2550. EMBARGO, Evasions of.—
The
evasions of the preceding Embargo laws went
so far towards defeating their objects, and
chiefly by vessels clearing out coast-wise, that
Congress, by their act of April 25th, authorized
the absolute detention of all vessels bound
coast-wise with cargoes exciting suspicions of
an intention to evade those laws. There being
few towns on our sea-coast which cannot be
supplied with flour from their interior country,
shipments of flour become generally suspicious
and proper subjects of detention. Charleston
is one of the few places on our seaboard which
need supplies of flour by sea for its own consumption.
That it may not suffer by the cautions
we are obliged to use, I request of your
Excellency, whenever you deem it necessary
that your present or any future stock should
be enlarged, to take the trouble of giving your
certificate in favor of any merchant in whom
you have confidence, directed to the collector
of any port, usually exporting flour, from which
he may choose to bring it, for any quantity
which you may deem necessary for consumption
beyond your interior supplies, enclosing to
the Secretary of the Treasury at the same time
a duplicate of the certificate as a check on the
falsification of your signature. In this way
we may secure a supply of the real wants of
our citizens, and at the same time prevent those
wants from being made a cover for the crimes
against their country which unprincipled adventurers
are in the habit of committing. [164]
—
To the Governor of South Carolina. Washington ed. v, 286.
(W.
May. 1808)
