The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-23
SWEETS ACT IS REPETITION OF EARLIER EFFORT
Alexander Hamilton, Sinis- ter Genius, Plotted For
 Presidency

JSf1erSon1ans; ana In l798 had passed the notorious Alien and sedition acts. The Jeffersontans also sympathized with the French revolution and were II denounced as 'Jacobins'' by the | Sweets and. Lusks of the Federalist party. The 1egislaturesi of. Virginia and Kentucky answered the Alien and Seditton Acts by the passage of the Famous. resolutions regarding 'state rights, while many editors in the were being jailed by the Palmer of that time for '-sedition',.
 The Jeffersonians were triumphant l in the election of 1900, but Jefferson l and Burr received the same number | of votes for President and the cleo l ton was thrown into the House. Five l days after the elections for the Leg islature in New York,~Alexander Ham | ilton, the sinister genius of the Fed | -eralists, wrote to Governor Jay urg- ing that he call a special session of the old Legislature to provide for the election of presidential electors by districts. The law provided that electors should be chosen by the Leg islature and if the regular procedure was taken the electoral vote of New York would go to the Jeffersonians
 The aristocratic clergy and po1iti- ciansHhad outdone themselves in vii J cobin''. The head of Yale Univer- sity, in a savage attack, asked wheth- CT four churches may become temples of reason?'' whether an atheist was to be permitted to abolish religion? whether the daughters of Americans were to become 'the victims of legal prostitution and whether God should be personated by a ''strumpet?" Fisher Anes wrote to Rufus King that "In New ork the rights of the property of the city and the state are subject to the vice and folly and poverty of society. Whether we go on to the Danton and Robespierre acts depends on time and accident The follow ing extracts from Hamiltons letter to Governor Jay show that he was willing to violate the Constitution and prevent Jefferson's election because of Jefferson's opinions:
 In times like these in which we live it will not do to be overscrupulous It is seay to sacrifice the substantial interests of society by strict adher- ance to ordinary rules. eve should | prevent) an atheist in religion, and 1 a fanatic in politics, from getting the 1 helm of state. (The Jeffersonian 1 party) is a composition, in deed, of l very incongruous materials; but all | tending to mischief-some of them te l the overthrow of the government by | stripping it of it's due energies; others | of them to a. revolution after the manner of Bonaparte. The calling l of the Legislature will have for it's i object thee hoosing of electors by the l people in districts. (The Legislature) | ought to be told that temporary cir l cunstances had rendered it probable that, without their intc position, the executive authority of the general government would be transferred to hands hostile to the system heretof- fore pursued with so mucn success, and dangerous to the peace, happf- ness and order of the country
 Every reason given by Hamilton in this letter to seize the presidency may be duplicated by the Sweets and Lusks for busting the Socialists from the Assembly. The Albany clique is not frank in admitting that they pro pose to defy ''adherance to ordinary rules,' and in that respect they lack the candor of Hamilton. Governor Jay refused to be a party to this crime and Hamilton and other FedZ i eralists for a time Seriously consid- cred throwing the Federalist electoral vote to Burr.
 Had an attempt been made to effect the coup in New York State it would 1 have probably led to civil war. The | Aurora, the most prominent of the | Jeffersonian organs, charged that the l Hamilton coup was plotted in a cau- GUS of Federaists and went on to say:
 | Whether this will be attempted by | MT. Jay or not is uncertain,~b wher it was urged that this might lead tC civil war, if the obv-ous temper o1 the public was opposed a person pres l ent observed that a civil war would be preferable to having Jefferson fol
 President. This expression hurt ont
 or two, but there were many moro
 who warmly supported him ant l seemed to think a contest at arm
 would be desirable.
 If the Aurora's account is >correc
 1t is evident that some of the Fed
 eralists were desperate enough to g
 ahead with their reactionary couI
 provoke violence and civil war. an
 then rely on their control of the pub l lie powers to shoot the opposition in
 to submission. In short. it was som l reactionary holdovers who favore 1 force and violence.
 Fortunately, Hamilton final
 turned against Burr and urged tf
 Federa1ists to let matters not on 1 take their course. but to even suppo
 Jefferson in the House election F't i this he won the undying hatred
 Burr, who later killed Hamilton I a duel. After events also shove
 that Burr was an unprfncfp1e
 scoundrel unfit to serve in any pu
 lie office, he having dragged out u
 miserable existence of a. Cain.
 Just as fear of the French Revol
 ton prompted this attempted co1
 against the "Jacobins'' so today t
 Sweets and Iluskers are capitalizi1
 the Russian revolution for their 2
 tempted coup at Albany. Finally,
 the Federalist clique tried at o
 stage of their plotting to place a-t;
 ented scoundrel in office, in the pre
 ent instance the Albany clique are u
 ing to place a mediocrity in the exee
 tive officeAof New York State Betwe
 Burr for President and a Sweet
 Governor sthe choice is between
 scoundre1 and a brain1ess reactit
 ary' -aAy York cau.-soelal