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THOMAS COOPER. 791

may it be seditious to say he is mistaken; but before you can
condemn me for this kind of sedition, you must become
eatholie believers in this new-fangled doctrine of infallibility.
I know that in England the king can do no wrong, but I did
not know till now that the President of the United States
had the same attribute.

I have said (and I am accused for saying it) ‘‘that even
those who doubted his capacity thought well of his intentions."”
Is it a erime to doubt the capacity of the President? Sup-
pose I had said that there were some who did not give him
eredit for capacity sufficient for the office he holds, is that a
erimet Or if in them, is it a crime in me, who have not said
itt) Nor can the word capacity here be fairly construed into
any other than a comparative meaning; for surely no one
who has read his Defense, as it ia called, of the American
Constitution, or who reflects that he has had abilities enough
to raise himself to his present situation, can say that he is
devoid either of industry or talents. But those who voted
for his opponent must have believed Mr. Adams of inferior
eapacity to that gentleman. Of that number was I; of that
number was at least one-half of the people of the United
States. If it be a crime thus to have thought and thus to
have spoken, I fear I shall continue in this respect incor-
rigible. But if of two constructions the one is absurd, im-
probable and unfavorable, surely it should be rejected in
favor of that meaning which was most likely to have occurred,
and which in its effects will do least injury to a defendant
like myself. This is common, this is legal charity.

Nor had we yet, under his auspices, been saddled with the
expense of a permanent navy.

Gentlemen, is it true or not that we are saddled with the
expense of a permanent navy? Is it necessary that I should
enter into @ detail of authoritiea to prove that the sun shines
at noon-dayt But farther, is it true that we incur this ex-
pense under his auspices and sanction?

I have before me two publications. The one the Gazette of
the United States, published by Mr. Fenno in this city; and

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