The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, Fifth Congress, [Third Session] Page: 2,433
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2433
HISTORY OF CONGRESS.
2434
December, 1798.]
Alien and Seditiou Laws.
[H. of R.
Continent at large. Indeed, it is owing to the im-
perfect and limited circulation of newspapers, in
certain parts of the Union, that it is necessary for
the Legislature to take a step of this kind. Where
newspapers are abundantly circulated, and post
offices are numerous, there is no necessity for other
information; but there are parts of the United
States, and the part where he lived is one of them,
where the circulation of newspapers is extremely
limited, and that is the reason why these laws are
so little understood in those parts.
Mr. H. said, he must be indulged in a single
word of reply to the gentleman from Virginia who
was first up. In the first place, he denied that he
had said the faets which he stated were all within
his own knowledge. If that gentleman had at-
tended to what he said, he would have known
that he stated, part were within his own knowl-
edge, and that he had the other from a person
upon whom he could depend.
The gentleman from Virginia next spoke of
another matter of fact; he had stated the uniform
tenor of his, Mr. H.'s; conduct to be, to consider
all differences of opinion from his own to be proofs
of ignorance. If so, he must always have treated
the gentleman from Virginia as the most ignorant
of mankind; yet this House, and that gentleman
himself, must remember the acknowledgments
which he had always been ready to make to that
gentleman's superior talents, which was a proof
against the assertion. But the gentleman from
Virginia, in order to make this witty remark upon
him, had misstated the fact. He did not say that
the persons of whom he spoke differed in opinion
from himself, but that they had taken up miscon-
ceptions of the law; nor did he say that he had
convinced them of their errors by his arguments,
but that this was effected by the bare reading of
the law.
Mr. H. concluded by saying, that from the
known urbanity of the gentleman from Virginia,
he supposed he would have suffered the first three
or four days of the session to have passed, without
a personal attack of this kind; but because he
hoped the gentleman would speedily return to that
good humor for which he was always remarked,
except driven from it by the heat of debate, (when
it is perhaps excusable,) he should forbear making
any further observations upon what had fallen
from him.
The question was then put for filling the blank
with 100,000; which was negatived, 12 votes
only being in favor of it; then upon 50,000;
which was negatived—36 to 31; then upon 40,-
000, in favor of which only appeared 40 votes;
then upon 20,000; which was carried ; 42 votes
being for it.
The question was now on the resolution as
amended.
Mr. Gallatin believed that every one was
agreed as to the propriety of giving all necessary
information to the people of the United States;
and he believed they wanted it in relation to the
laws of last session generally, more than on any
other, for he found on his arrival at this city, the
laws of last session are not yet printed. But, if
5th Con.—78
any laws had been published throughout the Unit-
ed States more than others; or it there were any
laws upon which less information is required, they
were the two laws selected by the gentleman from
South Carolina for an extraordinary publication.
He has selected these laws for publication, because
he says the people of the United States do not un-
derstand them. What sort of evidence has he
adduced in support of this resolution 1 His own.
He has said that, in travelling through the coun-
try, he has met with misinformed individuals. He
had no doubt of this; he might have met with
five, ten, or fifty persons who did not properly
comprehend the sedition law. But, said Mr. G.,
because one member of this House, in travelling
through the United States, has found individuals
misinformed, are we to conclude that the people
of the United States generally want information?
Are there not one hundred members on this floor,
and is there one among them, besides this gentle-
man, who says the people in his district are mis-
informed with respect to these laws 1
But, said Mr. G., let us take the evidence of the
gentleman himself. The resolution embraces two
laws, yet his evidence only relates to one of these
laws. The alien law, he does not pretend to say
the people do not understand. It is impossible to
say so. It cannot be misunderstood. It gives the
President power to send out of the United States,
any foreigner whom he thinks dangerous, which
is too plain to be misunderstood. What does his
evidence amount to 1 That resolutions have been
passed in one of the counties in Virginia, not
founded upon the sedition law, but upon a bill
which never passed the Legislature.
Mr. Harper explained, by saying he did not
say the resolutions were founded upon the bill, but
that it was read there by a person speaking on the
subject, as the law.
Mr. Gallatin said, he was going to state what
he understood to be the fact, but the gentleman
himself had saved him the trouble. He supposed
the gentleman who read this bill did so merely to
show what were the views of the supporters of
this law, as an incident in the history oi the busi-
ness. If the resolutions were really founded upon
that bill, and not upon the law, let the resolutions
be produced in proof of the assertion. It would
be readily discovered whether they were founded
on misinformation or not. From what the gentle-
man had himself said, there appeared to be no
foundation for the opinion.
The next part of the gentleman's evidence re-
lates to resolutions passed in the State of Ken-
tucky. He mentioned that a letter, written by one
of the members from that State, contains some
misrepresentations, and that the resolutions pass-
ed there were founded upon those misrepresenta-
tions. This is.mere matter of supposition, nor
does he show, if it be true, how sending the law
will correct the misrepresentation. "We are in-
formed, said he, that the Legislature of that State
are now acting upon .these laws, and, therefore, if
copies of the laws were sent to that body, it would
answer the gentleman's object. If his arguments
have any weight, not only individuals are misin-
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Gales, Joseph, 1761-1841. The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, Fifth Congress, [Third Session], book, 1851; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29473/m1/11/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.