Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1809-01-30

different itates-hut if their intention
were afcertained, it would not be-
come law--it may be eafls omiDa5,
bur that does not alter the fact.
It's true. this trade has been reg
ulased by the general COVER mnent--
70 long as the regulations were not
oppreEve, it made no difference to
the itate, or to the public, whether
the regulations cane from the gencr-
al, or from the fiafe government, aud
probably would never be objected to.
But fcrew up ,he[s regulations 10
tightly, as to deprive the citizens Of
their accuifomed avocations. take
from them the means Of fub6ftence,
and your authority to do this will be
queifioned-and fhould this bill be
pahcd into law and coaiter engag-
ed in a trade between Bottom and
Portland, was to violate the provi-
Cons Of i, be indicted for 70 doing,
and convicted thereof, and was 40
demur to the conititutionality of the
law, it is very doubtful, faid Mr.. L.
If there could be found Judge on the
judicial bench of the United States,
that wouldinaia on him its penalties.
In the fix,h fsaion of the bill it is
ftated, thatif any fhip, veiiel or boat,
not having general permiflion, and
given a general bond as prefcribed by
the adt, Gall take on board any fpe-
Gle, goods, wares or merchandise,
contrary to the proyifions Of the ad,
fuch fhip, ve1el or boat, together
with the goods, wares and merchan-
die, fhall be wholly forfeited, and
the osvner or srnerf fhall moreover
forfeit and pay fun equal to the
value of the dip. vefiel or boat, and
Of the cargo put aboard the fame"
Can gentlemen, faid MIR. L. be aware
Of the operation Of this claufe -fup-
pofe he had chartered veilel a fort
night fince to merchant at Balti-
more, and this mcrchan after the
paning of the prefent act. and con-
trary to the provilions of it, attempt
ed to evade the embargo, ient the
yefIel to Tea with a cargo of ten,
twenty or thirty thoufand dollars,
and was detected, was he, the own
or Of the veGel, Mr.. L. aiked, not
only to loofe his veael, but ALTO again
to lofe the value Of ten, twenty or
thirty thoufand dollars in addition,
as the cafe may be, for the miscon-
dua Of another man, of which milf
csnduet he had neither the knowl-
edge nor fufpiciop, nor the power to
control or prevent it 7 The provif-
ions of the iecond lection are Gill
more exceptionable with regard to
ileighs, Wagons & carriages. Sup
pofe man Of respectable appearance
fhould have his carriage deltroyed or
broke to pieces by accident in Bof-
ton, and fhould hire of a hackney
coachman, a carriage, without hir-
irs of the fame perCon a driver and
horfes, to proceed to Newly ovk-
fuppofe that after getting to New
York, inttead Of returning the car
rage to Bottom, the perfon who has
hired it, proceeds with it towards
Canada, puts into the crraiase fifteen
or twenty thouiand dollars in gold,
and is afterwards d<teaed--is the
hackney coachman not only to lofe
his carriage, and three times the a.
mount carried in it...to lote his houfe,
his entire property--to be ftriPped
naked, not for crime committed by
him. but for lawfully purifying bu-
iinefs which he had profecuted not
only without cenfure, but with COM
mendstions on his induitry perhaps
for twenty years before. THIS can.
rot be, as the gentleman from Ken
tuckey (Mr. Thruiton) has faid, with
reference to fone of the proviGons
of this bill. 1t is too monltrons a
principle of Iegiilation ever to be car
ried into effect, in any free country
on the face Of the earth.
But fir, faid Mr.. l.. bad as this is
the next fiction is fill worfe by
tina, fiction it is enacted "That the
perfon OF per(ons Whole names do,
or may appear, as owner or owners
of any IMP or veael, either IN the
certificate of rceelsry, enrolment, or
liccnfc of any fuch ihip or vsAel, or
n l. 4 .