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THOMAS COOPER, 793

and where there is no reasonable suspicion or assignable mo-
tive why the publications I offer should misrepresent the
transactions I allude to, the probability ia in favor of their
accuracy; especially when the printera of them are severely
punishable for wilful misrepresentation or gross mistake in
detailing the public acts of government.

Jupes Peres. I admit a great many things from Mr.
Cooper, who is without counsel, which I would not admit
from others.

Jupoz Cuase. You may read anything and everything
you please.

(Hr. Cooper went on to argue at length, from a copious
eollection from the publie documents of the day, that the
policy of the President had been to saddle upon the country
@ permanent navy and army, and to keep down the liberties
of the citizens by his arbitrary interference in the case of
Jonathan Robbins.)

Gentlemen, I have gone through all the charges, and I am
satisfied that I have brought in support of my assertions the
best evidence the nature of my case would admit of. It is
trne, by resorting to Danbury for depositions and to Charles-
town for records, I might have made the evidence in the last
charge more complete; but I did not and do not think them
necessary to produce further conviction on your minds than
you feel on the subject already. This is an important point
under the law in question. If such strictness of testimony is
required, there is an end at once of all political conversation
im promiscuous society. The time, the labor, the difficulty,
the expense, the harassment and fatigue of minds as well as
of body, which such doctrine would occasion to every citizen
whom a corrupt administration might determine to ruin,
would be an engine of oppression of itself sufficiently power-
ful to establish a perfect despotism over the press; and would
be a punishment for innocence before trial, too severe to be
inflicted on sedition itself. I think you must feel the truth
of these remarks. The proceedings on this trial irresistibly
suggest them.

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