Mr. Macon rose and observed, that he wished to amend both the bill and the preamble to it, and desired the Chairman to say which it would be in order to move first. The Chairman having answered that it would be most regular first to amend the bill, and then the preamble could be made conformable to it, Mr. Macon moved to strike out the word "such," in the enacting clause (the effect of which was to make the instructions given to the commanders of our vessels general against all cruisers, as well as against the French.) His reason for making the motion was, that if this bill must pass, it might be general against all nations who commit depredations upon our commerce, for it was a fact well known that France is not the only nation which does this. It was his opinion, that before any measure of this kind was taken, we ought to know the result of our mission in France; for, however slender our expectations of an accommodation may be, still those expectations ought not to be abandoned, until we are certain our Commissioners have left Paris, without being able to accomplish their mission.
Mr. M. believed it could not be doubted by any one, that, if we had thought a state of war preferable to the state in which we had been placed for some time back, we had had sufficient provocation from more than one nation to have declared war long ago. Indeed he looked upon this bill as a declaration of war in substance; he saw that this was the situation to which measures were progressing, but he could not have expected that gentlemen would have proposed a measure of this kind whilst our Commissioners were yet in Paris. It was his opinion, however, that, disagreeable as our present situation may be, it is much preferable to a state of war; for, notwithstanding all the losses which our merchants have sustained, our trade and our revenue are continually increasing.
In the part of the country from whence he came, Mr. M. said, the price of produce is now higher than it has been for some time past. But, in the case of war, it would fall, of course.
Notwithstanding all the evils which he was sensible must attend on a state of war, when he found our Commissioners had left France, and no hope of accommodation remained, he should not hesitate to join gentlemen in any measures which shall be necessary to meet a state of war.
Mr. McDowell said, the gentleman from South Carolina had dwelt much upon the inconsistency of the present motion. He himself could not see any in it. He had insinuated that the mover and seconder of it must be blinded by prejudice and governed by passion; that, instead of going to war with one nation, it would be going to war with three, and that before we remonstrate with them, or request them to desist from their practices; that we have been attempting to get redress from France for eighteen months past without effect, but that no attempt has been made to negotiate with England or Spain on the subject of their depredations. In this the gentleman from South Carolina was certainly mistaken. He knew we had lately concluded a treaty with England, which had been constantly violated; and what faith, Mr. McD. asked, could be placed in a nation which one day makes a treaty, and the next violates it? The same remark would apply to Spain, so far as they have depredated upon our commerce.
Mr. McD. said, he had all along declared himself opposed to war, or to any measures which would lead to it, and he still held the same opinion. He had no prejudice against or in favor of any nation whatever, except so far as their conduct towards this country was friendly or otherwise; and he could see no reason for giving instructions to the commanders of our vessels to seize and bring in the vessels of one country which may commit depredations upon our commerce, and not those of another. He was himself opposed to the bill altogether; but, if it must pass, he wished to make it contain as little mischief as possible, and he thought by striking out the word "such," and by that means making it general, France could not take the same offence at it; as the bill now stood, it was tantamount to a declaration of war.
Mr. J. Williams was in hopes, when the gentleman from North Carolina first made his motion, that the opposition which he had heretofore shown was done away, and that the bill was only objected to because it was not general; but now it appears that gentlemen are opposed to the bill altogether. He had hoped when gentlemen had reflected upon what had taken place, even within our own jurisdiction, that there would not have been a single dissenting voice in the committee. Gentlemen allege that this measure will lead to war; but he would ask whether other neutral nations had not taken measures fully as strong as this, without producing war? For his part, he supposed it might have been better if this country had gone into this system of defending our commerce. He was opposed to it for a considerable time. He was in hopes of a reconciliation taking place; but he had been deceived from time to time, and, instead of any appearance of accommodation, every day brought information which convinced him that, except we meant to submit altogether, we must defend ourselves.
This being the case, he asked gentlemen which they would choose? Whether they would suffer themselves to come under the power of the French nation, or repel force by force? He did not believe any gentleman would say we ought not to embrace the latter.
At a time when the enemy's vessels are within our own jurisdiction, are we to withhold the necessary instructions to the commanders of our vessels? He hoped not. Not that he would go hastily into war; but have we not, he asked, been in war for a long time?—a war on one side, and total submission on the other. Yet the House are now called upon to postpone the consideration of this question, lest it should produce war. The only way to prevent a war, he believed, was to be prepared to meet it. If spirited measures had been taken during the extraordinary session of Congress, he believed it might have prevented the loss of property to the amount of twenty millions of dollars, and the necessity of a war. But Congress had gone on, from time to time, saying, we will wait for this, that, and the other, and it will, in all probability, prevent war. This conduct had produced the greatest difficulties, and yet gentlemen wish to go further in the same course. The enemy's vessels, he understood, are within the Capes, and he supposed gentlemen would wait till they came up to the city, before they would take any means to oppose them. He believed it was high time to say, "We will not submit," and to prepare to repel the repeated aggressions of our enemy.