Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-09-12

the federal majority was known TO n man, as
well as its approval by the President, they
we're Just as well for0known on the same 2Gth
June, as II the events had then taken place
Ignorance OF this measure at the time of the
address Is out ofthe question.
Now with regard tn the sedition bill. In
the month of May 90 the President in answer
to an address ofthe Mayor and citizens of PHI
iadelphia had said that there was parfu or
jdcf,on az The United States, tohick, an a spirit
oftodnton natignity, had de famed our gorerf-
mem. This remark was susceptible of no APP
plication except to the republican party which
was SO resolntely opposing the Presidents
war measures against France nd this re-
mark ofthe Presidents was made public about
two months before Mr.. Crawford's address
The warm and powerful opposition made in
this year to the Presidents measures ANNOYED
his party exceedingly. 1t was attributed to
the high sympathies excited among us by the
French, and The eXiled patriots of Ireland who
mad taken refuge In our country. These emi-
grants were considered as SD many preachers
ol sedltion the democratic presses, particu
larly the Aurora, as so many machines used
for the purpose of scattering the seed the more
widely and successfully and Mr.. Jefferson
was regarded as the high priest of anarchy
who superintendent the whole operation. The
success of the war measures against France
was believed by the ftderalists to require that
this factious spirit should be pnt down by the
strong arm of power. The suggestion of the
President as to the existence of this malignant
and deiamatory faction, was followed up by
a bill in the House of Representatives for
the prevention and restraint OF dangerous and
sedtious PERSONS" iohich ,cas published in the
aurora Of June 7th, at large and contains all
Inc obnoxious features ofHdt ichich finally pass
| Ell. This ha fhraa tyaaks hafnra
the Augusta address, and the plea of igno-
rance as to this measure cannot be admitted
for Mr. Crawford.
That these bills had not been actually sign
ed by the President, and that their passage was
not actually known AT the time af the address,
| implicitly admits (what indeed | have proven)
the knowledge of their tendency, which To
every candid mind acquainted with the times,
VIII be enough for the purpose of this argu
lnent. And if these circumstances, that the
bills had not been signed by the President, nor
their passage known in Georgia. were sufiici
ent to Withdraw these two bills from the ap
PREDATORY grasp the address, the same cir
cumstances would withdraw also the great
mass OF The war measures against France
which IT, address is nevertheless admitted 10
cover. Thus the act to suspend the CONNER
cial intercourse with France was not signed
till the 3th June 1913, and therefore, at the
rate of twenty days for the time of commu-
nlcatlon between Philadelphia and Augusta,
the fact of this signature could not have been
known at this latter place on the Cd July
The supplementary act TO raise provisional
Army WAS signed on the cad June. THE act
concerning aliens on the 25th June.l The act
TO authorize The defence Of merchant vessels a.
gGinst French dePredationS toas signed on The
same 25h June. The supplemental act TO pro-
Cide nm additional armament for The trade Of
me u. ). was not passed till the s0th June
The net declaring the treaties with France uoid,
not till Oh July, four days after the address.
The act further to protect the commerce of
the u ). on the 9th July. THE sedition act
on the 18th July The act laying a direct
tax "A measure rendered necessary solely by
the war measures against Francel on the
l4th July. The act to augment the army on
the 10th July. The act for AN additional ma
val armament on the 10th July. Thus the
| reader viii see that the alien and sedition laws
come in, pell NELL with the war measures "a
gaInst France, and the argument we are con-
sldernS be sufficient TO exclude the alien and
sediton laws from the operation of the adj
| dress, 1t excludes at the same time the great
mass of those war measures against France
on which il is admitted TO have been the very
purpose of the address 10 operate. But this
feeble excuse for the address, sufficient as ii
| '"o pCCii Nv SduSi1 tIltnuS pTSulSiOSeu W De
satisfied with any thing like an excuse for this
federal enormity Of Mr.. Crawford in 1913, is res
ally So poor and so ridiculous az To throw
something like a ludicrous air on the gravity
OF refutation. | shall therefore pursue it no
| farther, but will take leave of it with this re-
mark, that as it was at first the invention of a
light and uniformed mind, it is only on the
light and uniformed that it can make a mo
ment's impression.
The second plea relied upon ny the Enqui-
| rrr IN defence of Mr. Crawford's republican
ism against the evidence of the Augusta adj
| dress is. " that gentlemen of the most reputa-
BILE characters have declared they were in the
constant habit of assOciatng with him ut the
very period when his politics were said to be
ola federal cast, and that they eUer found
him thorough going democrat Of the true
Jefferson school : shall this evidence, they ask,
be set aside by the vague and uncertain evil
dence found in an address,, got up when the
| cry of war was vibrating in our ear and when
feeling and not judgment determines to action"
Let us andlyze this rhapsody and see what
It is worth. "Gentlemen of the most reputa-
bic character federalists of that day, and
The warm supporters of Mr.. Crawford at this
day. They were in the habit of associating
with him at the very periOd"-not so their
association was not in '98, hut in '99, and have
commented on this subject in my second num-
Der. The Uagne and uncertain evidence found
in the address" have proved the address TO
be direct, specific and conclusire evidence Of
his federalism, according to every standard of
that day by which the question can be fairly
tried. " Got up when the cry of war was vi
brating in our ears"-it was that very cry of
war which gave offence to the whole repub
lcan party and was the very point Of objection
to the administration. " When feeling and
| not ;,Jsrn,a,f Ito. b,,t