Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-10-03
BARRE, W., OCTOBER /, 1901

Col. D. M. Sells, lawyer in Chicago
has submitted to the press the draft
of a bill for law to repress and pun
ish anarchy. The bill, as prepared
by Col. Sells, is as follows: "a bill
to define and punish levying war
against the United States. Section l.
Any person or persons who shall as
sault, MAIN wound or kill the Presi-
dent, Vice President, Secretary of
State, Secretary Of the Treasury, Sec
Rotary Of War, Attorney General, Post
master General, Secretary Of the
Navy or Secretary of the Interior OF
the United States for the purpose Of
hindering, delaying, or retarding the
executive functions Of any one or Of
all of the executive officers of the
UAited States, such person or persons
are hereby declared to be levying war
against the United States. and upon
conviction thereof shall suffer death
or imprisonment for life, or such
other punishment by fine or imprison-
ment as a curt OF competent civil or
military Jurisdiction may adjudge.
Sec. 2. Any person or persons who
may conspire, counsel or advise with,
or aid or abet, in any manner what
ever, any other person or persons, to
make an as ault upon, main, wound
or kill the President, Vic President,
Secretary Of state. Secretary Of the
Treasury, Secretary of War, Attorney
General, Postmaster General, Score
tary Of the Navy, OF Secretary Of the
Interior OF the United States, for the
purpose of hindering, delaying or re-
tarding the executive functions of any
one OF OF all Of the executive officers
of the United States aforesaid, or for
the purpose Of hlndering, delaying or
retarding the operations Of the gov
eminent of the United States, such
person or persons are hereby declared
to be levying war against the
United States, and upon convic
tion thereof shall suffer death or i'm.
prisonment for life, or such other
punishment by fine and imprisonment
as court Of competent civil or mill
tary jurisdiction may adjude e." Col.
Sells points out the fact that the con.
defines treason as "levying
war against the United States" but
gives no fur5her definition. In the
bill proposed, an assault upon the pres
ident or his official family to impede
or retard the functions Of government
is defined as levying war against the
United States. This would seem to
cover the ground. In his letter to the
press Col. Sells evidently prefers the
punishment for treason under this
definition should be undertaken by a
military court. 1t is pointed out that
the military code, requiring as it does
the sanction Of the military depart.
ment, the Judge Advocate General
and the President TIN ows every safe.
guard around the rights Of the &C.
cused. Military justice, as Gel. Sells
says, is swifter and it's jurisdiction is
larger and cannot be complicated by
the jurisdiction of states. No ques.
tion Of extraditlon could come up.
The military court takes the culprit
wherever it finds him and promptly
proceeds to try him. Col. Sells has pro-
vided a bill that clearly defines anar.
chism or treason. The anarchist, when
he strikes at the head OF the govern.
ment, strikes not at the individual,
but 1t the government. He is guilty
o. levying war against tine United
States. AS dn tnemy OF the govern.
ment he invites war. What better
than to turn him over to the military
arm? But whether he is to be tried
before a military or civil tribunal he
is guilty of treason and the necessary
legislation should be provided by
which he can be arraigned on that
charge.