Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-05-24

threatening the overthrow Of freedom amongst us.
The Alien Law, for the reasons already inti-
mated, we need hardly repeat or describe. That
law, whatever il may have been-and certain
ly we not fond of such laws--has more than
its. parallel now fourishing under the auspices OF
what call themselves g democratic State Govern
ments Let us proceed, then, to THE SEDTroN
LAW, to which we desire at present particularly 70
direct the attention of our readers. Or this law the
main provisions were as follows:
II consisted of four sections. By the first, all
persons conspiring or combining or exciting to re-
sist by nsurrection, riot, or other illegal means OF
violence or terror the execution of the laws of the
United States, or to impede persons from assuming
or performing their duties officers thereof, were
made punishable by fine and Imprisonment. This,
then, regarded overt acts Of resistance to the laws
The second section was in the following words
and was that which, interfering with the Liberty
Of the Press, excited the main and the just oppos
ton and hatred to the act:
ssThat if any person shall write, print utter, or
publish, shall cause or procure to be written,
printed, uttered, or published, or shall knowingly
and willingly assist or aid in writing, printing,
suttering, or publishing any false, scandalous and
ment Of the United States, or either House of the
Congress Of the United States, or the President Of
tho United States, with intent TO deanic the snid
Government, either House Of the said Congress-
or the said President, or to bring them either
Of them into contempt or dsrepute; or to excite
against them or any of them the hatred Of the good
people of the United States or to stir up sedition
within the United States or to excite any unlaw
full combinations therein, for opposing resisting
any law Of the United States or any act Of the
/. President of the United States done in pursuance
of any such law, of the powers in him vested by
the Constitution Of the United States; or to resist,
oppose, or defeat any law or act or to aid, en-
courage or abet any hostile designs Of any foreign
nation against the United States, their people or
Government; then such person, being thereof con-
victed before any court Of the United States hay-
ing jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by fine
not exceeding $1,000, and by imprisonment not
exceeding two years"
The third section allowed the truth of any such
libel to be pleaded, and the jury to be judges both
Of the law and fact
The fourth section limited the operation of the
act to the date of Sd March, 1901.
Now we emphatically ask, whether the claim
lately put forth by the literary and docrinal organ
of " the Democracy" its Review--the claim adopt
ed by the Administration, through its avowed organ
g the Union'-the claim of the Administration,
therefore, silence with the denunciation of rea
son." and all the terrors with which the ascendency
of party and success arm the Government, all
dissent Of the press from the official views, be not
in the very spirit Of this act-except that jury is
allowed, no truth may be pleaded in defence, no
term is set at which the law is to expire, and the
law is sustained by the Executive authority alone
II there be any paper at which the more especial
vengeance Of this edict is aimed, we may well pre-
sumo that it is the National Intelligencer for be-
sides that il has presented here at the seat Of Gov
eminent, The main front OF editorial opposition now
attempted to be struck down, il led the way in the
war against the secret schemes Of g Annexation -
denounced and stripped them bare the first; and
has fought them, at every step, as series Of mis-
deeds, certain, at some day, matter whom they
plague in the time, be visited in dire caami-
ties upon the nation committing them. OF our own
efforts we say this of necessity, in order that we
may state, upon distinct case, what offence has
been given, under the statute that we have quoted,
now to be revivfed and resuscitated from its old
Federal sleep by the new Federal breath of power.
Have we, then, /" uttered any false, scandalous,
and malicious writing" on the subject of Texas,
for the purpose Of defaming the Government or
President, or Congress of the United States If
we have committed the +" Treason" with which we
stand charged on such high authority, it must be by
writing or printing, the only arts we practise.
As to defamation, we have lived too long without
employing it 10 resort to it now. We struggled
against, and we survived, fercer Administration
than this mean to be, without either bending to
it vilifying it and this when backened ourselves
by its creatures. During this Texas business, the
last and the present Administration have come much
nearer to libelling us than we to libelling them.
Nay, if Mr.. BENTON and Mr.. BRINKERHoFF, dis
tinguished "Democrats," went not too far in their
opinions of the movers Of the whole Annexation plot
to libel any body concerned in il must have been
exceedingly difficult.
If il be charged that lin the terms Of the old Sc
dition Law we have labored "to bring the Govern
ment into contempt we answer that, as to the late
Administration, we, having enough to do, never oc
cnpied ourselves in any such superfuous effort
and that, as TO the new Administration we have no
intention to withhold from il any credit 20 which it
shall by its undisclosed merits acquire title.
But, in truth, all the world knows that, had we
entertained, in contradiction TO the uniform tenor of
our lives, the criminal wish to see our own Govern
ment brought into long and deep disgrace we should