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

to obtain right and jutticc freely, and
without being obliged to purchals it
promptly and without delay"
!" Every citizen has right 10 be
fecure from all UNREASONABLE fearcir-
cs, and fcizures Of his perfon, his
houies. his papers, and all his poAcf-
iions."
" Laws made to punifh for actions
done before rhe exittence Of fuch
laws, and which have net been de-
clared crimes by preceding laws, arc
unjuR, opprciliye, and inconfiltent
with the Fundamental principles of a
free government
/" The military fhall be kept in en-
tire fub(erviency to the civil power"
/" In free governments, the legif-
'lative, the judicial, and executive
branches ought forever to be keps
diltinet, in order that they may be
governments Of laws and not Of
men,"
Now, fr. (faid Mr.. L J it appears
to me BY this bill, that every one Of
thefe principles-is violated
Inftead of the citizens being fub-
ject TO Handing laws perfpicuouily
formed, and which promugale of,
fences, before puniihment is inhided
for the commiliion Of them, by this
bill they may be made to fuffer not
for crimes, but for lawful and COM
mcndable actions performed in the
ufual courfe of their ordinary bu6.s
nefs many months before fuch law
as this was even though, Of. lnlfead
of their being placed under the do
minion Of a government of laws and
not Of men-they may by this bill,
be fubjeaed to the arbitrary will,
within, caprice, Inalevolence, mifcon-
ftru6tion, or transformation of an in,
dividual, aud MIR. l.. faid, it made no
difference in his opinion, whether
this individual were the prelident of
the United States, or collector
they were both human beings, and
as fuch liable 10 error-the principle
being radically wrong in itfelf, the
perfon aling under il, could not
fan6tion i. 49,
Instead Of the citizens obtaining
justice promptly and without delay
instead of their being able to 6ni
fpeedy redrefs for all wrongs done to
their perfons, their character e their
property. in confequence Of the at
taeks Of the foldiery Ofan unfound-f
ed imputation to violate the laws Of
their country, or of an undue srref-
tation and detention Of their proper
ty- fhieid was interpreted between
them and the immediate wrong-doer
they could not come into legal
contact with him-the laws had lost
their Office with regard to collectors,
and if it were poiIible to conceive,
that preidcnt of the United States,
from mifconstrucsion, from inatten-
ton, mistake, mental arrangement,
or corrupt views, could give unau-
thorised Instructions to the collect
ors, and the citizens were TO fuifer
fevcrely under them MIR. l.. faid it
appeared to him, that the only coarfc
they could purdue to obtain redrc(s,
was to institute fuit against the in
cumbcnt or the individual who
might be in the Office OF Prciiient,
and with this fuit to travel on from
the district court to the circuit court,
from the circuit court to the fuprsme
court, from paaamaquaddy TO WAlh.
ingtoa land after dancing attend
ance feversl months at this city, if
they were fuccefsful in the ilac of
the fuit, and W re alto so fortunate
as to have very liocral jury, they
might stand iome chance TO get
verdict in their favo., with or with
out one hall the value Of the lois Of
their time, and the expenies Of the
proiecution.
Inaead, Qaid Mr.. / Of the Iuiii-
tary being kept in iiriet tubordinai'oo
to The civil authority in0ead of TIE
three great 5ranches Of government
being ksps for ever diltiacf, it ap.
pcarcd 20 him THAI III, miln any was
exalted ABOVE lhe ciYa po%,r -thn
'he three disirgaiihi.g searares Of a
free government, The leg lllu.s. TIC
Judicial aud the executive, ~ eal o
Lhail.- Lt III Lr..t l.lI wv len.fa.e