General Advertiser. No. 981. Philadelphia; Benjamin Franklin Bache. 29 January 1794. 4 pages, folio, disbound, 11 7/8 x 19 in. 

An interesting newspaper featuring printings of the continued speech of Richard Bland Lee (1761-1827) in response to James Madison's proposals for retaliatory tariffs against Great Britain. 

The debates are part of the earliest economic challenges faced by the new nation, as they negotiated the settlement of their debt from the Revolutionary War and their relationships with European nations. Alexander Hamilton favored tariffs as a protectionary measure for American industries. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison preferred to use tariffs as an aggressive foreign policy tactic. Here, Virginia Representative Richard Bland Lee questions tariffs in the context of civil liberties for American citizens. The growing conflict with Britain was ultimately resolved by the Jay Treaty negotiated later in 1794. 

Richard Bland Lee was one of Virginia's first delegates in the House of Representatives, establishing the office when he was elected in 1789. The son of Henry Lee II (1730-1787) and the younger brother of Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. Richard had long been involved in politics, serving in the Virginia House of Delegates and supported the ratification of the United States Constitution. After his terms in Congress, he was appointed by President James Madison to several posts, including as a commissioner to superintend the reconstruction of Federal buildings damaged during the attack on Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812. The uncle of General Robert E. Lee, his own son Richard Bland Lee II (1797-1875) also served as a Lt. Colonel in the Confederate Army. 

An interesting perspective on the early tariff debates. 

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