The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-11-03
RESOLUTIONS OF 1898.
According to tho Best Authorities They
Were Framed by Jefferson.

RESOLUTIONS OF I79S.
According to the Best Authorities They
Were Framed by Jefferson.
The alien and sedition laws, enacted
by Congress in the summer of 1898,
met with much objection in some parts
of the country. They originated with
the Federalists, then in the majority in
Congress, and were strongly opposed
by the anti-Federalists, then called Re-
publicans. By these laws the President
was empowered to Danish from the
country any persons not citizens whom
we might Judge to be dangerous to the
peace and safety Of the country, or to
refuse to depart. He could also cause
any person who conspired against d
law of the United States, or wrote or
published any false or malicious accu-
stations against the President or either
house of Congress, to be fined heavily
or imprisoned. The unwise attempt
that had been made to secure help for
the RevolutiOnists in France, by means
of French agents who had been sent
over here to raise funds, etc, from the
people, gave apparent cause for these
laws. They were not generally APP
proved by the people, however, and
petitions came in from every part
of the country urging their re-
peal. The Anti-Federalists wished to
identify their party with the move
ment of opposition, and in the autumn
of 1898 Mr.. Jefferson and two we'll
known politicians of Kentucky, Wilson
C. Nicholas, and George Nicholas
met to discuss the matter. Mr..
Jefferson declared his conviction
that the laws were unconstitutional,
and expressed wish that Kentucky
would join with Virginia in protesting
against them on that ground. George
| Nicholas took up the suggestion imme-
diately, and offered to have resolutions
against the laws introduced into the
Kentucky Legislature, if Mr. Jefferson
would frame them. This jefferson
agreed to do on a solemn pledge from
/ both the gentlemen present that they
would never reveal the name of the
author He forthwith drew up a set of
resolutions which in November were
1 laid before the Kentucky Legislature
/ discussed and to some degree modified,
and finally passed, with scarcely a dis
senting vote, November IA. jefferson
Immediately sent a copy of them to
Madison, for use in the Virginia Legis-
lature. Madison took the hint, re-
wrote the resolutions, preserving their
general drift, but rendering them
less trenchant and less bitter than JEFF
ferson's version. They were then in
troduced, through one John Taylor,
into the Virginia Legislature December
q, 1898, and passed December "a. The
House vote stood; 100 votes for, 81
against; the Senate vote, II to 3. The
minority in the Assembly dissented,
and justified their views in long ad-
dress to the Virginia people. But
Madison defended the resolutions in an
able address, which was printed with
them, and copies sent to all the Legis-
latures of the different States and tC
the Virginian members of Congress.
The Kentucky resolutions were sent
out in like manner. Concerning the
doctrines embodied in these resolutions
some of the States had nothing to say
but the five New England States, New
York and Delaware replied, with EN-
phatic and unqualified dissent. Vir
ginia and Kentucky, therefore, thought
it wise to explain their position, and
they did so in new sets of resolutions
adopted in 1899. These claimed thai
the doctrine that the General Govern.
ment was the sole judge of its power;
stopped nowhere short of despotism
and that, while the alien and seditior
laws were accepted by the dissenting
States, they could not cease to protest
against them as palpable violations Of
the constitutional Chicago Inter ocean,