two years.

It will be noted that this law precluded all free discussion of an act
of congress, or the conduct of the president.

In other words, it was meant to be the death blow to freedom of speech.

But bad as it was, the Alien act, which congress passed at the same
session, 1798, was ten fold worse.

There had been much unrest caused by the intermeddling of foreigners in
the States, and it was now decided that the president might drive out
of the country any alien he chose thus to banish, and to do it without
assigning any reason therefor. It was not necessary even to sue or to
bring charges; if an alien receiving such notice from the president
refused to obey, he could be imprisoned for three years.

President Adams afterward declared that he did not approve of this stern
measure which was the work of Hamilton, and boasted that it was not
enforced by him in a single instance.

Nevertheless, the Sedition act was enforced to a farcical degree.

When President Adams was passing through Newark, N. J., he was saluted
by the firing of cannon. One of the cannoneers, who was strongly opposed
to him, expressed the wish that he might be struck by some of the
wadding. For this remark, he was arrested and compelled to pay a fine of
one hundred dollars.

Editor Frothingham printed his belief that Hamilton wished to buy the