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

liable to the payment of all penalties
which may be incurred BY The ss0nfrs
Of fush flip or vefel, by reafon Of a.
ny violation of any of the provifons
Of this act, or Of the act laying an
embargo" 1t is we'll known, iaid
Mr.. l.. 10 all mercantile men, that
the cuitom- houfe officers will not let
the owners of fhips keep their own
regilters--fo foon as vefiel enters,
the RICHTER is taken from the capt. by
the collector, nor can the owner get
it again OF obtain new one until the
veiIel is again loaded and ready for
fsa. Suppofe, iaid Mr. L. he had
fold a vehel Taft January for 10000
dollars, to a man whom nc knew no.
thing about, who had paid him the
purchafe money-in coniequence OF
the embargo, this purchafer of the
yefTel had not been able to fend her
to Tea until this tine, but perhaps
fortnight after the pafling Of this bill,
he puts valuable cargo on board the
veifel, attempts TO evade the law, and
is difcoyercd-am /, faid Mr.. L. to
be punilhed to the amount Of the val.
ne of the vefIel and her Car /! Am
to be reduced from aff1uence to
beggary, for the conduct of man
with whom / have no more concern
than with an inhabitant of Kam-
fchatcka, and Of whole doings / had
no more knowledge, m:rely becaufe
fold him piece Of property, and
conveyed it to him in conformity
with ipecll law of the u. States,
twelve months before the exiitence
of the law, under which ! AN pun
i(hed for this offence This is not
only an export fatlo law-it is pun
Thing the innocent with the guilty
j: is going one itep beyond the mo-
facial regulation mentioned BY the
gentleman from Vermont MIR.
Bradley)-it is not only puniihing
the man that owned the bullock, but
it is puniihing the pcrfon who fold
the COW, that brought the bullock,
thar committed the Injury. This,
faid Mr.. L. may be fport to US. but
it will be death to the victims WHO
come under the operation Of the bill,
fhould it ever become law.
Mr.. l. obferved. that there were
other minor objections to the bill,
with the enumeration Of which as
the bill would be committed, he
lould not then troubled the fenate-
bur with regard to the authority CIV
en- to the preGdent, and under him
to the collectors, to arrelt and de
tain the property of citizens on iuf-
picion-with regard to the exemp-
ton granted to the collectors from
Actions at law, or civil procefs in
consequence Of their conduct under
initru6ions received from TIE pref
den: of the United States-and with
regard to the authority given to the
PRECEDENT, to delegate the power to
whomfoever he might pleafe, 20 call
into actual fervice, the militia Of the
United States, without reference to
the itate authoritics-he eoniidered
them as principles totally hottie, &
repugnanr to the feelings, and all the
political inititutions Of the American
people.
Mr.. l.. faid, he knew that the con-
ltitution of the United States was
the paramount law Of the land, but
he alto knew, that contribution pof-
fened only the powers that were gil
ven to- it, and that as we'll as the few
eral fate contributions, it was predi-
Gated upon the fame broad princi-
plies of civil and rational liberty
principles which cannot be infringed
in free country; for in whatever
country theie principles are violated,
that country ceaf,s TO be a free one.
Among thefe principles are the fol-
lowing -
/" All men have certain, natural,
cillnrial and unalienablc rights-and
among them, the right of enjoying
and defending their rights and liber-
ties-of acquiring and ponsillns and
defending property"
" Each individual of the iociety
has right to be protected by it, in
the enjoyment of his life, liberty. and
property according to aanding hrse,."
| a. E.,.v ~, -, H. ~, f,oJ a GER