Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-11-25
ADAMS AND JEFFERSON.
Political "reminiscences of Long Ago.


The administration of John Adams
was far from being a success. The
alien and sedition laws, enacted during
that term, have caused blot to rest
upon it, which time cannot efiace. 1t
punished men for being foreigners and
gave the President the right to send
them out Of the country; because of
the suspicion of not being right in their
politics. The sedition law punished as
high crime the writing or printing
or speaking disrespectfully of Con.
gresS, the president or other high Off
cials, and the federal judges, sitting
IN judgment upon these " sedltionists," "
so constructed the law that no one in
dicted could escape. For letter
written and dated before the law was
passed, and printed in distant news
paper before any one in the State of
Vermont, where the letter was pub
lished, had knowledge that it had, or
would be passed, Matthew Lyon, an
anti-Federal Congressman from Yer
mont, was indicted, tried, fined and
imprisoned. These laws, which in
fact expired by limitation the day Mr..
Adams ceased to be President, reused
party spirit almost to frenzy, and from
the date of their passage the doom of
the Federal party was sealed.
During the latter part Of Mr..
Adams administration a law was
passed creating twenty-four new Judges
of the United States courts. The bill
creating this batch of judges-intend.
ed and the law made them life officers
fingered in Congress until after the
fact of Adams defeat and Jefferson's
election as President was known. Be-
tween the time this fact was known,
18th of December, 1S00-and the 4th
of March following, several valuable
offices became vacant, one Of which
was that of chief justice, and with
these twenty-four judges newly Great
ed had to be filled.
To the chief justiceship, Mr.. Adams
appointed and the Senate confirmed
John Marshall, on the 31st of Janua-
ry, after it was known that Jefferson
was elected president, although, As
previously stated, Marshall held at
the time, and continued to hold until
after JeHerson's Inauguration, the
Office Of Secretary of State. All the
appointees were Federal, of course,
and under the circumstances, ,Jefier-
son felt deeply indignant. Writing
to Gen. Knox, who had written to
congratulate him on his election, Mr..
Jefferson, in speaking of these APP
pointments, said that Mr.. Adams
knew he was not making them for
himself, but for his successor, and
hence Jefferson characterized them as
an outrage on decency, which should
not have effect, except in the life APP
pointments, which are immovable !;
" but as to the others" the newly
elected president said, I" consider the
nominations a. nullities, and will not
view the persons so appointed as even
candidates for their office, much less
in possessing it by any title meriting
respect" And every man so appoint
ed in office when Jefferson was inaug-
urated was promptly removed. The
twenty-tour judges confirmed, some Of
them, it is said, by the Senate on the
night Of the Sd of March, could not
be removed because their office was n
life tenure but, upon the accession Of
Mr. Jefferson, and with him Demo
cratic Congress, the law was repealed,
and "Mr. Adams midnight Judges" ="
rs they were called, had but a short
lease of power. A tale told and new
er denied, and for this reason has be-
come history, says that up to the last
hour of midnight, at which time the
administration of Adams ended, the
Secretary Of State (MarshalD was
engaged in signing commissions as he
got news of the Senate confirming the
appointments, some of whom had been
sent to the Senate as late as nine
o'clock that evening. While thus en-
gagged in commissioning officials for a
new administration, Secretary Mar.
shall and his clerk, at twelve o'clock
midnight, were startled by an appari-
tion in the person of Levi Lincoln, of
Massachusetts, whom Mr.. jefferson
had selected as his attorney-general.
The conversation between Lincoln
and Observation-Disclosures related by
Lincoln himself-is given as follows :
Lincoln-I have been ordered by
Mr.. Jefferson to take possession of
this Office and its papers.
Marshall-Why Jefferson has not
yet qualified
"Lincoln-Mr. Jefferson considers
himself in the light of an executive,
bound to take charge of the papers of
the government until he is duly quail
ifed.