The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-09-22
Alien aHG SeditiOn Acts,
TIE RESOLUTIONS OF 170S.
HISTORIC HEMiNls sCENCEs.

These resolutions, famous in the
history Of political parties of the
country, some sixty seven years ago,
AMI OF which little is known by the
present generation, beyond the little
by which they are familiarly designa-
ted, were passed by the Legislature
Of Virginia, in the year 1893, and
constituted the line Of demarkation--
the political MASON and Dixon's
Line between the parties then
crystalizing into permanent form.
Tie occasion which called forth
these resolutions, was the passage by
Congress, at its then recent session,
Of two measures, famillarly called tue
Alien aud Sedtion Acts. At that
time, revolution was running riot in
France threatening to involve, as it
subsequently did involve, ail Europe
in its vortex and the utmost care and
vigilance were required on the part
of our own Government to maintain
the position it had prescribed to it
self, of Equal and exact justice to
all nations-entangliug alliances with
none" England and France we're
putting on their armor to battle, and
our people wero much divided in
their sympatbies as between those
beligerents; and the country was fill
ed with foreign emissaries, striving
to commit the popular sentiment to
the ona or the other. Secret jacob
inical clubs were formed to propagate
seditious doctrines, and commit tue
government To them. To countcract
these influences, and keep the ship of
State trim in her course of neutrality,
the Alien and Scditlon Acts were
passed.
TIE ALIEN ACT.
The legislative history of The Alien
act is briefly this: On the 25th Cf
April, 1913, In the Senate of the
United States, Mr.. Hillhousc, a Sen
ator from Connecticut, offered q res
olution for committee to inquire
what provision of law ought to be
made for the removal of such aliens
a. may be dangerous to the peace OF
the country. On the following day
the resolution was adopted, and
Messrs. Livermore, of n. H.; Hill
house, of Ct; Read, OF S, c.; Sedg-
wick, Of Mass, and Lawrence. OF n.
Y, were appointed the committee
On the 4th day of May, Mr.. Liver
more, from said committee, reported
bill concerning aliens, which pass
cd the Senate on the 9Th by vote Of
I6 to 7, and having passed the House
of Representatives, was approved by
the President on the 18th day OF
June, 1898. The seven Senators who
voted against the passage OF the bill,
were Messrs. Anderson, of Tenn;
Bloodworth, of N. c.; Brown and
Marshall, OF Ky; Mason and Taze-
well, OF Va; and Patrick OF Aea.
The Act provided that it shall be
lawful for the President of the United
States, at any time during the con.
tinuance of the act, to order all such
aliens as he shall Judge dangerous to
the peace and safety of the United
States, or shall have reasona to
to suspect are concerned in treason
able or secret Vaccinations against
the government, to depart out of the
territory of the United States, within
such time as he shall prescribe, un-
der a penalty of Imprisonment not
exceeding three years, and never
after to be eligible to citizenship, -
Provided, that any alien 50 ordered
to depart, on showing satisfactory
proof of his quiet and peaceahle dis
position, nay b pwnitbcd 10 ~.