The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-01-25
FROM OUR OWN ENT I

| WAshlNGToNy jan "A, 1893.
The Judiciary Committee of the House is actively
engaged daily in taking testimony in the Impeach-
ment case of Judge IRWIN, of Pennsylvania The
charges made against the Judge were originally
presented to Congress eight or more years ago. but
were not pressed at that time because he agreed to
end the difficulty by resgning. This agreement, |
am assured by parties familiar with the facts, he
carried so Ear towards fulfment as to draw up and
sign letter of resignation, which he placed in the
hands of a prominent member of the Pennsvl7 ania
Bar, to be mailed to the PRESIDENT The letter
'cas deposited in the post office, but before the mail
started, son-n-law of the Judges went there and
| withdrew it. Subsequently, proceedings with a
view to impeachment were again initiated, and in
at least two instances were quashed upon promise
of resignation.
The charges, so far proofs have been elected
do not amount to E'bribery" or ''high crime" al
though they certainly are very serious in their
character. The principal charge is that the Judge
has administered his office with special view to the
pecuniary benefit of his family-that he has
| made appointments to office upon condition that
| members of his family should share the fees-that
he has held sessions of the court when there was
no necessity for them, and certified to meetings of
the Court as having occurred when the Judge him
sell was not even in the city. Four successive
Clerks of the Court have testified before the COM
mittee tina they received their appointments up
on the express or implied condition that they would
Judges
family, and that they have repeatedly paid
over portions of their fees to the Judge
himself 1t is also testified before the Com
mIttee that the Judge appointed his own SON
in-law assignee Bankruptcy, without exacting any
bonds from him, and that said assignee has never
settled single account in Bankruptcy, of near
ly fifteen hundred that went into his hands In
other cases where the Judge appointed assgnees in
bankruptcy other than his relatives he was in the
habit of exacting heavy and sometimes onerous Sc
curity Another charge to sustain which evidence
has been introduced, is, that the Judge has drawn
out OF Bank, upon his own private check, monies
deposited by the Court" being the proceeds of as
signees in Bankruptcy, and belonging to suitors.
The complainants, who appear before the Com
mttee by counsel well as the accused desired to
introduce testimony to prove utter incompetency
ana lmDeclllty on the part of the Judge The Com
mlttee declined to receive it upon the ground that
the Constitution provides the punishment of i'm
parchment only for ''treason bribery, or other
nlgh crimes and misdemeanors." The Constitution
Is evidently deficient upon this point, and prescribes
no remedy in case of even hopeless mbecility and
utter incompetency. The on v way of reaching
such case is by legislation abolishng the office
nela oy an incompetent officer. The case is still be-
ination.
The opponents of the French Spoation bill are |
evidently fearful that it will pass the House and
are aiIeauN demanding that the PRESIDENT shall I
Vetoe IT, Their hostility to this measure is so in
reterae, ana the appeal is much strengthened h.,
tue poverty-stricken condition of the Treasury tba
Mr.. BUCHANAN would find it difficult to refuse them
His position is thus made very embarrassing a H.
voted for the bill several times when in Con re
ana at one time made very sound argument in IL, |
0enal1. Inc resolution offered in the House bv Mr.
lcKLEs, calling for sundry information in relation
10 the present ownership of the French Snoliot;on
claims, Is evidently intended to aid in RELIEVING tb
PRESIDENT, and the friends of the bill have occasin
last. w ue'ea'eu at
Several old and experienced Custom Housa off
GERS from New York are here at the call of Sacra-
larry COBB, to advise with him in regard to tariff
noulncatlon. to see whether it is possible to frame
Oil winch shall be acceptable to the Southern |
ree-traders, and at the same time can he made 10 |
answer the demands in part, at least of PennsvIva.
MA The task certainly is about as easv of accom-
olishment as would be the thorough amaleamation
d on ana water Mr.. PHILLIPS, of Philadelphia,
member OF the House Committee. on WarS onJ
Means declares that he will insist on radical nnaa
sure OF relief to his constituents even thouob com
peiieo 10 make an open issue with the Administra
[lon II 1t ever gets into tie House. Party lines are
certain to be utterly obliterated upon this question
me correspondence between Messrs. DoUGLAs
and FITCH to which referred briefly in despatch
last evening, has been closed satisfactorily Mr.
DOUGLAS first addressed a note to Mr.. Fryycu do
handing explanation or retraction of the charges
made against him in executive session hy H.
! ITCH, The latter replied, inquiring what charges
ne referred to,-and then, after reiteratiDg the
statements antagonistic to Mr.. DOUGLAS. which he
had made use of in the Senate, said that if these
were the charges referred to, they were true. Mr.
DOUGLAS, understand, rejoined, with letter. in
which he explained away much of his own jangnara
which had provoked Mr. FGrcH's retortNwbarsse
upon the Senator from Indiana replied with nv
pothetlcal withdrawal of his own ianguaoe Itis
sald, however, that the most offensive language
USED by Mr. FIrcH in the Senate tercation Is not
[eierred TO oy either party in the correspondence:
ouu the matter Is not yet entirely settled
Mr.; SL1DELL to-day, from the Committee on For
eign relations made an elaborate report in favor
MS tnlrty million bill, setting forth the necessity of
acquiring Cuba, and the great value that the island
would possess in the hands of the UNITED STITrs
,ir MASON, after the report had been read stated
nat while he entirely agreed with the Senator from
LOUISIANA, IN relation to the Importance of the ac
luisltlon OF Cuba by the UNITED STATES. he was not
qre that the mode proposed the best adapted to
nat end. Still he was not disposed, under the cir
uimstances, to interpose against the views of his
olleagues on the committee
, MT. SEWARD, also from the Committee on Foreion
seiat1ons introduced counter proposition. and
Proceeded to address the Senate at once against tho
'LLDELL Dill, both upon financial and political
rounds He is still speaking | do not under
lana MN to oppose the acquisition of Cuba if If
an be accomplished, but to be against precintas
ing the question unnecessarily
Inc opponents of the immediate admission or
regon, to-day defeated the motion of Mr. SIR
HENS to suspend the rules for resolution setting
part certain days for the consideration of Terrific
al business. " 'o