Daily national Democrat., 1861-10-04
JEFF. Davls's Alien and sedition Law.

a war for the suljugation and determination
of those of the people of Kansas who would
not aid in forcing the South Carolina system
upon that embryo State But it was one
thing for them to be in power. and to make
Washington the center of all political acticn,
and quite another for them TO be o'1 and to
even tolerate the longer erjStence of Wash
ington. Well, as we said, the rebel chiefs
told those whom they sought to proselytize,
that States were sovereign and Independent,
apd could not be made otherwise by any
relation they had established, or might see
fit to establish, between each other. In vim"
dcation of this theory, so convenient for a
State wishing to rebel without receiving a
return for the blow she gives, the Secession
lists triumphantly pointed to the Kentucky
and Virginia resolutions of '98. They de-
clarcd that those resolutions proclaimed
sound orthodox doctrines, and that John c.
Calhoun had given them the true construc-
tion, viz: that they asserted the right of
State to secede from the Union, whether any
one man outside of the State thought she had
any provocation therefor or not. The organs
of treason throughout the North falsely as
serted that these resolutions, with this con-
struction, had always been the true founda-
ton Of the Democratic creed, when they
well known that no such construction had
ever been tolerated by the the party,
and with the fact staring them in the
face that a Democratic President-An-
drew jackson, by name-first scotched
(and thought he had killed. the snake some
times called Qualification" and sometimes
secession" by its friends, but known to all
loyal National Democrats by the name of
treason" The history of these resolutions
is well known. They were drawn for CAM
paign purposes. Their sole object was the
defeat of John Adams for the Presidency in
the year 1900. That object they accomplish
ed. They were intended to render his name
and his administration odious, by making the
"alien and seGiton laws recommended 10y
him and passed by Congress- stencil in the
nostrils of the people. 1t was argued that
go long rs the alien and sedition laws were
allowed to remain as a precedent, "no ram
part would exist against the passions and
the power of majority of Congress to pro-
tect, from like expectation, or other grevious
punishment the minority of the same body,
the Legislatures, Judges, Governors and
counsellors of the States, nor their other
peaceaLle inhabitants" etc. (See 9th Ken
lucky resoluton) The 4th Kentucky reso-
luton declared aliens to be "under the ju-
risdiclion and protection of the laws Of the
State wherein they are" The storm which
shipwrccked John Adams, We repeat was
raised because lie had recommended, and
Congress had passed, the alien and scditon
| laws. The resolutions of 49, which are so
glibly used by the Secessionists in defense of
their treason, were adopted in denuncation
of the offensive laws alluded to. Those lay
were declared to be so gross an inlraction of
States rights as to call for a positive declar-
alton, by the several States' of the rights they
claimed and intended to maintain. Well, it
was in defense of the rights claimed for the
States by these resolutions, Us the same are
construed by the rebels, that the present
war to subjugate the nation was begun at
Fort Sumpter And now, the reader will
say: "What of all this We have heard
enough of the resolutions of '9S. Why 90
over that story agan?" Simply because we
wanted to refresh your mind in relation to
the subject of States rights, and to remind
you Of the intense feeling the passage of "al-
len ond sedition laws created in the minds
Of Southern leaders, in 179S, so that you could
the better enjoy perusal of the following
document. II is merely an ''alien and scdi
ton la,c," passed August sM, 1861, by the
ReJd Cdngressi VIII the Knights Landing
News, Moneys Express, California Express,
Sierra Citizen and Mountain Democrat please
copy the act, giving it q place side 10y side
with the resolutions of '9S? viii they also,
when they next communicate with jeff Da-
Wis, ask him to cause the resolutions of '9S to
be published in all the Southern papers, side
by side with his alien and sedition law of
August last? Here are the first three sections
of the law, taken from Southern Journal
We have not space for the whole act:
An act to be entitled "An act respecting
alien enemies" approved August s. 1861.
SECTION l. Tie Congress Of the Confederate
States of America do enact, That whenever
there shall be declared war between the
Confederate States and any foreign nation or
government, or any invasion or predatory
incurson shall be perpetrated, attempted, or
threatened against Che territory of the Con-
federate States by any foreign nation or gov
ernment, and the President of the Confeder-
ate States shall make public by proclamation
of the event. or the same shall be proclaimed
by act of Congress, all natives, citizens, deni
zens or subjects of the hostile nation or gov
ernment, being males of fourteen years of
age and upwards, who shall be within the
Confederate States, and not citizens thereof,
shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained,
or secured and removed as alien enemies
Proyidcd, that, during the existing war, citi
zens of the United States residing within the
Confederate States, with intent to become
citizens thereof, and who shall make de-
claration of such intention, in due form, and
acknowledging the authority Of the Govern
ment of the same shall not become liable, as
aforesaid, nor shall the act extend to citizens
of the States of Delaware. Maryland, Ken
lucky, Missouri, and of the District of Co.
lumba, and the Territories of Arizona and
New Mexico, and the Indian Territory south
of Kansas, who shall not be chargeable with
actual hostility, or other crime against the
public safety, and who shall acknowledge
the authority Of the Government of the Con-
f,J