The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-07-03
THE PEOPLES JUSTICE SLOW BUT
SURE,
From the Globe

THE PEOPLES JUSTICE SLOW DUT
SURE,
From the Glole,
One of the characteristics Of Federalism from
the moment of its birth, was the yclerate hatret
which it bore to free press. / his feeling was IL
vowed by The party, until, by the establishment o
great national bank, the arbitrary and untran.
mel!ed use oithe pubic revenue, day after day
pouring into the bOltomless deep Of the vaults o
that giant institution, together with that Of an en-
ormous hcllve capital, represented by never tt
be redeemed paper currency, they become posses
sed of the means of purchasing that great lever o
modern civilization, making it The instrument, o
their sinister designs. This deadly hostility to
free press, "the most precious of those Institutions
which our an2e tors brought over with tham-iht
household gods of the British race the edcrai,
lists manifested, early in the administration of lhl
elder Adams, in bitter interpretations, infurate de
nunciations against William Duane, the uncom-
promising editor of the " Aurora, " through The
"Porcupine, " published by Goblet, an uvowed
monarchist-through their daily papers and month
ly reviews, edited by Fenno, Denni4, Ref, aud
others, some subsidized, and all paronzed, by the
FederaIsts. But when freely dashed by duane
unlring arm, the leaders Of the faction no longer
able to indure this merlted chaslizcmcnt, vented
their rage against free press, on the very floor OF
Congress Made boder by the patience with which
the nation had hitherto borne their miIdeeds, in
the year 1888, on the 4lh Of July Il Amcriaans,
mark the day y insulting dcrision Of that birth,
day of independent America, i'll guilty violation of
that holy Sabbath of irccmeu aud as To g see;h
The lamb in lts mothers milk " the Federal ma
jorlty in the Senate passed bill, since commonly
called the sedltiun aw-an act, intended by lis au~
thors to slilc truth Itself lest shouid proclaim
their turpitude. 1t passed in spite ofthe persever-
ing efforts otGallalin, Livingston, Nicholas, Ma
thlniel Macon, Matthew Lyon, Samuel smith,
IN, Sumpcr, Ycnabc, Brent, sustained by that
phaany OF patriots whose names will ever live in
the gratitude Of their fellow democrats. Defeat
ed by numbers in the Federal councils, those
Faithful representatives. vic:agi0usiy succeeded ,
however, in III, opinion Of the nation, in proving,
by unrelated arguments, that the provisions Of the
new law violated III" ccareSt ena"nents Of the
Constitution, while at The SINE time the vcry I,
tic OF the law Itself con,radi,cd all the priac-
pies proclaimed b. the founders Of oar ndcp.n-
dcnce, and maintained at the price of IA seven
years war. of the blood of patriots and the cx-
pendnre Of countless millions We insert the
second section of that law that III. yonng Dem.
ocratS of the d1y may understand what were The
tcncs oi the adycr4lries wh0n their fathers
have vanqUished in the battle for constitutional
rights
"Be il fgrthcr elacle! Tint if any person
shall write, print, utter, or publish or shall cause
or procure 10 be written, uttered or Published
or shall knowingly aud wi fully assist or uid in
writing, printing, uttcrng, or publishing any fIlse,
scandalous, and mali 'oUs writing against the Gov
ernnent of the United states, or either House Of
the Congress of the nled StlteS, or 9th, Frcsi-
dent of the United States, with an intent to de-
fame the said Government or liner House of the
Congress, or the President, or 10 bring them, OF
either of them, into conlrmpl or dlSrcspecl, or to
excite against than or either or any of them, the
hatred OF the good p2op'c Of the nitad States,
etc. then such person. h'ing thereof convicted be-
fore any court Of the nilcd states having iurisdic-
ton thereof, shall be punished b., fine not en-
ceeding two thousand dollars, and by mprIson-
mont not exceeding two years
In the month of October ofhc same year, ~
9S Just ninety days after the plssng, Of the act, al
lowing no time for this good sword of the law to
rust in the s'ahblr,l, the Adms's administration,
as il impatient 10 try tn kcenno5s ci It's edge,
waved il ycngcial over The head Of It's intended
first victim. Nor had TIM, victim been unad, 'ad
" marked rs the ol 'ct Of their pirSGcutlon.-
Matthew Lyon, an i,,r,i'Hn by naturalization, IN
freshman BY hirlh (ujlum.ized .r'llmen take note
of this Fact, and belr it in mind, when, in Noycm-
Der next, yOu 80 to the poilS,) was respectable
farmer of Vermont, the father of It numerous fini
IL and so cnl,hrcd to hl' fellow citizens, both
a pubic and private man, that he had been
called by their suiirageS to rcprcScn, them IN Con
grcss. Some of those very qualities, however, that
Ind designated him to the confidence and affection
of Democracy, had pointed him on, 10 Federal
ism as n powerful aud dangerous adversary. They
deemed it an act of policy 10 strike terror among
MI natura2ed citizens, hy directing the infiati0n
of their new penal net against an offender bC'Ong-
ing 20 that respectable portion Of 0ur political fam
iv On the other hand, the sturdy Democrat
seems to have couried, rather than Stunned, this
contest between right aud might, this struggle be-
tween the supreme law Of the land that project
cd, and the law Of a party that ih'racncd him.
lie had weighed the probable results Of what he
intended, before he wrote md Published but
like 'iawpdcn. b. hid determined, at all hazards
TO test the ronsi:rlicm'itv Of the new statute
Iii. aim was 10 Place is authors in the cnlharrass
ing dilemma either 10 i"t it lie dormant and harnl-
less, = hyD'pm t"!pe", in their law ARSENAL, or To
meet, il broad daylight, he Indignant ewes Of A.
MARIAN patriots, il they a,,cu pied To execute H.
penal cnucinanls. In the iur"rr alternative.
contempt would visit the flint hearted po ilrs.
who, having threatened, hid not the hayiihood 10
strike when deiiod aud in the other hypothesis.
odiliii, deep, unding oGlnih, would attach 10 The
grand jury That shou.d dgnouuar the pretended Of
fence 10 .he petit jury, who, in the 'Ill Of the
cause under the provision. Of tat act, should al
low their right Of dcicr'niaiag whrhci or 10, the
words set forth ii the mdi,tncn' were false, scan.
dalons. and nlarlous, 10 bc even questioned and
TO the Judge, who usurpng this righl--ihe palri.
mony Of American jrrymcn-shoud, without the |
special finding Of the jury to that effect, pronounce
the publication hbellous
a part oiihis memorable pub,aiinn thrown by !
It's fearless author in the very teeth If the self |
made inqusiiors into the expressed thoughts Of
fec Americans On po'liral subjects, and in rela- |
ton TO acts Of publ iunrlon1rirs, we trans,ribr.
irOrd for ,r0ri.--lYc do it for those American
Democrats. grown UP 10 manhood, and rpcned
into age, since the calanous days Of l7gs. nm.
der the wise and temp rate administrations Of
Jefferson. Madison, and Monroe even under the
four years of the Younger Adams, tor he durs,
not exhline the friid corpse Oilhc scdiiion law,
and bring il giI,inizcd, into e second, unnatural
convulsive existence } under the glorious prcsi-
dency Of people-born hickory Jackson and now.
under the aus i ,ious administration Of Martin Van
Hurrn, q sIgtp,tnnn ns tpn1clnus of State iri,ts