Show V S I 4 t C I CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS I THE III-THE THE CAMPAIGN 1798 1 1 it J I By Frederic J. J Haskin rT liE HE r nn I H f n of If 1793 THE still lUll ranks an as tho most exciting T I V ff deft year r 1 political J I I. contest fr re fd d I In I f the ho history of If the Jr I It if resulted in H cl arl I vict wy hH for the Iha Ii rr party parts at I ho the hoUs Us ut n it also aho r minified LI Un tl death Lath knoll of f t tim that t Ir r and forever ended the tho domi- domi nani nal c of foreign affair alTaIr in American Amer Amer- ican politics John Jhn r Adams had luid huc IJ been n e-n He let t l president be because bel be- be l' l cause t the h Federalists J I tN c did not late dare care put forward for fr- v wn ward their real loud loud- j Ir M Jt It I was waR Hamilton's Hamiltons purpose pur pur- poSt pose and desire to 4 Control the th Adams administration but buthI buthe he hI r had hal r reckoned kont wl without hout hl his host a aiu soon sn nl rated to 10 the thesa t sa term Hen d n I d f all al z parties that h he w a be bE DP t ip head of theas the tho a administration in inari ari ad as wen well as in inI I theory He Hp alienated aln- aln alien Hamiton Hamilton at atthe atthe th the beginning of his term te there was wai was an adverse Democratic majority marty in the house and in the thc senate the Democratic leader leater Jefferson presided as vice vie president On the tho whole the country was Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic and Adams did riot not have ha c at first frt tho the confidence e of the nation He was was' naton suspected with wih some reason of too greatly rea tho admiring th tl in institutions of n the tho British monarch monarchy He II in common with ih many other conservative Americans had ad been shocked hocked by the excesses excess of M the rc eh revolutionists rE and was waEl the im implacable im- im foe of th the Jacobins The Tho Democrats Dem Dm on the tho other hand had sympathized sympathized sym sym- with wih the French revolutionists wore tri tricolor tri color cockades refused 1 to say a mister and generally sympathize with wih thc he extreme aristocratic anti pd professions of j the French Republicans N Not Nt t on ony were they tHY Intone Intense republicans but bit also als thy they hated England Euland the they had bad not forgen forgiven forgiven for for- given gen George GEorgo III II they y remembered the horrors of the revolution they could not forgot forget Ut that the English government go h had hadnet hadnot net not withdrawn the tho troops from the frontier fron Iron tier ter a according cording to the treaty l-aty l r atm and they could not forgot forget that England claimed the thE right to seize seizo- selzo and search American Amerian ships Nor could they either as patriots or politicians condone the tho ratification of what the they called calEd the Infamous in infamous infamous In- In famous Jay trat treaty with wih England In short the Demo Republican Democratic party arty was a French 7 art party arty and the tho Federalist party part was an English party The French directory enraged by the Jay treaty demanded that the United States break with wih E England Two American Amen Ameri can ran ministers were wre practically expelled from Paris Parts and then Mr 11 Adams sent three sp special cal envoys Cn Gerry Gerry Marshall Marshal and Pinckney They were humiliated by be being being be- be ing jug forced to treat with three anonymous mu persons known only as X Y and Z These t three mysterious d diplomatists demanded demanded de de- de- de from the American envoys elys a bribe of francs In the tho meantime French prIva privateers teer were pre preying ing upon American shipping The publication of this impudent demand of the Talle Talleyrand Talleyrand Tal Tal- le rand created an intense sensation a a. wave of anger sweeping sweeping over the he union Millions for defense not one cent for tribute became the rall rallying ing cry of the Federalists in support of Adams' Adams determination deter deter- not flOt to yield ld to the tho French From From Vermont to Geor Georgia la good Re- Re ans who loved France and nd hated England rose roso in lii protest against the in insult insult in- in sult suit offered b by Talleyrand and pledged themselves to support the president in a war against France even to t the extent e of side Ly by side with the detested English Those Republicans who re remained remained remained re- re true to their party parly allegiance and who dared question the Ule wisdom of embarking embarking embarking em em- barking upon a war with Franco France were denounced as traitors and as enemies of the republic A wave wae of patriotic fervor engulfed the tlC whole country countr In every city funds were started start r bv by public subscription t t- t build war vessels lf Great cities like New York Yorka a and nd Philadelphia actually hull built h 11 t ships while small towns like He Petersburg Va raised as much as 2000 for the new American navy Vessels were wore built buit In al almost almost almost al- al most every port on the Atlantic seaboard and in every town the the militia mita companies were drilled and preparations made for fr war Miss Eleanor Parke Custis the the stepdaughter of General Washington set settle time the tle fashion for the ladies by presenting a stand of colors clors to the Alexandria light lEht dra dragoons in an address aldress breathing defiance to the tle French I Every public meeting of any character whatsoever became a riot riot The theatres were never er so well wel fl filled 1 since every ery night both Federalists a and aul mid Republicans ans ansol sought Bought ol ht to be in the majority but the federalists s Ion on outnumbered rN their French sympathizing opponents Ev Every ry Fed Federalist ra wore in his hat a black cockade cock ade while every ever Democrat sp sported the red white hil 1 and blue ribbon of the French Republicans When a black cockade and color tri met there was always a quarrel and often oren a fight Scores cores of duels were fought Federalists would not sl speak a. a to Democrats Democrats declined to nize Federalists Party feeling was Intense in intense intense In- In tense and everybody desp despaired ired of th the republic The Federalists ts appear actually actually actu actu- ally aly to have believed that Jefferson and the Republicans intended to set up on this side of the Atlantic the honors f I the French terror terol while the Republicans were no 10 less es sincere In their belief that the Federalists aimed to establish a monarchy set up an an ani 3 de destroy destroy destroy de- de stroy human liberty There was n no temperance tem tern perance no moderation no no conservatism The indignation a against France had ha Its Is effect and the Federalists soon had gained complete control of the house in which at the beginning bEginning they had b been sl slightly in th the minority In July Juh 1798 congress en enacted the odious olious o-lous o sedition bill hi I which InkE linked with th the alien alen bill bi passed d dI I b by the same body marked an epoch in political arah affairs As introduced the se sedition se se- I dlton bill bi declared that every Frenchman Frenchman French French- to the States man was as an enemy United and to give him aid or comfort Wt was treason trea trea- son punishable with Ih death Another sec sec- ion tion ton provided that any anyone one who in speech or 01 print justified Francs France or defamed the I government of the United States should I suffer punishment b by imprisonment or fine This bill bi was introduced in the the senate hut but the Federalist senate oven even majority ma there was was not sufficiently mUy radical t to adopt the measure In its Is original form It I went to the house where it I was again modified and where the Republicans succeeded In amending it so that the truth might be given Iven in defense of libel I A As passed the sedition act provided for or I punishment of conspiracy to oppose to-oppose any measure ro or 0 measures of I tho iho gow provided for Imprisonment f for fr r ary Y lerm pcr- pcr son sn m who should by hy written or j c words utter a H l against the v g government govern govern- rn- rn ment of tho tim United States Stites the president dent nt or oi cither either o cf f I s. s The act by an WI ii amendment put on on tJ by the he house is as to expire b by the tic limitation l on March Mardi 3 The Tue ra ope-ra operation UH J of f this Jaw law was as claimed by the Democrats to infringe the freedom n Lom of speech an and the time fl freedom t dum of tiC the press Iness and H I L great outcry was made malc against it I. I In 11 passing this bill bi the Federalists tR Unwittingly unwittingly un un- wittingly gave ga c their opponents ls an ol pr r- r to take a stand upon which thoy might recover ground roun lost because f lu r unfortunate French partisanship Matthew Mathew Lyon on a representative from Vermont Velmont and anda in his ii a violent Democrat home town b by a federal Judge b because came o of the fact that ho 11 had twice ref refused t d to cater to what he hE considered c President hl l when that Adonis Adams morar s statesman state served d eak cakes s and anU wine vinc to the members of congress engress at receptions Lyon asked the Judge at the trial triai if I he had not himself attended these thesE pretentious The Ju Judge ge declared that the re receptions ro- ro were wAre republican in their simplicity sim alm- and he s sentenced Lyon Lynn to jail jai fined him and scolded him unmercifully Lyon was as the most hat hated Democrat In Inthe inthe the country countr Being Insulted in the house on one day by a Federalist o ot 01 Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut Con Con- he had ha retorted Ly by ly spitting in Griswold's face A few la days H later GriswoId Griswold Gris- Gris old wold mauled L Lyon on with wih a cudgel cudge on th the floor foor of the house B th men were out- out at fault faul partisanship caused the Federalists to tc defend Griswold and to attack k Lyon and vice vie vers versa vors Lyon was In Jail jai when the thE congressional elections alec elec were h held d but he lie was wa triumphantly re elected only oly to be m mobbed and m maltreated mal mal- l- l treat treated d b by New Jersey Federalists d when on his return fo Co congress after serving out his term The Tho low ow moral tone of those loose times was reflected d in the tho vile vie gossip and slanderous sIan- sIan d derous drous rous attacks which centered around arund every ev cv- cry ery public man No man was too good or too true to escape slander Personalities were indulged in b by almost every ery c politician poll poli pol- pol and the grat greatest st names amen tho th fathers of the republic arc are to be b fo found nd in connection with wih the tIle most questionable political con conspiracies But despite tho the hue line and cry against the alien and sedition laws Jaws the tho FederalIsts Federalists Federal Federal- appeal to patriotism had its is effect and in the congressional s elections for the first time in six years the Federalists l captured a clear majority of the house cear electing fifty seven representatives s as seve opposed opposed opposed op op- op- op posed to forty eight Democrats The Federalists Federalists- thus confirmed In their power pow pow- er or t were now supreme and it i must be ad admitted ad- ad al- al mUted that they thought more of revenge a against their unsuccessful opponents than the of constructive statesmanship But victory victor had come conic too late the Federalists already had dug the grave in which they ther were ere soon oon on to I be he hurled huriod d Tomorrow Tomorrow Congressional Congressional Campaigns IV The IV-The The Revolution of 1800 |