Mr. BINGHAM. I move to strike out the following words in the 5th; 6th, and 7th lines, “by impeachment or otherwise shall be sentenced to removal from office and.” Mr. Speaker, I make this motion for the reason that it is expressly provided, and very wisely, in the Constitution that the Senate of the U.S shall have the sole power to try impeachments; and that “the President, VEEP, and all civil officers of the U.S shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemean ors.” This provision of the Constitution undoubtedly left the Senate of the U.S. the only tribunal in the Republic to determine what is an impeachable offense within the meaning of the term misdemeanors. It is not therefore competent for the Congress of the U.S. to say any particular act made punishable by statute is an impeachable misemeanor; yet the bill so provides, by declaring certain acts therein specified misdemean ors in office, and that on conviction thereof by impeachment or otherwise the party convicted obe sentenced to removal from office.” The 5 minutes of time to which I am restricted precludes any fit discussion of this important question. I admit that Congress may declare official acts to be misdemeanors, and as such indictable and punishable in the civil courts, but I submit to my colleague that while you may thus subject to imprisonment for life any civil officer on conviction, you cannot empower the civil court to inflict the sentence of removal from office. That power is committed by the Constitution to the Senate. It is provided in the Constitution that notwithstanding the impeachment of an officer he shall be triable in the courts, and therein subject to “judgment and punishment according to law;” yet it was never intended that the power of removal from office for high crimes and misdemeanors should be vested elsewhere than in the Senate of the U.S. West this power of removal on conviction in the civil courts, and it might result that the senate after trial as a high court of impeachment of an officer so sentenced by the civil court might refuse to convict and sentence upon the same state of facts. If my colleague consents to strike the words out as I have moved, I have no objection to his increasing the penalty either by fine or imprisonment. I hope he will not insist on the words being retained. If there is any power which is exclusively vested in the Senate of the U.S. as a high court of impeachment, it is the power to determine upon their oaths whether the offense charged is a high crime or misde meanor within the meaning of the terms as used in the Constitution. It is not in the power of Congress by statute to enlarge or to restrict the causes of impeachment as declared in the constitution. Here the hammer fell]