The Irish standard., 1895-07-13


large towns or cities, like New York, Phil
adelphia and Boston.
The election Of John Adams as presi-
dent and the inauguration Of his federal
policy into being q strong opposition press
which arrayed itself on the side Of Jeffer-
son. AZ
VI The result was the passage OF the alien
and the sedition act. The Is papers,
which were controlled by foreigners, were
the special mark of this drastic measure.
,Appleton's Encyclopedia says that the
apology for the sedition act was the ex-
IRENE unfairness Of the press, (which at
that time was chiefly controlled by refu-
gees and adventurists from Great, Britain
and Ireland Vi, si ..t
Atty.-Gen. Sullivan, Of Massachusetts,,
,aftterward congressn an and governor, the
son Of Irish semigrants, wrote and pub
tlished an able paper entitled, "a Disser-
tation on the Constitutional Freedom of
the Press, . in which he severely arraigned
the sedition act, holding that, it was un-
|constitut tional. y5 . f
II The. alien and sedition laws were soon
effaced from the statute books when the
Repub ublican-D Democratic party came into
power under Jefferson. Y
Inasmuch al these laws were especially
aimed at the men Of Irish blood, it was esq
|pecially fitting that an Irishman, Senator
Smile, Of South Carolina, chairman Of the
committee on foreign relations, should in
|troduce the bill for repeal. .,.l 80.
Senator Smile was g. native Of County
Down, came to America whea a young
man, and had most interesting career:
He was regarded as one of the most bril-
|Iiant men in the state. q-
The first man to suffer under the sedi-
tion act was an Irishman congressman
Mathew Lyon, OF Vermont, a native Of
Wicklow, and printer by trade, who
started a paper called the farmers LIZ
brary, and later published the Fairhaven
Gazette in Vermont.
This 'peppery, red-headed little Irish
man." as he was called by contempo poraries,
hated everything that had the odor Of
( federalism about It; and for an article
written by him and published in a Wind
sor, vt, paper reflecting on President
Adams, he was indicted by the United
States court. Il;
Il He defended himself, was covicted, and
sentenced to pay q fine OF $1,000 and i'm
prisonment for three months. Wilhelm
jail he was reelected to congress. On
his, release from prison he would have
been re-arrested on a similar charge had
he not availed himself of his constitution
al rights and declared that he was on his
way to congress, then sitting In Philadel-
|phia. Z. \,
NJ yon had varied and most interesting
congressional career. 81 He~was selected as
congressman from three states In the
Union Vermont, Kentucky and Arkan-
ne. 81 3E5 & 4 553 4. II
owing to business reyerses he removed
from Vermont to Kentucky, where he
Eaet up another printing office, and in
Es.dSo4 was elected to congress, serving un-
|tl 1910. II. II }55 ....
From Kentucky he removed to Little
Rock, Ark, and was again elected to
congress, but died before taking his
seat Il. j, q 4 81 8s5s /, 7.
4 ElIssTh 1904 congress i efunded to his fl son
Ethe3 900 fine he paid under the sedition
Fsets sof Mfr. Adams administration.
Another Irishman, John DAILY Burk,
Bofi the Time Piece; pub blished in New
York city, was arrested under the alien.
and selition lew.