Page:Henry Adams' History of the United States Vol. 4.djvu/227

1808. Yet Randolph approved the embargo as little as he liked the army and navy.


 * "I am not one of those who approve the embargo," he said in another speech. "It gives up to Great Britain all the seamen and all the commerce,—their feet are not now upon your decks, for your vessels are all riding safely moored along your slips and wharves; and this measure absolutely gives Agriculture a blow which she cannot recover till the embargo is removed.  What has become of your fisheries?  Some gentleman has introduced a proposition for buying their fish to relieve the fishermen.  Indeed, I would much sooner assent to buying their fish than to raising these troops, except indeed we are raising the troops to eat the fish."

Randolph broke into shrill laughter at his own joke, delighted with the idea of six thousand armed men paid to eat the fish that were rotting on the wharves at Gloucester and Marblehead.

Keenly as Randolph enjoyed the pleasure of ridiculing his colleagues and friends, he could expect to gain no votes. George W. Campbell and the other Administration speakers admitted that the embargo might yield to war and that an army had become necessary. Even Eppes had the courage to defy ridicule, and in full recollection of having vowed to God February 17 that as long as he lived he would vote down a regular army, he rose April 7 to support the bill for raising eight regiments:—


 * "I consider it as part of the system designed to meet the present crisis in our affairs. . . . The period