Wednesday, July 4.
Treason and Sedition.
Bill to Define.
On motion to expunge the following words from the second section reported as an amendment:
"Or shall, in manner aforesaid, traduce or defame the President of the United States, or any Court or Judge thereof, by declarations, tending to criminate their motives in any official transaction:"
It was determined in the negative—yeas 8, nays 15, as follows:
Yeas.—Messrs. Anderson, Brown, Howard, Langdon, Martin, Mason, North, and Tazewell.
Nays.—Messrs. Chipman, Clayton, Foster, Goodhue, Hillhouse, Latimer, Laurance, Livermore, Lloyd, Paine, Read, Rutherford, Sedgwick, Stockton, and Tracy.
On motion to expunge the whole of the second section reported by the committee, in the words following:
"Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall, by any libellous or scandalous writing, printing, publishing, or speaking, traduce or defame the Legislature of the United States, by seditious or inflammatory declarations or expressions, with intent to create a belief in the citizens thereof, that the said Legislature, in enacting any law, was induced thereto by motives hostile to the constitution, or liberties and happiness of the people thereof; or shall, in manner aforesaid, traduce or defame the President of the United States or any Court or Judge thereof, by declarations tending to criminate their motives, in any official transaction; the person so offending, and thereof convicted, before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine, not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment, not exceeding two years:"
It was determined in the negative—yeas 6, nays 18, as follows:
Yeas.—Messrs. Anderson, Brown, Howard, Langdon, Mason, and Tazewell.
Nays.—Messrs. Chipman, Clayton, Foster, Goodhue, Greene, Hillhouse, Latimer, Laurance, Livermore, Lloyd, Martin, North, Paine, Read, Rutherford, Sedgwick, Stockton, and Tracy.
The question on the final passage of the bill was determined in the affirmative—yeas 18, nays 6, as follows:
Yeas.—Messrs. Chipman, Clayton, Foster, Goodhue, Greene, Hillhouse, Latimer, Laurance, Livermore, Lloyd, Martin, North, Paine, Read, Rutherford, Sedgwick, Stockton, and Tracy.
So it was Resolved, That this bill pass; that it be engrossed; and that the title thereof be "An act in addition to the act, entitled 'An act for the punishment of certain crimes against the United States.'"