Daily National Intelligencer

THE EMBARGO ACT.

This important law will be found to contain rigid and adequate provisions to ensure its efficient execution, if due vigor and fidelity be employed to effect that object. The President is properly authorised to employ the land and naval forces to prevent any violation of the act, and to suppress or disperse any unlawful assemblage of persons to resist its execution. The act is peculiarly wise in its strict prohibition of the trade in sleighs or waggons with Canada, and in the effectual preventive provision it contains on the subject. The penalties which will be incurred by its violation are heavy, but not too severe.

Public armed ships and privateers, both of the United States and friendly foreign powers, and also ships licensed for the fisheries, are justly and wisely exempted from the operation of the embargo; because the former ought to have all possible freedom of egress & ingress, in order that they may act against the enemy's navy and commerce to as great advantage, and as vigorously and injuriously, as practicable; and because the ships engaged in whaling and fishing are generally owned by persons in New England who have no other mode of living, and who, by due vigilance and precautions on the part of the custom house officers, can be prevented from carrying out any article, save those which may be indispensably necessary to the sustenance of the crews.

A lawful embargo is now in force; and we trust that no pains, no exertions, no means will be spared to execute it with a more than ordinary strictness, vigilance and fidelity. Without it be thus enforced, its objects will not be attained, and the character of the government and people will sink into disrepute. Let every officer of the customs, and every other officer employed in the execution of the embargo on the least failure in performing his duty, be promptly dismissed from office and a more faithful person appointed; and let all rebellious threats, conventions and assemblages of men to resist the law, be instantaneously crushed by the strong arm of government. There are patriots enough in the country, willing and able to put down disaffected men and traitors.

Whig.