The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-14
Penal law Debate In the House
 Becomes Warm
AMENDMENTS ARE SOUGHT
Republicans Stand Pat On Old Laws Which Southern Democrats Con- sider Out of Date and
 Oppressive.

Washington, January 13-Vigorous de- fense of states, rights in dealing with violations of civil rights or with spe- cial state elections, where troops have been called into service, served to en- liven the debate in the House of Rep resentatives today in connection with the consideration of the bill to eodifv the penal laws of the United States. A mum Der of democrats mostly from the south ern states, strenuously sought by amend ment to reserve to the states themselves discretion as to the qualifications of voters or of persons to serve on juries and to limit the powers of federal judges in certain cases: but every attempt fail- ed. The republicans presented a solid front and the votes all were on party lines.
 The bill was still under consideration when at } :02 D. m.. the House adjourned.
 Debate in the House.
 When debate on the bill to codify. re- wise and amend the penal laws of the United States was resumed in the House Mir. DeArmond of Missouri expressed the view that the powers given to federal judges in certain cases should be curbed. He said he favored giving them just as little option and just as little absolute power as possible. He then offered an amendment to section 22 recommending that conspiracies of government officers be changed to a fine to not less than $500 and imprisonment with or without hard labor, of not 'less' than six years, or both. The original bill calls for a fine of not more" than s50O0 and not more than "six years Imprisonment"
 MT Williams of Mississippi opposed the amendment and it was lost. Mir Williams then moved to strike put the whole sec tion, remarking that it was put on the statute books to meeet the Ku IHux changes of reconstruction days. The mo- ton was lost, 114 to 12s.
 MT. DeArmond then amended by fixing the fine at not more than 5000 instead of 5000 and not more than one years im- prisonment, instead of six years. This amendment likewise was lost, TOT to 11s
 Section 21, on motion of MT. Webb of North Carolina, was amended so as to limit the punishment therein prescribed to persons who wllfully subject nhabi- tants of any state or territory to the deprivation of any rights guaranteed by the laws of the United States, or to pe- culiar punishments because such inhab- itant is an alien, or because of his color or race.
 Opposition Develops.
 Opposition to section g, prescribing pen alties for attempts to dsqualify for jury service any citizen on account of race or color, came from Messrs Hardy of Texas and Bartlett of Georgia, the latter of whom moved to amend by striking out the clause applying the statute to juries in state courts. Both declared that the section as framed was a usurpation of strates rights.
 The arguments were vigorously combat ted by MT. Moon of Pennsylvania, who remarked that the section at it stood represented the action of democratic Congress and democratic President, who had declared that the law was good.
 Haunting the democrats with their slo- gan Equal rights for all, special priv- leges for none, MT Hepburn of Iowa in- qured why the question which they brought up at this time precipitated de- bate on the subject upon the plea that there no longer was necessity for such
  and of the ability of MT. Williams to adorn the Senate and yet he said that that gentleman had only triumphed by a small margin over Governor Vardaman, "who made his campaign upon the propo- sition of repeating the constitutional amendments and taking from large class of citizens all of the rights of their citizenship" MT. Hepburn declared that as long as that spirit lived he wanted the letter of the law to live.
 Williams Explains.
 Williams said that the gentlemen was mistaken in his understanding of the causes of his reduced majority in the senatorial race. Nobody in Mississippi he said, had any idea that Governor Vardaman could repeal the 10th amend- uent to the constitution, but Governor Vardaman's strong race was because of his popularity in the state, and person. ality and his good record as Governor
 MT. Williams asserted that no one should attempt to make it appear that federal legislation should fix the qualii- cations of juror in state court He had never stood for the idea and never would.
 After Messrs Hardy of Texas, Houston, Tennessee and Bartlett, Georgia, had spoken in favor of MT. Bartletts motion, Mir. Driscoll of New York assailed the democrats TOT attempting to lafe dWdy from the negro his rights as citizen
 The motion was lost, IT to 93, as was also a motion by MT. Hardy to strike out the whole section
 An amendment by MT. Webb of North Carolina to prevent the presence of fed eral troops at private state elections. ex- cept when they are called for by the leg islature or the Governor of the state, pro- voked a triangular discussion which was participated in by MT. Webb. MT. Mann of Illinois, who opposed the amendment and MT. Cochran of New York. MT. Mann asserted that the amendment was partisan, but Mir Webb declared he was acting in good faith.
 Keller to the Front.
 A tinge of picturesqueness was given to the debate when the venerable former speaker, J. Warren Keller of Ohio, rose and placed himself in close to Mir. Webb. the youngest member of the house, who had just sat down. The amendment was lost. Strong opposition to sufficiency of the penalties prescribed in the section re- lating to bribery of government officials or members of congress was manifested by several members, democrats, led by --~~>-~------~-->--- -------~----~----~---~-
 fCONTINIIEn ON pAGU aA