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j( of in*'? lion i? alwavs
to the mafs of the people. It
will hr iccolleHed that in the
war wrh France in 1778 danger
of ihVafinn was appiehended !
the militia were immediately'
embodied, and formed encamp
ments in the moft expofed part*
of the country, to await the
event Huring th * prefrnt con
tcfl in r mf)pe when *n invafion
was again threatened, the fame
meafinc was adopted, the militia
corps were ronfiderahlv enlarg
ed, new corps formed, volunteers
accepted, and the whole people
in a manner embodied to refill
the invaders.
The king in his fpeech to
parliament, rubfrquent to thefe
events, felicitating the nation,
on this great difplay of zeal and
firmncfs, declared that his chief
reliance, in great difficulties and
dangers, was on the fupport of
his people; and in a late review
of the militia of I ondon and
Wcflmiriflev, he told the prince
of Orange it was the proudefl
day he ever had known, to fee
the whole mafs cf the people
thus p epared and ready to pro
teft their government.
This 3500 men already
or the whole 9000, if it fhould
be thought proper to raifetherrv
would make but a very fmall
foice towaids repelling a power
ful enemy*
Mr. Jones laid he was ready
aftomfhed at the teference mad*
by Tome gentlemen to the refo
lution, from which it was infer
red that the militia were not to
be depended upon in the hour
of danger. If this mfe cm e
were fully proven. t< he lure it
would be the moft powerful
objection that could he made to
the refolurion. But he believed
it wou'd appear otherwife on
the examination, shortly after,
the commencement of the revo
lution, the whole of our force
were militia, and they continued
fo till they were aflually inured
to battle, and had gained many
important conqucfls. ! hey
went forward and eminently
diflinguifhed thetrdelve.% long
befo e regular difciplinc was
eft *blifhed among them. 'he
battle of Bunker's Hill, eminent
in our early hiftory was achiev
ed by men taken from then civil
occupations. The brav man
wh-r led them to aftion had been
recently caded from his civil
employment as a phvfician, hut
wnmed w th enthufiafm in the
caufe he had m dertakm, he
fought bravely and c! #> l*d his
fhort career by a gloiious de » th ;
although this noble effort was
not crowned with fucccfs, lo far
as to g tin the vi&oiy, yet our
raw troops lo much weakened
ihe enemy, and left fuch im
preffions of their own courage,
that they were able to keep pof
feffion of the country around
Horton and deprive the enemy
cf fupph’es undl the arrival of
General Wafhinaton, who had
been appointed commander in
chief and who frnallv compelled |
them to evacuate the pHce.
Another inftancc of the enter
prize and valour of militia, is
the bold expedition againft ( a*
I nada, by a parcel of v ew*Yotk
militia under general Montgo
mery and ( chuyler; they en
countered every hardfhip of a
long and difficult march in a
mof) inclement feafon through j
a wildcrncfi, took FortSl. John's;
■nd Montreal and finally at-,
tempted Quebec irfeff, where
though they did not fuccced, it
was not for want of courage or
conduft, but of the neceffuy
means for an affault. A fti 1
more (hiking inftancc of the
valour and aftivity of thefe kind
of troops is the battle of kings
mountain already mentioned.
In this brilliant affair, the men
engaged were not even an em
bodied militia, they were the
farmers and their Tons of the
country who fired with a juft
indignation at the fight of a
hoffile armv maiching th'ough !
their country, neighbour cal’ed
!on neighbour, fpread the alaim
appointed their place of meet
ing, unharneffed their hoi ft s
from the plough and went to
feck the enemy. They attacked
a force of 1400 men, two thirds
of whom were regular Bntifti
troops under col. Ferguffn, as
gallant and noble an officer as
!any in the Bntifh army they
not only defeated him but a6lu
ally kdhd and took every man.
1 do contend that the militia are
. the principal dependence for the
defence of our country againft
invafion. to be furc in cafe of
a6lual war it would be neccffary
to organize them into a regular
force, but however organized,
they would ftil* come fr< m the
mafs of the people, <uch men as
can be enlifted into the a»my in
1 rime of peace, in this extenfive
1 and happy country, where la
bour is lo w*ll icwarded, in all
the vadous employments would
be a forlorn hope to defend the
-lights and liberties of a free peo
ple. It is only the people them
(elvcs who feci interefted in the
happinefs of their country and
fafety of their ptoperly that arc
the defence of this country.
I A gentleman had informed:
the committee that if the cnlift-1
ments were now flopped it would
Cave 1,500000 dobars. Altho'
the relolution was reje&ed.
However he believed all he
officers were appointed; thefe
are th 1 moft expenfive part of
the eftabhfhmcnt and th'*y mull
remain on pay. Fr m the re
port of the let retary of the t-ea
fury it appeared that the military
eftablifhment roft 4,667,000
dollars, and that the revenue to
meet to the expenditures will be
deficient bv five millions. Thus
money muft be boirowed. By
propofition which was now
made to the houfe of difhanding
the army, there would be a rav
ing of 3.000,000, fo "hat the
'deficiency would be reduced to
2 000,000, and then, Mr, Jones
laid for his part, would rather.
raifc the money by a direbl tax
than to borrow, fuel) was his
avrrfion io a new loan : he
would do any thing rather than
to involve poftcrity by leaving a
future generation to pay the
debts now contraQed.
Hut the fufpenfion of enlift
j meets would not prevent the
loaning of the money, bccaufe
the houfc would proceed to ap
propriate Turns upon the report
of the fecretary of the tieafury,
which recommended the bor
rowing of five millions When
the propofition for the loan
would come before the houfe, it
would be thought inconfiftent
for thofe who fhould vote to keep
up the troops to vote againfl the
loan prnpoled, and therefore he
hoped gentlemen who were
againfl the loan would now give
ther votes in favor of the lefo
lution.
Mr. Jones faid he was mud
obliged to the gentleman laft up
(Mr. Otis) lor furnifhing proof
of the improbability of invafion
bom Indeed he had
himfell laid, that he was not
under very lively apprehenfions
of if from the prefect ftate of
Europe. But fome other gen*
tlcman had afked what change
there was to induce the gentle
ma* to bring forward this resolu
tion !—Sir, there is fuch a change
as to make the a’my an ufelcfs
expence. When our minifters
were mfultcd, 1 felt as great in
dignation at their treatment as
any gentleman on the floor of
this houfe; I acknowledgelome
propneiy in the argument that
at that time they could take
troops to Egypt or where they
p'ealed, bccaufe they were in
the moll flounfhing fituation.
But the change in their affairs
is great; at prefect we find them
but juft furmounting the diffi
cu ties of a moft unluccefilul
campaign. Threatened by a
combination the moft powerful
that ever united their efforts
againfl any nation. This pow
eiful ph.-dan x is not diffolved.
Is it to be fuppofed that at this
time of ail oihers they arc to
fend the»r 30 or 40,000 men
acrofs the ocean, when oppofed ,
by the more powerful naval force
of Great*Britain.
The gentleman from Malfa
chuletrsjaid Mr. ’ones, thought
that though there was no proba-1
ble dan er of immediate inva* j
lion Yet it might be next year
attempted. I confefs Ido not
perceive the confiftency ot this
argum nt with another he ufed—
that 3 500 men were fufficient,
to meet the prefent danger. If
there is no danger to be appre- ,
bended for a year to come, why ,
fhould we provide for it, and
not leave it to the next Congrefs, 1
who would be better able to j
judge of the danger, and might 1
provide an adequate defence to
meet it ? :
Before he concluded; Mr.
fones laid, he would fay a few
words as to the fyftem ot boi
rowing money, for national (up
port.
It was a faft whh which m
gentlemen mud be acquainted
who had read the Britifh hiftor/
that if the parliament in the trjgj
of Queen A nn, had opp 0 f ec j
this iyftem of borrowing, an( j
had levied taxes and* contribu.
tions on the fubjeGs equal to
thofc impofed on them m the
reign of George the third, they
would then have had a revenue
equal to their expenditure which
was immenfc to fupport the \
continual wars carried on in her
reign and all their burthens of
national debt would have been
avoided* But the contrary was
their conduft, and an enOrrrous
national debt was tranfmitted
down to pofterity which grew
as it exifted. They weic un
willing to bear the expenccs in
curred by themfelvcs, but forced
them upon their children. Are
) we willing to do this, fir ? No,
P I truft there is too much path
i otifm and too mucbjuflice in
[ the people of the United States,
: and that they will rather fupport
i any expcnce, if ncceffary at this
time than incumber their fuc
ccflors with a growing debt.
Mr, J. concluded by faying,
• he believed there was not the
lead danger of invafion even
i (hould the negotiation fail. But
! in cafe fo remote and unlikely
; an event fhculd happen, he
- thought the militia or the body
iof the people a much bct f er re
r liance for defence, than the few
i regular troops contemplated by
: the law. He was oppofed to a
! new loan except in cafe of the
greateft neceflity, and knowi r g
i that thefc troops could not be
kept up without the loan, be
fhould vote for the resolution,
and did not apprehend it could
have any influence, on the dif
pefition of France towards an
accommodation.
f
LOUISVILLE,
TUESDAY) Filruary 18, iBco*
We learn from Weft Florida,
that on the 20th ult. a detach
ment of four hundred Spanifh
troops, under command of capt.
Olivcra, left Penfacola as was
fuppofed to pay a vifit to Mr.
.Bowles, that common diflurber
■ of the peace of the United States
and Spanifh governments.
Died) on Friday la ft, ai his
plantation near thi . place, captain
Blaflingame Harvey, 55 ) tar!>
age the day of his burial ; in his
death fociety is deprived of a uleful
1 and indujlrious citizen; his con
'panions of a generous and hojpitoe-c
I friend , and his family of an 4 lC ‘
! tionate hvjhand and a kind and
Idulgtnl parent*
| fcT* On Saturday next , the 22d
in ft ant, there u'U! be an Oration