Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-06-19


John Adams, OF Massachusetts was ripe Re
publican when the revolutionary struggle began.
| His earnest zeal had aroused the colony OF Mas
sachusetts Bay to resistance, and he greatly con
tributed to the formation of that colonial league
which resulted in our Independence But, per
! haps, Alexander Hamilton described him well
when he said he was man of eccentric imagina-
ton. which "propitious neither TO the re-
lar display of sound judgment nor the per,e
ance in systematic line OF conduct TOR he ha;i
"the unfortunate foibieS Of Il vanity without
bounds
The structure of his mind was such that his
opinions were greatly affected by his long resi-
dence in foreign courts From HI to 1855 with
briet intermission, he had served his country in
diplomatic capacity abroad. He returned on
the 18th of June l7SS, TO witness the country be-
gin its progress under the Constitution. and to
take his seat as Vice President. In 1897 he be-
came the President OF the United States We
know how greatly his opinions had altered at that
time, for in the WolcOtt papers il is recorded that
he deliberately said that the country could not
get on lctaOut hereditary chief"
Perhaps this change in his opinion was the Sc
cret OF his subsequent political conduct. He
bore with like patience the treatment which the
American ENJOYS received from republican
France, ana with the assistance OF Congress in
lI9o, prepared To arbtate by battle the sriev
ances inflicted by that country. Congress shared
his temper, and as there were many in America
who believed that the Presidents course towards
France marked by an undue attachment to
England, acts were passed which employed
against such persons all the sings and ar
rows 3" of the law. In such temper, certainly
gnated the noted ''act respecting alien ell
emies," passed July 6, 1885, and also the law
commonly known as the "sedition act passed
the 18th OF July, 1898. 1t is to portions of
the history OF the seditoH act" that We desire to
f.,ll
: Our forefathers, before the act was passed.
were fully projected by the Constitution and by
the laws OF Congress OF April So 1899, against
the treason OF any OF their fellow citizens There
were, however, of untriendlineSS 10 che Coo
: erRmeRt, more less evidently manifested,
against which the law did not PROVIDE and these
; cases the irritable temper OF Mr.. Adams sought
to bring within the puryew OF direct legisl ton
His friends in the Senate certainly expressed his
wishes they proposed that body the
'sedition act" it was first reported from the
committee in June, 1888 This bill punished as
t high misdemeanors all unlawful combinations to
oppose the execution OF the Laws OF Congress- or
: the measures OF the Government and it visited
with severe penalties those who aspersed the mo
tlves OF the Congress in passing, OF the Pre-
dent in executing or OF the courts Of the United
States in ddJudicaflng any law OF the Unlted
States. In this shape the bill passed. the Senate
it being evidently the idea of that body that the
public good was as deeply wounded by MA
licious assault upon the motives authority of
the courts OF Tie United States, it was by any
e similar alta X upon tie integrity of the conduct
: of the President or Congress 1t is singular that
5, this bill, which intended to place Il govern
ment above risk OF eensure, well as beyond the
reach OF resistance. should have passed the Sen
ate on the FOurih Of July, l790, but SUCH is the
{ fact.
{ The measure went to the House in the form
D which we have indicated 1t had no easy journey
through that body. Mr. Alien, OF Connecticut,
e indeed, did his fellow countrymen the honor to
say that ii there nation which required
law OF this kind, il is this Nor did he spare
the press in his speech But it is to the credit OF
! American statesmen that lie WAS opposed by ali
III that body who now command tine re Pectful
remembrance OF their connlrymen. Albert Gal
= Latin, Nathaniel Macon, and Edward Livingston
resisted the passage Of the law. How it Glanced
: we cannot now tell ; but in the House the clause
ia the bill which punished those ,cAO aspTSed The
Judges Of the Courts OF the United States asw
stricken out whiie those clauses relating to the
r President and Congress were retained. Perhaps
it was that the President and Congress thought
that they only required the shield OF such law.
However it was, the law passed by miiority of
three votes on the 10th OF July 1888 and the
President signed it on the 18th Ot July 1t COD
tuned a section which provided that it should con-
tinue in force only until March Sd. 1901
Then began the prosecutions which dsgraced
bv their yiruence the tribunals OF the country.
We read to day-yeS, even tO.day-with amaze
ment, the trial of Matthew Lyon in Vermont in
October, l19o-of Thomas Cooper in Philadel-
phia in lS10-and of Anthony Haswell in V en-
5 mont in lSOO-for publications rejecting upon
t the President OF the United States. We feel,
while reading these trials, that all Hamilton said
OF John Adams was true-and that this was IA
vored by the President simply because it afforded
/ him an opportunity OF furnishing those who Of
Tended his vanity by censurng his actions. What
truth there is III this criticism will appear from
one of the cases already cited Cooper was in
dicted for asserting that the President had inter
fered 10 influence the decisions of n court OF JUS
ticc. lie proved that the Secretary OF State,
by the direction of the President, had c0mmuni-
L Gated to the Judge, before whom the application
q for ext. addition was pending. 1.-The advice and re
4 quest of the President that the prisoner should
= be surrendered. But notw outstanding this proof,
a Cooper was convicted under the law of 1898, as
malicious libeller OF the President.
= l. it Il wonder that Mr.. Jefferson, who looked
: narrowly into the mistakes made by Mr. Adams
8 said that this law of 1883 was working hardy
Is it wonder that this law really destroyed Mr.
= Adams influence and chances of eiectioni
. When il was about expiring, Mr. Jefferson had
been elected President. On the 2lst of February
a committee OF the House reported that they had
a informed HIM of his c.ecton and on the same day
"A bill to continue in force this seditOn act was de
!, bated. Fortunately for the good name of the
!, country this bill failed. and the law suffered
to expire. We'll il said in that debate, thai
!, an administration which WAS supported by the
justice and policy of it, measures needed Heithe,
alien seditoR iarcs.
1t is u the credit OF the country that all trace:
. of the working of this sediton law have been Il.
, far as possible Obliterate1. la le4o the principal
and interest oftle fine imposed ON Matthew Lyon
: was replid to his representatives, The same re
+, payment WAS made in lc14 to the heirs OF An
thOny Haswell. And in 1850 the same repay
: ment was made to the heirs OF Thomas Cooper
The statute itself. however, remins OF record "a
q attest the lengths to which party rancOr may bt
. CARED and perhaps its ll-success, as political
: measure, may serve to point moral.