Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. I.djvu/174

138 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS spirit to an extreme degree. The reactionary pol icy of Hamilton and his friends had full scope, as is shown by the passage of the alien and sedi tion laws, and by the warlike preparations against France. During the first three years Jefferson en deavored in various ways to influence the public mind, and thus to neutralize in some degree the active and aggressive spirit of Hamilton. He was clearly of opinion that the alien and sedition laws were not merely unconstitutional, but were so sub versive of fundamental human rights as to justify a nullification of them. The Kentucky resolutions of 1798, in which his abhorrence of those laws was expressed, were originally drawn by him at the re quest of James Madison and Col. W. C. Nicholas. "These gentlemen," Jefferson once wrote, "pressed me strongly to sketch resolutions against the con stitutionality of those laws." In consequence he drew and delivered them to Col. Nicholas, who in troduced them into the legislature of Kentucky, and kept the secret of their authorship. These res olutions, read in the light of the events of 1798, will not now be disapproved by any person of re publican convictions; they remain, and will long remain, one of the most interesting and valuable contributions to the science of free government. It is fortunate that this commentary upon the alien and sedition laws was written by a man so firm and so moderate, who possessed at once the erudition,