Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-06-25

room blowhards, who, in ninety-nine cases
out of every hundred, if called upon to
define the meaning of the words they use,
would be in devil of quandary. Of
the mass of uproarious disclaimers about
"Iincoln's violations of the Constitution"
the Monroe doctrine" "the Alien and
Sedition Laws" "the writ of Habeas Cor
pus," and such like bombastic phrases,
there is not one in ten who ever read
line of either, or has the remotest idea of
the actual character of the documents OF
instruments in question. To enighten
the minds of such political gas-pipes, and
to refresh the memories Of those who
may not have recently referred to history
upon the matter, it may not be amiss at
this time to revive the history of the ia
nous Resolutions of l79S."
On the 18th day of June, 1898, "An
Act concerning Aliens" was approved,
having passed the House on the Sth and
the Senate on the 2lst of that month.
The space which we can devote to the sub
ject forbids the publication of the law en-
tire, but it is sufficient to give the princi-
pal feature of the law, and the one which
caused the great outcry. 1t authorized
the President of the United States, lat any
time during the continuance of this Act, to
order all such aliens as he shall judge dam
gerous to the peace and safety Of the United
States. or shall have reasonable grounds to
suspect are concerned in any reasonable
or secret Vaccinations against the Govern
ment thereof, to depart out of the territory
of the United States within such time as
shall be expressed in such order" This
was the gist of the law. 1t passed the
Senate by 4 vote of IS to I, and the House
by a vote of 46 to 10.
On the 18th day of July, l79S, an Act
entitled IAN Act in addition to an Act
entitled AN Act for the punishment of
certain crimes against the United States"
was approved, having passed the Senate
on the 4th and the 10th Of the same month,
the Senate by vote of is to 6, and the
House a to Il. This act defined sedition
and its punishment. Section I'd provided
THAT if any person shall write, print,
utter, or publish, or shall cause or procure
to be written, printed, uttered or pub
ished, or shall, knowingly and willingly,
assist or aid in writing, printing, uttering
or publishing. any false, scandalous and
malicious writing, or writings, against
the Government of the United States, or
either House of the Congress of the United
States, or the President of the United
States, with intent to defame and bring
into contempt the Government, etc., etc.,
Z" shall be punished by fine in a sum not
exceeding two thousand dollars and by
imprisonment not exceeding two years"
This Act was to remain gin force until
the Sd day of March, 1901, and no
longer" These two Acts are always
spoken of in connection as the "Aien
and Sedition Laws
In November of the same year, the
Legislature of the State of Kentucky, and
in December that of Virginia, passed each
a lengthy series of resolutions declaring
the above-named Acts of Congress uncon-
stitutional, void, and Of no force. Copies
of these resolutions were transmitted to
the Governors of the several States, and
by them laid before their respective Legis-
latures. On the lst day of February, the
Legislature of Delaware declared "the
resolutions from the State of Virginia a
very unjustifable interference with the
General Government and constituted
authorities of the United States, and of
dangerous tendency, and therefore not fit
for the consideration of the General As
sembly."
In the same month, the General Assem-
bly, of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations considered the Virginia reso-
lutions, and passed set of their own, in
which they declare the action of the Vir-
ginia Legislature an infraction of the
constitution in the plainest TERMS" and
that " in their private opinions these laws
are within the powers delegated to Con-
gress, and promotive of the welfare of the
United States"
On the 9th of the same month, the Leg
islature of Massachusetts considered the
resolutions, and, in series of their own,
defended the Alien and Sedition Laws, re-
buked the presumption Of Virginia, and
declared that should she (Virginia) OPP
pose successfully her force and will to
those of the nation, the Constitution scould
Be reduced to a mere CIPHER, to the form and
pagsantry of authority, acithOUt the energy
of potoer."
On the 5th of March, 1899, the Legis-
lature of New York considered the Vir-
ginia and Kentucky resolutions, and de-
nounced them as I" infanlmatory perni-
ciots, and repatgaant to the Consultation of
the United States"
In May, of the same year, the General
Assembly of Connecticut "disavow the
principles contained in the aforesaid reso-
lutions."
In June, both Houses of the Legisla-
ture of New Hampshire unanimously de-
clared that "the State Legislatures are
not the proper tribunals to determine the
constitutionality of the laws of the Cen
eral Government" but that if the Legis-
lature of New Hampshire for mere spec
ulative purposes, were to express an opm-
ion on the acts of the General Govern
ment, commonly called "the Alien and
Sedition RiIls." that oDinion would be