much zeal supported all the pretensions of France, now come forward and make a direct attack on the Executive, the tendency of which necessarily is to divide it from this House, when there is the utmost need of union, and withdraw from it the confidence of the people, when that confidence is more than ever essential. What is this but a continuation of the same system? And are we to be blamed for seeing in this attempt a new effort, to throw this country into the arms of France, by rendering the government unable to resist her; by forcing it from weakness to submit to her mandates; to break in obedience to them, its treaty with England, and substitute in its place an alliance offensive and defensive with her? But not so the party whose object was war | against England, at all events. They saw in this treaty the death of their hopes, the final frustration of all their projects; for this treaty took away all cause of quarrel between the two countries; and they resolved to make one grand effort for its destruction, which, being accomplished, all the ancient disputes would be reinstated, with new aggravation; and a rupture would be rendered by so much the more certain as there could be no faith in any new accommodation. To this object, they bent their whole force, and this House was the place chosen for the attack. When the treaty came before this House to be carried into effect, doctrines new to the constitution, and incomparable with its existence were introduced, in order to destroy If this be not the object of gentlemen; if it be it. The treaty-making power was attempted not their intention thus to serve their country to be rendered subject to the control of this by reducing it to the situation of Holland, how House; as the power of appointing foreign min- are we to reconcile their present with their isters was now attempted to be rendered sub-former conduct; their eagerness for hostile ject. The treaty was attacked through the measures formerly, with their tame submissive sides of the constitution; a war was sought by spirit now; their zealous opposition to every the overthrow of our government, and the vio-thing like negotiation formerly, with their lation of our plighted faith. But a firm re- equally zealous opposition to every thing like sistance was given to these attempts. Enlight-resistance now? If this be not their system, ened discussions spread the truth before the then all that I can say about their present meaeyes of the people. Warned by the errors into sures, contrasted with those pursued by them which they had before been drawn, and roused on a former occasion, about their former eagerby the magnitude of the danger, they rose in ness for alliance, with one foreign nation, and their might, and the party was dismayed; they war with another, contrasted with their present spoke and it trembled; they put forth their declamations against all sorts of foreign conhand and touched it, and it sunk to the earth. nexions or intercourse, is to exclaim, in the eloThus again, Mr. Chairman, were the projects quent language of the gentleman from Pennof these gentlemen confounded. Thus again sylvania, that those measures form the last leaf were they prevented from effecting their pur- of that book, wherein are written the inconpose, so much desired, of driving this country sistencies of party. into war with England and the fraternal embraces of France. The remaining history is known. The French under pretexts so frivolous that not one gentleman on this floor has been found hardy enough to defend them, have quarrelled with us on account of this treaty; because by terminating our differences with England, it cuts off all hopes of our being drawn into war against her. In this quarrel France proceeded, avowedly, on the ground of our being a divided people, opposed to our own government, and attached to her, repels all our amicable advances, meets them with new injuries, and declares that before she will listen to us we must tread back all our steps, reverse our whole system of policy, break our treaty with England, and admit her own construction of her treaty with us. In this critical and alarming situation of affairs, the same description of persons, the same individuals even, who so perseveringly attempted to bring us into the war against England, according to the views of France, who have so uniformly and with so Whether this system of war and alliance, this system of fraternity with France such as the Dutch now enjoy, and hostility under her orders against all her enemies; this system so steadily pursued, but so often defeated, shall now at length begin to triumph, I consider as the question now to be decided. It is now to be decided whether an important step shall be taken, towards compelling our government through debility to submit implicitly to France, towards laying this country bound hand and foot at the feet of that haughty domineering nation. To take this step, to commence the triumph of the fraternal system, I take to be the object as I know it to be the tendency, of the inroad on the executive power attempted by this amendment. Hence it is that I oppose it with the warmest zeal, and with all my might; and if my opposition shall contribute in the smallest degree to its defeat, I shall neither regret the time I have occupied, nor apologize for the trouble I have given to the committee. |