The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1798-11-19
Monday, Nov. 10Th, 1893.
FOR THE GAZETTE.
ALIEN BILL, SEDITION BILL. AND
land TAX BILL, CONSIDERED.
III. fENKs.


SPIRIT" in your lat, deferves unch credit for
theicgcnany of his Pen-yet am apprebenfye
thlt th@ peculiar ajbcrity Of his remarks will
have tendency to iaisrs rather than TO E8bOrf
Il the c1ule lie 70 warmly efponfes. fruth needs
E bus few ornaments, and wants not the harlh-
nes of inve6tive to make i Tnqreflive. know
il was the maxim Of the great writers at the
beginning Of the prefer. century to ridicuLs
rather than 10 c0HviEce-but they had to do
with let Of Vouptuary ounces, who made
/, steIEfes ridiculous, and who paid little or no
/, regard TO truth; and hence they were the
4 proper iubje6ts Of this fyle of writing. Mott
of the citizens of the Dilria of Maine, who
oppoied the reelection of Mefis. THATCHER
and WADswoRTH, are by no means wanting in
integrity Of fentinent The error of their con
duct IS imPut bic 10 the erafiasf ola few deGgn-
ing men, who felt extremelyinterefed in the luc-
eels OF their Plans.-The people hav. been
+ told with an air of ferrous concern, that lle
ALIEN BILL, SEDITIoN BILL, and LAND Tax
II BILL, are Objects of public deteaaton-thlt
the two hrh are not only unconRtutional but
even dangerou<to liberty-as one of them i'm
poles executive reitraints on Inherent foreigners
aud the other deprves US Of the freedom Of
fpeech-and that the lah is unneceH4ry. and
extremely oPprehi'e. Thief. extravagant no.
lions have been propagated and believed and
hence arofe the oPPeGton 70 the reelection Of
E Meiirs. THATcHER and WADswoRrH, who were
advocates for the leVeral acts in quefion. The
delign Of this addres is 10 confider the necsl7ty
of thefe a6ts-znd briefly to ex mine with can
dor and imPartidlity their nature and tsad.ary.
The mildnefs of our laws-the aubr.ty of
our climates, and the indictments to fpecuation,
have invited among Us fwarms of reltleCs Euro
/ pean a1venturers-whOfe habits and cutoms
vary extremely from thofe of our own, and
4 Whole moral and political fentments are gen
4 orally holtle 20 peace aud good government.
Ii has been the fate of America to partake of
the European contagion and it is a ferrous
truth, that the opPohtion n Congrefs to Execu-
tive mealures. and 70 plans Of national defence,
wholly arofe from intriguing foreigners, both
IN and ow of our public councils. Every one
will recoIlef the Rru5gles of GALLArIN, and
the obltinacy OF FINLEY and LYeN-the firlt of
whom m4nifrted the grofef Partiality for
France, even at a time whe0 we were fmarting
under the wounds Of her policy the other
two have. exhibited all the inconGteucy, igno-
Yance AMI brutality of wild Irihmen. Such
indeed were the f-ntimenSs Propagated by for
signers, 70 fubverGVe Of order, f. well cAcu-
lated to weaken the connection between the
government and people, and to render us a
tributary nation, that Congress conceived it
pru lent 10 provide lome remedy for thJle
lIrming evil. The refult Of long ar labo-
rio1s deli5era.ion was the Alien and Sedition
Bills. The Alien bill, nov under conidera
ti0n, has no manner of reference TO our own
citz .ns-they are not Included in It's operation.
Il only auth7rizes tbc Prefi lent to order all
fuch foreigners. as may be dangerous to our
peace and fatsty, t. depart the United States,
or T. require Of them bonds Of good behavior
during their rsG1ence among Us. This al
therefore cannot Be confidereI as har4!hp,
especially as med1ling and intriguing foreign
ers are alone the obietis OF its correction. AS
this decrpton Of men, rot admitted TO ~.
rights Of citizenhip, have their lives and pro-
perry guarded AM fecured by our laws, Il IS
the baica OF iogr1titudc and treacherY in thcm
10 endeavor their iubverGon.
The SED1rroN BILL has afforded another
theme of complaint, and even of incorporate
camor. To whom does it relate? Not TO
the citizen, who examines and critically invec
tigatcs the proceedings Of government--net TO
thyf- who write and publifh their fentiments in
decent language-and who confine themleives
~ argument, to trnth, and to liberal conRruc-
tion--it embraces none bur FL h as propa
gat. malicious and fcandalous falfhoods.
'rbe al provides. thar if any perlon lhall write
or publllh any Ef, T7adiion5 and malicious
writing againa the Government, Preident,
or either Honfe Of Congtefs, with istent
to bring thera into contempt, and difrePute, or
E q excie againit them the hatred of the people.
or to ttir up icditicn and unlawful combinations
agana the laws, Or 70 encourage or abet any
hoaile deGgns Of any foreign ration againf Us
and be thereof convi4ed, thal be Punhed by
fHe and imprisonment This law, fay fcn1e,
q nncnn aftifinral hec.nra y denrives Us nf the