Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

From Porcupine's Gazette,

COMMUNICATION.

To the Inhabitants of Chester County.

Some time since I noticed that a number of persons had convened at the house of Mr. Richard Robinson at the Paoli, for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of addressing the legislature of the union, to repeal the alien and sedition laws— it appears from an advertisement of these persons, in the "Aurora", that an adjourned meeting is to be held at the house of major Bones, on the 28th inst: It requires no discernment-to predict that those persons will give those laws an interpretation foreign to their intent and meaning. It is well known that the class of people calling themselves democrats, never have given to laws obnoxious to themselves, a candid interpretation ; that at all times, in all the counties of the-state, immediately antecedent to an election, they represent laws to have been passed which never were; that they ascribe a language and a conduct to their opponents which they never thought of, too disgraceful for themselves. It is thus they always impose on the uninformed and credulous ; it is by this means they sometimes assume a formidable front ; it is from this imposing false attitude, that you sometimes see for a time decent men amongst their adherents.

Let every honest man consult his own feelings, after attentively considering both these laws, and then let him pronounce whether it is possible those laws will affect him. "No they were made for the turbulent and the seditious-To protect the virtuous part of the community was as much the object of those laws as the penal laws, or any other laws for the suppression of crimes, although it is notorious that the number of malignant, seditious characters in Chester county are very few ; yet it is to be lamented that there are some who, if they dared, would not be ashamed to utter expressions as unfriendly to this country as they would friendly to France.

Fellow-citizens, do not be duped by having any thing to do with these people, their meetings, or their petitions or remonstrances: keep in mind that from such meetings as these and from language the most turbulent, the production of some men in authority, called a protest or reasons of dissent, some of our neighbouring counties, or least some of the inhabitants, are disgracing themselves with the most criminal and factious conduct. I repeat again, be not duped by these people, view those laws yourselves, take nothing from hearsay, or from the construction these people will give you of those laws, otherwise the greatest deception will be the consequence; indeed insurrection if not downright rebellion may be the consequences. To an honest man it can be no matter of regret how severe and guarded-the laws may be against murder, robbery, horse stealing or any other crime; neither can it be a subject of regret with him that seditious people are to be prevented from aiding the French by endeavouring to excite the people against the government of his choice, or that the President should have the power to send off alien enemies, convicted emigrants. It cannot be the wish of an honest man that this country should be an asylum for alien enemies, felons and convicts ; to be sure people wishing to make use of sedition and alien enemies, will naturally be opposed to those laws, but as I do not address myself to this class, I have only to wish, that they may be suffered to travel on by themselves in the broad road of destruction, without involving honest credulous people in their nefarious schemes: it is therefore much to be wished that some of the persons who attended the first meeting, would not attend the second, and that every person setting proper estimate on his character would discountenance said meeting

A Chester County Man.

Chester County 22d Jan. 1799.