Lossing, in his United States History, says, “that outside of New England, the most influential papers were controlled principally by foreigners.” The majority of the refugees and adventurists, so called, were men of Irish blood; all of them men of learning, enterprise and push. They hated the Federalists for their pro-English leanings, especially President Adams, whom they believed to be friendly to England in the contest against France. Several of them had had a taste of British tyranny at home, and all were imbued with the spirit of ’98. Among the very earliest newspaper enterprises was that of Hugh Gaine in New York city. Gaine was a native of Ireland. He began his new world career as a book-seller. In 1752 he commenced the publication of the _Mercury_. Hudson, in his history of journalism in the United States, says of the paper, that it was one of the best in all the colonies in the collection of intelligence. Hugh Gaine prospered as an editor, book-seller and publisher. How noble was the attitude of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, who lent his mighty influence to launching the _Maryland Gazette_. His financial and moral aid made possible its vigorous contest for the freedom of the colonies. The alien and sedition act was particularly aimed at the Irishmen, who, almost to a man, arrayed themselves under the broad banner of Jefferson, the leader of the Republicans. The first man to suffer under the alien and sedition laws was an Irishman, Congressman Matthew Lyon of Vermont, a native of Wicklow, a printer, who started the _Farmer’s Library_, and later issued the _Fairhaven Gazette_. This “peppery, red-headed little Irishman,” as he was called by his contemporaries, hated everything that had the odor of Federalism about it, and for an article written by him, published in a Vermont paper, reflecting on President John Adams, he was indicted by the United States Court. A writer, speaking of the article for which he was indicted, says that “the language was decidedly Lyonesque.” He was fined $1,000 and imprisoned for three months. While in jail he was reëlected to congress, and on his release would have been rearrested on another charge under the same act, had he not availed himself of his constitutional rights and declared that he was on his way to Philadelphia to attend a sitting of Congress. Lyon is remembered for his varied congressional life, and the episode especially with Congressman Griswold of Connecticut. Griswold referred to Lyon deprecatingly one day, and revived an old story of alleged cowardice during the Revolutionary War, which his political opponents used against him. The result was an exhibition of old-time pugilism on the floor of congress. For this offence an attempt was made to expel him from the house on two occasions, but each time it failed for want of a two-thirds vote.