Norwich bulletin., 1918-04-09

 on the SeditiOn Bill
CONTROVERSY WAS OVER cRlTl-
 clsM CLAUSE
AMENDMENTS PREVAILED
An Unsuccessful Effort Was Made During the Day by Senator Over. man to Secure Unanimous Consent to Fix a Time For a Final Vote.

Washington, April S.-Another day of lively senate debate on the sedition bill, which would punish disloyal ut terances and attempts to hinder the army draft and Liberty bond cam lraigns resulted in the adoption of amendments designed to meet the ob- l jection of senators that the measure might prevent legitimate criticism in the war.
 Changes Made.
 The changes were in thes clause penalizing ''disloyal, profane, scurril- ous. abusive or contemptuous lan- lguage" directed at the form of gov ernment, constitution, flag; or uniforms of the nation and calculated to bring them into contempt or scorn."
 Senator Thomas of Colorado offered an amendment to provide that such acts should be "wilful' and Senator Borah of Idaho proposed to substitute the word Intended" for "calculated ,
 There were objections that convictions would be difficult to secure under such
 language, but both amendments were approved. that of Senator Borah by a
 vote of 34 to 28, with partisan lines
 disregarded.
 Amendment Caused Controversy.
 An amendment, urged by Senator Hardwicl1 of Georgia. which led to a
 controversy between the Georgia sena-
 tor and Senator Poindexter of Wash ington, proposed that the words
 cause of the' should be eliminated :, from the latter's amendment penaliz- . ing those favoring 'the cause of the German empire' It. was rejected without a record vote, but not until
 the two senators became so pointed in their language that the chair called
 them to order. Senator HardwiclS in-
 sisted that millions of people honestly
 differ on the cause of the war Sena- ? tor Poindexter retorted that the Geor-
 gia senator had not particularly SUD- ported" the war and cited his opposi-
 tion to the draft law.
 Denounced Lynchine.
 Senator Sherman of Illinois took oc. , casion to denounce the recent lynch.
 ing of German at Collinsville, Ills. a las a disgrace" and criticized towr
 officials for failing to protect tn,
 mob's victim. He urged that languagt of the bill penalizing "contemptuou 2 and scurrilous" criticism should ap. ! ply to disloyal utterances only, anC ! said Assistant Secretary of .Labo , Post and George Creel. chairman ! the committee on public informatio, Y III 1iiO p1ol udQ IWIlllSu .dFC1cl6S- SC
 verely critieizing the American forn of government which would be, pun
 ishabie under the measure as nov }, drawn.
 e Not to Prevent Legitimate Criticism 5, Senator Gallinger, the republican : leader, also urged that the prohibition e should be limited to disIoyal utter - ances- and suggested that as draw, t the clause might be construed to pre- q vent legitimate criticism of the presi r. cent in the approaching political cam f pa1gn. Later he introduced substi | ute bill embracing his ideas but re
 taining substantially all other proyis tt ions of the legislation. Senator Franc % of Maryland also offered an amend a nent providing that the bill should nc n limit the liberty or impair the rig1 '- E'of any individual to publish or spea Il for justifable ends" Refused to Fix Time for Vote. at Another unsuccessful effort wa IF made during the day by Senator Over l. man of North Carolina, in charge in the measure. to secure unanimous cor s sent to fix a time for final vote Ol
 jections immediately followed in Referring to the discussion Saturda ip of Colonel Roosevelt,s statement tn; is the bill would prohibit criticism ( 1e the president Senator Myers of Mor
 tana said that neither the pendir
 bill nor the one proposed by him la August would prevent legitimate crit q cism, and that even if the worC VI president of the United States" elim ,s mated from the original draft, no were 're-inserted, such criticism wou
 not be affected. He added, howeve q believe that when we are engage CT in war, that anybody who uses vi IT language against the president oug " to be punished. I believe it is iu g, as offensive and disloyal langua a against the president as the same Xiii or of language against the form of go, as ernment. I believe it would be be lg' ter bill if the president were il IT. c1IIded'