wurzbach argued january decided february attorney general richardson asst atty hugh robertson san antonio appellee justice holmes delivered opinion respondent indicted federal corrupt practices act act february stat code title usca charges representative congress received concerned receiving specified sums money named officers employees political purpose promoting nomination republican candidate representative certain republican primaries upon motion defendant district quashed indictment ground statute construed include political purpose alleged construed clude probably unconstitutional appealed section statute follows unlawful senator representative delegate resident commissioner congress candidate individual elected senator representative delegate resident commissioner officer employee person receiving salary compensation services money derived treasury directly indirectly solicit receive manner concerned soliciting receiving assessment subscription contribution political purpose whatever officer employee person language perfectly intelligible clearly embraces acts charged therefore warrant seeking refined arguments show statute mean says unless reasonable doubt whether construed doubt felt doubt district seems come assumption source power found article constitution concerning time place manner holding elections etc decision control party primaries purely state affair newberry power congress conduct officers employees government depends upon authority ultimate purposes conduct power punish use mails fraudulent purpose limited inability punish intended fraud badders hardly needs argument show congress may provide officers employees neither shall exercise subjected pressure money political purposes upon others kind retain office employment argument illustration needed found ex parte curtis id see thayer neither constitution nature abuse checked requires us confine embracing words act political purposes within control argued length statute extended beyond political purposes control congress vague valid objection uncertainty concerning persons embraced need trouble us doubt words include representatives difficulty far intimating time enough consider raised one concerns objection meaning purpose open even accepted limitations make law satisfactory respondent counsel imagine one search trouble feel wherever law draws line cases near opposite sides precise course line may uncertain one come near without knowing thinks familiar criminal law make take risk nash said uncertain several sections imposes penalty therefore uncertain punishment question raised punishment applied elaborate argument constitutionality act interpreted read accordance obvious meaning need elaborate answer validity act seems us free doubt