him atlhe :watert?
edge, and fight every inch rof ground
irom inence 10 ine iviississipi: du ;,;
afier tantely Submitting to an oUf-"f$tK
rage on your domicile, wiU Wou oul r
ly and look big at an insult on ypurf,?
flag 3,000 miles off?V' l?i4c'4V;
iBut, sir. I have a yet mereogep
reason against going 16 Var,for thc 1
honor of the flair in v the rfarrow' a'-'V I
orny'other maritime punctilio rItv ;
spnngs trom my attachment 40 me -, j
printiples of the goyefnmeht Undei VS j
which ivive. I declare, in tefa'ce''J
I of day, that this goyernment-Svav nt
J -mrituted fotc tlie: purpose 'of 'often' tv
sive war. sxa., it .was iramea, (.00 :r a
use1 its own language) 'for the jbom- VrX
mon defence and the general welfifrci v':'
which ;are inconsistentS,,iihofiensivc
tt, - .. . Mt -.V- V
twsr:; i call thaw ntinnive. war. a-jaci
which; goes -out of our i jurisdiction
and limits, jbr the attainm.ent or pro- C,
tection of objects, nt within thr rfr
limits of that r iurisdiction : ; As";rin'' t
itlywJas-opposed Ao tills, ' species '
offwavfare, because I belieyed.'it
very; foundation", so in , 1806 am, T
opposed . to it, and on th'e: same
grounds. " No sooneMo you put the
constitution to this use,-; to a tesit
which t is by no means calculated;
to endure, thartits incompetency, to l.
siich, purposes becomes manifest and ' )
cpliVlll IU A: Kill U JUU gU HJ" .
to a foreign war for a ciixuitous unw;
fair carrying trade, you will come but ,
not you contractors enough yet .hi' .;s,J
11:5 nouse ur u you iwanj; vwdo-i
saries and all the vermin of contracu7 ?a i :r
I fear. sir. that what are calleoV "ihV c.?
energy men will rise up againmeni '
w no win Dnni me parenmenu ;,we
shall he tnt that nur envernmnt .'V
too free r as they would say weak
and inefficient. Too much, virtue sird
in terms. , j.nac xe must irive-tho
President power to call forth the re- K
sources of . the nadoivthatliufilcHH
rhe AmeiicaU i neonle must ir .
m ------ r --t -.... t"lij
with-hold this power .or resign their I
liberties. There it no other alterna- r-' U
tive. Nothing but the most rripq- ;
rious necessity will justify such . j l :
my at;our doors I v You may. heeiii-1
salis staj;evhe ?bon : becomes Em
perorr'vVpir.hafTe your choice - it
dependsip6nJyour election whether
yuu win ue a ucc iiMupy, ana unitea.
people at-home, or the light of your '
executive majesty sr. an oeam across .
the Atlantic in one general biaze of
the public liberty. -
. i 1 1
. r or mypan, i win never go to war
jtiit in "sell defence. I have no desirW;
for conquests- ho ambition to- pos
sess Nova bcotia 1 hold the liber
ties of this v people at a higher rate;1
Much more am I muisposed to war,
when among the first means for car."
r) ing it on I see gemlcmtnpropose
thcoPfascauon ot debts due , by go- ; f
Vernment " to individuals' . Does xf iii
bona fide creditor know who holdiC JT
hi& pa. ,er ? Dare any jmWask him-'
self ihe question? Ti&'ha'ra tp saj
wnetner. sucn principles arerniore vj
detestably dishonest than they" -am
weak juiu iuuumi. vv naif , 'SirywiU'v ;
you g about ivith proposals for open
uig i tucui ta uiie nairu, ana a spunge
for the national "debt - id the . other, v
If on a late occasion" you could;' not V'-
bonow at a less ritc' of interest than
8 vtr cent, when tie eo vei n ntent' -
vowed that theywoildtpay to the--,7 ;!
Uti shilbng of thcpubiic ability v at.V
morieV with an. avowal of these iie-
' ' ..v
lanous opinions ; vou nelp yoply
if thcsc-aie vour ways andrint'ari'
for carrying on warif -v yournnan-
;esare urthe hands 'of such a chan- '.''1'
cellof of the i , exchequer; Because a "
man can take , au Qbservationv and 3
keep a log-bcok and "a reckoning,' "
can navigate V- cPck'boat loathe
West Indies or the iuast, shall he as- ' z'JA
pire to navigate the great vessel of l -
state, to stand at the helrnofpublit:;': t S
councils. ? : , Ne tutor ultra trepidant. Tv ; 1 !
4
I
,1.
1
v
4
A
j I 1 I
S I T r
u t,
t 1 f
'I
P
if '
ill
: 1 "
vi1
I;:.-
. ' i t r
. : '' f
t
i
K
-i
4