El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-28

"HE presidential and COMPRESSION
al campaign of 1900 presaged the
first political landslide in the
| annals of the republic. IT was more
/ however, than a mere party victory for
| the Democrats, for it ended forever
| the career of the Federalist party ard
| forever established the right Of The
people freely to discuss the official acts
) and policies of all governmental Off
GERS. While the Federalists had been
successful in capturing the house Uf
representatives in 1898, their victory
was due solely to the French war
panic and perfervid patriotism The
alien and sedition laws passed in July,
1898, had not been in effect long
enough to counterfeit the influence of
the X, Y, Z conspiracy in the off yea-
election Before the new congress as
sembled the war panic had passed away
and the Democrats were inviting the
attention of the PEOPLE to the odioUs
sedition law which was used by the
FederaltstS in office for the purpose
of imprisoning every editor or PAM
phleteer who criticized president Ad-
ans or any official Of his Idministra-
ton.
The grand jury Of Hamilton district
Tennessee then far on the frontier
took the first formal action in protest
against the alien and sedition laws. 1t
was mooted question whether or not
even an official body could criticize
congress for passing these laws with
out laying its members liable to impris-
onment. In the Virginia legislature
delegate, j. Taylor Of Caroline county,
offered a resolution asserting the right
of members of the legislature to i'm
munity from the penalties of the sedi-
ton law If any member should in con-
science be constrained to charge con-
gress with an infractiOn of the consti-
tuition in the passage of the law In
these modern times when someone as
sails almost every act of COM re-ss rs
being untonstitrttiJnal, the language
OF Mr.. TayloTs resolution seems to be
very mild indeed. But it was not then
so regarded. The New York Daily Ad-
vertiser, a FederaIist publication, in
commenting on this resolution, said:
How can we restrain our indignation
at such proceedings? They have thus
displayed their real character and
views They have proclaimed their bit
ter enmtty to the government Shame
on such roStitution-confusion to their
counsels-may the name of j. Taylor
of Caroline county, Virginia, and his
coadjutors be held in everlasting con-
Tempt"
Put Editors In Jail.
But as Democratic editors were being
jailed almost every week by partisan
judges and packed juries. the people
became boiler al, - was res Ilved that
state legis,a tires o1'i ne asked to
make formal protest. Mr.. jefferson
prepared a set of resolutions which
was adopted by the kentucky leg.sla-
ture, and a similar set was soon after
passed in the Virginia legislature. |
These Kentucky and Virginia resoIu-
tons, in after years and when new is
sues had arisen, often have been de- |
nounced as the germs of the subversive |
doctrines of notification and secession. |
However just such criticism may be, |
the resolutions taken into considera-
ton with contemporary politics are |
not nearly so revolutionary nor nearly /
so subversive of constitutional govern |
ment as were the tyrannical and unjust !
laws which they were designed TO COM |
bat
The sedition law was passed by the /
Federalist congress against the advice |
of Hamilton, who had come to hate i
Adams. After the election of 1898, and !
after the French war panic ceased, the I
sedition law was called into operation |
solely to punish those who dared to /
criticize the administration. Needless
TO say only Democrats were imprison- )
ed. Political lampoons of that day |
were outrageously severe and both |
parties made use of INSCRIPTIONS
who might be hired TO utter
the most unspeakable ISLANDERS. At this |
distance il appears that both parties |
were equally guilty. The difference .
was that when a Democratic pamphlet /
eer called John Adams the tool of the I
British government" and the friend OF
monarchy he would be sent to jail; !
while a Federalist writer might declare /
with impunity that Jefferson was an /
atheistic scoundrel bent upon the de- |
struction of all government and prop
erty Toward the end of tho Adams