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' f"? 1 ' v'W' " Our re tbcp!nsofrirde!Ightfal peace, r -
- , - , , ' V - 1 , " - 0 t' ' 's' Ufrpdypatty r?e.tolivcltkbTOthet.. . , , . - - . . - . . -. V5Ai',
' V6t. VII. ' -- Monday, Apri2 i, 1806" - r.:-;: : V'"R- - :v - .c,;A Not43-
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DISPUTE yth G. BRITAIN.
- .MKi GRECC'4 RESOLUTiaS
M r . a s t k b s I shall not deny
that Greal-Biitairi has ynsulteci us bj
impressing 'ur; seamen, neither ishai
I deny I n a thrt ti atibn- hasltdmmlt--ted
wanton aggressions and depre
dations oin ouc birimeixvfnijlht
commerce ought toberolepted.
That therasoiution -Under conside-j
ration is ifee" bcstcoil rs&AQ ;pur-
siied ;folphe:infeiSi
I ' shall 'c.otenctaa'st; ' ,
Restraint and prphibitwiis between
nations have always arUen ifromitwo
circumstances,; the first tojro
mote their home industry or nian
ufaclures. ; 'X'he liberal price of wa
ges, i joined with the. plenty and
cheapneSSf rland, which induces
the luborer'td quit his employer and
become lanur ofarner hi in self,
who rewads with tne saihf liberality
which induces his laborers to leave
their ' eiriployinent for' the -same
reasons as the first, therefore it is
impossible! for ftianufacturs to flou
rish in our present situation. 'The
case in most other countries is very J
diftetent, where the price of labour
is low, and the rent, and tlje profit
consumes the wages of the4 laborer,
andthe highest order f people op
press the inferior, winch 1'hope ne
ver to see in this county's
It inay raiionalty .bcncalculdted
'that some, f the eastern Vnd middle
states will eventually become manu
facturing states : some ofthose-states
are nearly filled with people, and
many indi viduals have large capitals
employed in foreign commerce, to
the amount in .many instances, of
two and three hundred thousand
dollars each. When peace pake s
" place in ;Eurepe, and things come
down to thiei natural standaidv and
they can no longer employ that cap.
ital 10 advantage in commercial spc
cuhtions ; they will withdraw ihe
same from that employment V thev
must make 'use of those capitals some j
where, they xannot vest ther.ito ary
advantage in oui- public funds, ffank
stock or -other -corporatiows beyond
a certain extent, they therefore by
the aid of water wctks and mac hine-r-,
wilT naturally" 'etnplcy 'those cap
itals in .manufactures, and I trust
the lime is not many years distant.
That is not now the cyse, and tai
have no bearing on Vhe present Ques
tion, indeed it is hardlv contended
that the resolution is' trougl:t for
ward for that purpose, it must there
fore be brought for wartf for some
other purpose.
The othur circumstances- vhich
gives rise to prohibitions between
n ation s , . avi sc f ro m t h e . vtnl c n c e o I
national animosity, which genei "ally
lends in war. This tircumsjatice has
brought this resolution intotxi ;.tehce,
the p ream Me speaks warjihe.l'au-r
gUage, and the wliole taken tget her
is alirelude to war with a nation
who has two hundred ships of the
line, four hundrwl frigates, besides
Tgun brigs and other armed vessels,
whose revenue it between fortyS:and
hlty millions steiling, wlio can ,o
to, war with usi without jany adcii
tior.al expence to themselves, who
will sweep the ocean of American
commerce, amounting to rfeariv one
hundrdmillibns of dollars. What!
the n will be the situation of our car
rying trade ? what then will be the
situation of your commerce and your
country. -
Ii appears to me a matter of great
deliberation how far we ought.-to a
dopt the present' resclutior:hy pio
h)itbi yr the i mportatioh of British
man u fact tjret ; in every country it
ever was, raid always mut be the in
teres of the gre0. body 'of the ptople
to buy whatever they want of those
Who sell it " clef pst. We cannot
procure thsame arltcles so-chvap
elsewhere ; even should thctta-surc-r.ot
inyolv f tiail wr'j Jpjrolj if--xhitions
and(fe
i"f!iation,,gnd nations stihtcm fvif
do it. The hon" niover iot the
Uft.Jtion, asksus, u how it ilto
y interred, weTcennot abide bf fafd
KCtudNi s sj?Menu ' it i .ohe
iiiftrrcd frornArttuHaronJanpler
viun of nations who have pretedeel j
u Vvheu l'rkiK inthc year-1667-
'i.
lad Aiscjjiminatihg duties on Holland
theutch. retaliated Dy the prohi
bition oF J'renth wjnes, brandies
aud the like : a war followed and the
peace of Nimegiln regulated "their
commercial ?5iisutesV ;Aboutthat
timer tlieniih prohibited th0m;
portation fXace jnanuuctuid 'in
Flanders tnelbvern'ment of ; that
c6ttntry,j which was then underlie
dominion of Spain femcjatljfe.
iialia.ted and "prohibited ajl importa
tion of English woc4Ien?i Soon af
ter this the French and English mu
tually began their heavy dutieand
prohibitlojdfhal ;:evcf?4incc
heenjn'icommlialllli quar
rels and hostilities ; and we with our
eyes open are going into the same
system.! The same hbn. Gentleman
has also said it will attack Great
Britain in her vitals, in fjer manufac
tories and warehouses, it seem a
bad method of compensating injuries
done to !us tO8b another worse in
jury to ourselves, which I believe
will be the case by adopting the
present resolution ; it will have a na
tural tendency to retaliation and re
venge j '
;. It is very problematical whether
the carrying trade is advantageous
to this nation. Our merchants in
that employment transporting fo
reign produce from Batavia, and the
West Indies to the U. States, and
staring the cargoes for some time in
warehouses and reshiping the same
to Holland, the Hanse towns, An
twerp in French Flanders, and Other
ports, and in some instances taking
the avails cf those cargoes and pro-
i ceedihg to China, from whence they
return with teas; m other instances
rocee'io-EngaDdA'buy out the
,avails l British goddsi and the mak
ing circuitous voyages tirj two and
thrrc yeare, with those large capitals
out of our country, and before they
can realise those cargoes so as to
purchase our domestic produce.
My worthy colKagtte from N Y.
who has just sat dowh (Mr Wil
liams) has observed that commerce
is vs:ntial to this country and ag
riculture naturally goes with it.'
This propt),sitiontaken abstractedly I
shail not deny, and then asks us
where is the revenue to support
I government. 1 will answer tnat
gentleman, by asking the same
question' where is the revenue to
support governmetn when ona half
of that reyenue is derived from G.
Britain and her dependencies? ,1
would ask that gentkman where i
to be the market for 25,000,000 wt.
of cotton annually exported, (it is. not
to fee presumed they will not reta
liate in every particular) where is to
be the market for your tobacco, pot
ashes, flaxseed, provisions and other
domestic produce, exported from
this counti y to Great-Britain, the
British East and West Indies and
Newfoundland, to the annual amount
of between 20 and 0,000,000 I tie-.
lv on it if you will embarrass all the
operations of government, all the o
pcrations "of th comniunity, and
ntust have recourse to direct taxa
tion on the farmer,, who will' be una
ble to pay, for thewant of a price
fb his produce your merchants
become bankrupt, and! you distress
the agriculturalist.'
-" The same honorable gentleman
frora Pennsylvania ha further b-
served- it will be?'Uch a shock upon
G reat-Britaini s!Ve vwjIl no t be ab 1 c
to endure itLetrth?geUl email !
renect on the-Afeaiinanfi .maritime
power of that country. Ever since
my memory, the approaching rum
ot Greal-Bvitain has been trequenty ;
foretold, after all ihc vain attempts, 1
they yet regulate the commerce ol -the
world, t musr 'confess, 1 have
j but little faith in undertaking cm
mei'cial legulations w ith that nation,
and I be)iev we shatlshcw a very
! peUy figure in the attempt, and be
! obliged to recede 'ith disgrace," and
1 1 cannot vofe for. tin; present resolur.
'UioU?;.; ... ' . ! ' . . ' . .."''".
' Mh. J. R an not pm --Mr. Chair
! man, I did expeCt on coming to the,
mouse i tus morning, uiuiuie menus
of the resolution ouder discussion;
w du'ld ,4k vje brbughtv. tbrwatd soine
arguments sjiftwhat.ihey bail:
istudi onsly a VTf e5r-H hat the ability
to coerce G., Britain is within! t,hf
dompass ot this nation's powtr j that
sthW pQver:Cught novv-ta bs jcrttd
and that the proposed measure is m
equal to the desired effect; It be
hoyes them to demonstrate all this,
before they ask for our support. I
did not come doWU to theHeuse";
with the expectation of listening to
a gross misrepresentation of my ex
pressionsyesterday ; loose and de
sultory asT allow themtiiiv been,
much less was I preparedto .heai:
such, misrepresentationi from the
lips of. a gentleman, whom I have
treated with invariable and guarded
respect between Vhom and myself
thrttiihas long' existedfia. political
niendslnp-eal on my?part appa
rent on his. I did not indeed ex
pect tb hear particular expressions,
used by .me in the ardor of debate
broken and - gulled from their con
necting members, and mutilated and
tortured into meanings, which cold
blooded malice alone could have de
vised. Sir, in this way of proceeding
(without intending any profanecom,
parison) the Bible itself may be made
to, preach atheism j to declare that
there is no Gd. Ci The foot saith
in: his heart there is na God.'u Taken
together, it . is inspired wisdom :
dismember it, it is impiety ;
It has not been denied by any
member on this floor, that the car
rying trade that thecommerce and
navigation of these states ought to
be protected. The only question is
quo modo Have you the ability to
protect them by war, anti are tney
of sufficient value to justify the ex-
pence of such protection f We
say no -they cannot pay for so dear
a defence, rich as they may be ;
but above all, they cannot repay us
for thtt loss of our constitution. It
is above all price. We go farther t
we affirm that trade is now protec
ted by he most efficient mean s
within our power, by diiciiminating
dutWs, hid by the votes of southern
men, and yet, sir, we are threaten
ed withchisio, with a dissolution
of the .union, if we do not adopi par
ticular systems, devised by chance
begotten of ignorance or imbecility.
. But whilst I acknowledge the car
rying tratie to be valuable to a cer
tain extent, I must, unless I aban
don eVery pretension to the charac
ter of a politician, act on existing
circumstances, on things as thtyare,
not as I believe they ought to be
In casting about, the first thing (or
one of the first) to-be considered
is revenue. Almost our whole , re
venue is derived Ifrom commerce; ;
that is, from the domestic consump
tion of imports from abroad. How
much comes trom the carrying
trade : Your statements (I am told)
say ut),uou dollars. But it ctjr
whole consumption were imported
in foreign bottoms, the impost would
exceed its present amount by 1 1 or
1200,000 dollars. I warn gentle
men against a misrepresentation of
this fact. Am I therefore desirous
to gain this encrease at the expence
of our navigation ? Far from it. It
would he to kill the goose that lays
the golden eggs But what is this
branch of the carrying trade, for
which gentlemen would sacrifice
not only our whole navigation and
commerce, but the agriculture and
constitution of our country ? , Look
atfthis trade which is to be guarded
at;every risk and the men who fol
low iti Do they carry your products
abroad, and bring back goods for
home consumption ? No, they plunge
their hands into your pockets for
dravvbackU-during this very session
tlhey.threatcnedao plunder the trea
sury cf millions,, by a bill happily
arrested on its. passage, it our tan
t&ide is not protected, how comes
it tha,tit has grown with a rapidity
before unknown in anv nation ? .That
growth hai benourished by pro
tectinj? duties fostered by bur neutral
' v 1 - ,'--.', ' . " . ;- " .
position. . ' r "' -.- '
I am accused too with stigtrtati
zing the merchants of the XJ. S. I
dny the charge. Every profession
:and; calling:' .hbima!is.life is disgra
eed ly unworthy members. the
j jaw has its-pettifoggers, the church
its hypccritetymtdicme and politics
too, sir, have their empirics and
i Chre&& ,.tW0'Vprofe$sioi)s in the
worfJ, which caii be selected for a
I ;endencT ;to develope the prtr-txis-
Iting rerht of Vimpejfec'tiori planted
i n o t;. r flat u re , il i e y -sre the p rofes
I sion$o th lawyer and rb occupation
of the trader. And f here fore ? Be-
cause theyopen the wide held'
of temptatio The wisest, pray
er that ever ' w;as or can - be ile
vised for human infirmifv, is that
which teaches us to deprecate such
trials-1 We be seech ;.thee, lead us
not Initcntaiion V. Wlm is the
fact ? T W hifst Ve boastjof :ui Hon orh
on this" floor, bur name - has becom e
a by-Word among the hations. Eu
rope , and Paris especially, (swarms
with pseudo-Americans, with Ang!
and GaJlo-Americans, and -American
French and English, who haye
amassed immehse-fortunes by tra
ding in the neutral character, by set
ting it up to auction nd selling it to
the best bidder. Men of this des
cription striplings, without connex
ons or character, have been lihown
to buy rih Vessels and their cargoes,
in Amsterdam and Antwerp, and
trade with them, under American
name, to the Indis. Neutral cha
racter has constituted one of thebest
remittances for colonial produce, or
the goods which purchase it ; and
the trade in ..this commodity of neu
trality has proved a most lucrative
branch of traffiic. This it is'that has
sunk and degraded the American
name abroad, and subjected the fair
trader to vexatious seizure ' and de
tention. But I am asked, if we shall
submit to a tame and dastardly a
bandonment of our rights ? and by
those, tooj who have made a cow
ardly surrender of our best interests
and our honor when we were well
able to have maintained Lhem. I
beg leave to reply to this question
by asking another. Are you prepa
red to assert them f to go ai lengths
to enforce them ? In what consists
true dignity1? In vapouring in the
newspapers ? In printed handbills
and resolutions ? Or in taking ground
which you can and will maintain,
which no change of fortune shall
compel you to desert ? Aut nun
quafti tenteSf aut perfize. Does the
gentleman want an explanation
Here is one truly American : " Stick,
or through." This is true dignity :
can he give a better defination ?
And what constitutes false dignity-?
Playing the part of a Bobadil bul
lying Effland and truckling to
Spain -l beg pardon, there is no
Spain : bullying England snd truck
ling to France y This you have
done You know, it. When gen
tlemen tell us of their willingness to
publish our proceedings, why do
they not clear the galleries and take
off the injunction of secrecy ? Let
their private vote correspond wit
their public profession. And let mt
tell the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Smilie) that I would rather
have his vote than his speech at any
time. Who would support v' if
he had not averred it, that he htld
silence and good sense in such high
respect, that he preferred the calm
decisions of quiet wisdom, to the
effusions of empty garrulity.
The gentlman from New-York
has told us, that after the call 6f the
Executive for firm measures he;
did not expect this opposition. And
; does he tall this a farm measure :
What would have been a firm mea
sure ? An embargo. That'wbuld
have gone to the root of the evil.
But that, sir, would not have suited
your Prouus politicians. There
could have been no evasion of that
But ve-ur slippery mercantile 'eels
can slide -over or Under this pro vi
sion, ana leave the whole burthen
of suffering to fall cn the planter;
the farmer, nd the real American.
The vf hole revenue (we .are told) is
derivedf from commerce. Who
pah5 it ultimately but the consumer,
and with as' large a profit oh the
merchants' advance of the duties
(often a mere advance, of credit) as
, .cuvu Hny otuerait v
firmness are eitlittV above or below
my comprehension. And because
we are anxious to see the public clebt
paid off and the true interests of the
nation maibf aihed--becausevwe will
not abandon' the plough, ;and strug
gle to restrain Executive? influence,
we are charged with hostility to all
commerce, with insensibility to the
honor of our country, Whea our
"doors wtre shbt Ythis is no breach
of confidence) one of my "colleagues
called .for the reading f a Message
from the -;President, soon - a Ji er vhe
i ame Into office. It jtvas tlie 4no$t ;-,
severe and "cu tt t n "sati re that thattv
ever listened to. J sayjt was ahitte
ati re oh y our . proce eihgs I theiaT' aiidtf:.
nojw. It recommended" the applica
tioiTi of br resources to; a.' speedy:
ditcliat ge. pf the ptilie debt; frigid '
adherence to sped lie- appropriation
iyinjr dtwn exetnilve pffiicers tothe : :
leqter ot rtne law, resrncinj&3ne.rn :;T
ommentary ;?-- In time .of peace-(tor
innof rr Ana. will 'flH 3 ftJ .,WtM V??
mill attack on TripQli, iir) the" cx4 1
penouure6 01 i.na.oiaTyeparimenc v
ko Far from each item, ot exnence 'Hi
beinp: limited by thepecific appro-
nrtation for , that . object) have e. .
eeeded tHe ossiuproprile4V;r V
for that branch o the public sejr Ice. . j
sikty p.tt( ti& 7 Andf If . this 1 aJ I
spectihen -bt tfc;'-yeSrly:---cos?'6i4 'liitik i
rtti n s: in t h em ud "w h htAiina t "
ran you make of the xlisbursemenU
in time of actual war against a tcfwl
erful maritime statc---'wKeh TyDUit $
se venty jours i are , rcaay tor eaiT. .
This is naked truth It .resjsjoilf
figiire5---if it be not trUe how come 1' :
it that we have p&ssed two approgri-
ation laws, to the amount of six 5
hundred thousand dollars, . during
the- present session-to cover the y
de ficiencies of thev last ".;year---al- ,
most the only bills that Sve h?v6
passed Yes, sir I am- for paying
one debt ofi (the cost pt a., tormer.
war) before A I enter into another
and score up 'a second. 1 corifecs
my self to be "Smong the number of1,
J.
those politicians (gentlemen may ,v ;
style them visionary, if thejr 'please)'
wlo hailed the President 'Ot the v
United States as the political
Messiah, rent to convince an unbeV .
lieving world that adebt once funded .
might bepaid off, without, the in. V
terventiottlcf a spunge. If in this. .
1 wasrvisiohary, at least 1 was .not- -
alone. The,. promise has been largey.-? 4
the nations calls for its perfbrmahcefc..
Look at the measures of the govern.'
rent, and when you reckon the
Louisiana debt, that crc?ted under
the British Treaty and some others, . J
it will appear that you have nearly, J
scored up as much Jiew debt a yottv-',
have paid off the old. I speak 'of I'A
principal : for paying the interest of .
a, debt is not diminishing ir and my-
friend fiom Pennsylvania, (Mr.vJ. 'I
Clay) must have taken the interest
nnto his larcre account bf veaterdavs.
v j -
The amount of principal redeemed '
less than 18,000,000. But you will
be told, for your money you hava- 1
value received, at least. This I
freely?acknowled;e t:1 would ha'ye '
given the sum for the Delta of th '
Mississippi, if it: could not hav ;
been honourably acquired for less
Of whom did we purchase-.-lrom r
Spain whb had wrougfiiMy with-held ,
our right of deposit? So far from
it, that we tell her she has vet to .
make satisfaction for that injury 'I
and insult we bring it into account
against her No, sir, we purchased
frum France, the rightful proprietor,
agaiiist whom we then had no sub
ject of complaint.
I n accused by the gentlemati V
fromrPennsylvania,XMr. SmilieHhis
I suppose is a specimen of his can-
dortl am reluctant to sa any ;mng J
whi'sl he is absent I am sorry he
has fled his seat) .of distgnediy
passing ovrbne of the most impor- :
tant considerations presented by the
present suDjec-thc jmpiessmtnt of V
our seamen And yet what did that
gentleman tell y ou ? . Tliat he him r
self (long; as he had trespassed 01$
your time) had been compelled .
omit many i m portant thing s, that C
ne inunped to afay. 1 his realises . r
the proverb. " Onemaa ipay steal'
a norse, wnust another must not
Jook oycr the Hedge." I will tell
pic, a nao scarce inrownwiTseii;'
into me carriage that icorcxl roe.
home, befdre I rccollec wndre-
gtetted it. fTheigentltmah may ty,1
what he- pleases but he never hadl
no man effcr shajl have caiise ta up
braid rar with j flinchlrtg:;from any
question tht may bcJipuHtionthia
I floof IKow. sir. Ittcfclulemen lay "
their hands op theirjiearta and an
swer ?sincerely V i f thy: do believe
tnts resolution na ne power te ll
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