United States v. Seymour

50 F.2d 930, 1931 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1440
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nebraska
DecidedMay 13, 1931
DocketNo. 1536
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 50 F.2d 930 (United States v. Seymour) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nebraska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Seymour, 50 F.2d 930, 1931 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1440 (D. Neb. 1931).

Opinion

MUNGER, District Judge.

By a demurrer, which in effect is a general demurrer, the defendant challenges the sufficiency of the charge against him in the indictment. The indictment contains eight counts, similar in nature. In each it is alleged that the defendant violated section 125 of the Penal Code of the United States (18 U. S. Code § 231 [18 USCA § 231]) which provides: “Whoever, having taken an oath before a competent tribunal, officer, or person, in any ease in which a law of the United States authorizes an oath to be administered, that he will testify, declare, depose, or certify truly, or that any written testimony, declaration, deposition, or certificate by him subscribed, is true, shall willfully and contrary to such oath state or subscribe any material matter which he does not believe to be true, is guilty of perjury, and shall be fined not more than $2,000 and imprisoned not more than five years.”

The indictment sets forth the time of the alleged perjury as on July 21, 1930, and the occasion as a hearing at Lincoln, Neb., before United States Senator Gerald P. Nye. It is alleged that the Senate of the United States on April 8, 1930, had adopted a resolution as follows:

“Resolved, That a special committee consisting of five Senators, to be appointed by the Vice-President is hereby authorized and directed to investigate the campaign expenditures of the various candidates for the United States Senate, the names of the persons, firms or corporations subscribing, the amount contributed, the method of expenditure of said sums, and all facts in relation thereto, not only as to the subscriptions of money and expenditures thereof but as to the use of any other means or influence, inelud-[932]*932ing the promise or use of patronage, and all other facts in relation thereto which would not only be of public interest but which would aid the Senate in enacting any remedial legislation or in deciding any contest which might be instituted involving the right to a seat in the United States Senate,
“The investigation hereby provided for, in all the respects above enumerated, shall apply to candidates and contests before senatorial primaries, senatorial conventions, and the contests and campaign terminating in the general election in November, 1930.
“No Senator shall be appointed upon said committee from a State in which a Senator is to be elected in the general election in 1930.
“Said committee is hereby authorized to act upon its own initiative and upon such information as in its judgment may be reasonable or reliable. Upon complaint being made before said committee under oath by-any person, persons, senatorial candidate, or political committee, setting forth allegations as to facts which under this resolution it would be the duty of said committee to investigate, the said committee shall investigate such charges as fully as though it were acting upon its own motion, unless after a hearing upon such complaint the committee shall find that the allegations in said complaint are immaterial or untrue.
“Said committee is hereby authorized in the performance of its duties to sit at such times and places, either in the District of Columbia, or elsewhere, as it deems necessary or proper. It is specifically authorized to require the attendance of witnesses by subpoena or otherwise; to require the production of books, papers, and documents; and to employ counsel, experts, clerical, and other assistants; and to employ stenographers at a cost not exceeding 25 cents per one hundred words.
“Said committee is hereby specifically authorized to act through any subcommittee authorized to be appointed by said committee. The chairman of said committee or any member of any subcommittee- may administer oaths to witnesses and sign subpoenas for witnesses; and every person duly summoned before said committee, or any subcommittee thereof, who refuses or fails to obey the process of said committee or who appears and refuses to answer questions pertinent to said investigation shall be punished as prescribed' by law.
“The expenses of said investigation, not exceeding in the aggregate $100,000, shall bo paid from the contingent fund of the Senate on vouchers signed by the chairman of - the committee or the chairman of any subcommittee.
“All hearings before said committee shall be public, and all orders or decisions of the committee shall be public.
“The committee shall make a full report to the Senate on the first day of the next session of the Congress.”

It is further alleged that the vice president of the United States appointed a committee of five United States Senators pursuant to the terms of the resolution, including Senator Nye as one of the members, and that, at a meeting of the committee at which four of its members were present, action was taken as follows: “A discussion of future procedure was bad. The Chairman was unanimously authorized to act as a sub-committee and to appoint sub-committees of one or more members to hold hearings as in his judgment was desirable.”

It is further alleged that the committee appointed under the terms of the resolution of the United States Senate, through a subcommittee of one, composed of Senator Gerald P. Nye, proceeded to make an investigation in Nebraska with a view to making a report to the Senate upon matters referred to the committee, and that, in the course of the investigation, the defendant appeared and took an oath before Gerald P. Nye, United States Senator, a member and chairman of the committee. It is also alleged that the defendant took his oath that he would testify truly, and it is alleged that he willfully testified falsely. As'to the matter of inquiry, upon which the testimony of the defendant was alleged to have been given, it is charged that the Governor of Nebraska had duly designated the 12th day of August, 1930, as the date for holding a primary election for a nomination by the political parties of candidates for public offices to be voted for at the general election in 1930, and that one of these offices was that of a United States Senator from Nebraska. The indictment states that: “Prior to the aforesaid Primary election, applications had been respectively filed in the offiee of the Secretary of State of Nebraska, by and on behalf of George W. Norris of McCook, Nebraska, and George W. Norris of Broken Bow, Nebraska, requesting that each of their names be placed upon the official ballot of the Republican party for the Primary election to be held on the twelfth da# of August, in the year nineteen hundred thirty, as a can[933]*933didate for United States Senator, and a state-, ment in writing was filed by W. M. Stebbins of Gothenburg, Nebraska, as provided by law, accepting a written application filed by sufficient qualified voters of the State of Nebraska, requesting that said W. M. Stebbins’ name be placed upon the official Primary ballot of the Republican party for the Primary election -to be held the twelfth day of August, in the year nineteen hundred thirty, as aforesaid, as a candidate for the office of United States Senator from Nebraska.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
50 F.2d 930, 1931 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1440, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-seymour-ned-1931.