Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1805-02-22
Almost at the moment when the cleo


adoptedby great majority ofthr friends
Of the administration And as my con-
duct in that case has been represented
"a inconsistent, and as the political mad
ness Of the times, in certain DISTRICTS,
has poisoned 70 their sources the stream
of private confidence, l shall consider
it INV duty hereafter to explain my con-
duct to nv constituents through the
channel OF the newspapers.
In the course of the last session, Mr..
Randolph demanded the appointment
Of committee to enquire into the Official
conduct Of Judge Chase, without pro-
: ducing single accusation against him :
and altho' at the time of making the mo-
ton the usual hour of adjournment was
approaching, he made every possible
effort to prevent an adjournment, and
to produce an immediate decision upon
the question. In this attempt he was
disappointed, but the motion Ultimate
" passed BY a great ma GRITTY. 1t was
. opposed bv my self and others, from a
conviction that it was improper to dele
gate to a secret committee, powers Of
an inouisi,orial nature, in relation to the
conduct OF public officers, WHEN no spc-
Ci6c accusations were exhibited. The
Committee a';er several We, IS spent in
labo1it.us KAN nation, reported TO the
honse, Amos: at the dose q the seSsl-
on. Il eonhitle rablr vo!nmc OF eNparte
testimony, CONSISTING IN great measure.
OF the private O.! Unions and suspicious OF
LAWYERS, who considered themselves as
brow.heal br the Judges; with this
curious evidence. however. were NM
rlru manv facts OF dn I'M .7rrt'n' nature.
-Ih.s I. stimDnv was nMmrdl Ateh pub
lished in tn new sr-prrs: contrary 70
tvcr> princrr(e ri law md lnsuce. and
the feet oil this p'.birv'',toa must have
been, although tlr- latrnut might have
been good, to condemn 'nr Judge IN The
public mini before he tUnId have time
to prepare his defence. Tn'S, however,
/ do not charge to the account OF the
committee or the house. Even the re-
port of the committee did not present
anv particular charge against Mr.. Chase,
to which he could apply his defence It
only recommended an indefinite I'M
parchment for high crimes and INSIDE
meanors, uban the volume Of evidence.
In this book discovered no ground of
impeachment, except in the conduct OF
the Judge in the trial OF Calender. to
whom thought constitutional rrlvlle-
ges had been denied, and upon that
ground alone voted for the impeach-
ment. My speech on that occasion was
published in al the newspapers which
have any considerable circulation in the
district, and appeared to meet the APP
probation Of great number OF my con-
stituents. In this crude state, except
that articles were reported and not acted
on, the Impeachment came over to the
present session, early in whit h THE artl-
Cles were rcC"mmilted. The commit
tee to whom they were referred, with
out any powers for that purpose made
anew enquiry, and reports q NV" ne" ar
ticles. Asin this reportthe conduct Of
the Judge in Callender's ease Was not d.
considered as avIol.tion 9th consti,u-
uon,. and as had ALWAYS been prepared
to saw that ii 1t were not such 4 vl"l&tlnn,
it ough, TO be CONSIDERED as 'H,re error
OF Judgment; a. tH1 new Srtt' les, in my
upInion. WE reported wi,ha4f aniho-
r<'v, were unsupported lA eVi1>
and were in.lc'Gl,~Ant IN themselves i;
ard rs it was, impossible to obtain a.
+, y. '~,- MS, wa, under the necessity
t...'4.-tt'5 against every atticle upon the
f. L q 1, stI"n.
th~se proceedings, from the first to
&c last, have appeared to me to consti-
tntr one OF the greatest strides towards
the tsttnTshmcnt Of an aristocracv in our
country, that we have ever witnessed.
Being in the r';nnri.v, my views ofthe
subject viii probably be pronounced err
noneou~. But VIII, reffe, that one of
lie high crimes FOR which Judge Chase
!