The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-11-15
Impeachment.
THE ONLY FOUR CASES IN THE HISTORY OF
THE GOVERNMENT.

The GOV EhNMENT.
The Detroit Advertiser and Tribune
gives the following succihct statement of
the only four cases OF impeachment which
have occurred since the foundation of the
Government It is a radical sheet, and
in giving this somewhat interesting re-
cord, it Of course seanticipates the impeach-
ment of the President:
1. William Blount, of Tennessee, for
some years Governor of the territory
South of the Ohio River, having been
elected to the United States Senate, was,
in 1899, expelled from that body by
vote of twenty-five to one,. and declared
to be equity of q high misdemeanor en-
tirely inconsistent with his public trust
and duty as Senator" His offence was
an attempt to seduce an United States in
terpreter from his duty, and to ALLEVIATE
the affections and confidence of the lndi-
ans from public officers residing among
them. It was believed that he instiga-
ted the Indians to assist the British in
conquering the Spanish territory adjoin-
ing the United States. Two points were
made for the defence. lst. That Blount
had not done these evil deeds in his ca
pacity of public officer, but as private
citizen. End. That his being a United
States Senator screened him, for an officer
elected by State Legislature, and nei-
ther chosen, nor appointed, nor remova-
BILE by the General Government, could
not be "civil officer of the United
States" within the scope of the impeach-
ment clause of the Constitution. On
these technical grounds, the Senate "let
him down easy" by dlsmissing the case
Blount had many friends and hackers, the
Southwest being then corrupt and turbu-
lent to degree that foreshadowed the
great rebellion lately quelled by the North
and West.
2. In 1904, John Pickering, Judge of
the United States District Court Of New
Hampshire, was impeached before the
Senate, by order of the House, for drunk
enness and profanity on the bench, and
refusing to perform his duties in case
where he was called to enforce the reve-
nue. laws of the United States. The
Judge did not appear, but his son sent q
petition, setting forth that his father was
insane, and asking leave to be heard by
counsel This was granted, and several
dispositions were put in going to show in
sanity The reply was that he had
brought ssrum craziness" on himself
Judge Pickering had raved and bias
phemed on the bench in open court;
cursed the parties; called people (some-
times perfect strangers) to come up and
sit beside him on the bench, threatening
to cane them if they refused. We can
find no evidence that he compared him
self to the Saviour of mankind, or his
Safeguarding that branch of the Govern
ment which voted him his "bread and but
ter" or called for the hanging. of those
who differed from him in opinion. But,
perhaps the whisley of those times was
not so fiery rs the Presidential beverage
of to-day. Judge Pickering having ex-
ercised judicial authority during insanity,
and not offering to resign, the Senate vo-
ted him guilty, and removed him from
office-yeas twenty, nays six. All the
Federal Senators voted in the negative );
lust as the Democrats of our time, having
swung clear ground the circle" in politi-
cal principles, would now vote on john
sons case, if he were to be impeached.
8. In 1905, Samuel Chase of Maryland,
an Associate Justice of the United States
Supreme Court, was impcacbed by the
House (73 to 32) and tried by the Senate.
He was grey-haired old man, of power
full intellect, vast legal learning and ire
proachable morals. lie had sat in the
Congress of '76, and signed the Declara-
ton of independence, and had by his zeal
and energy done wonders in redeeming
Maryland from British and Tory sway,
and bringing her over to the side of
American liberty. He had, by hard
work, sharp Figuring" and legal shrewd-
ness, secured for his State a debt of $780,
600 due her in England before the Revo-
luton. Not man of greater ability and
patriotism then sat on the judicial bench
in our land. His faults were ultra Fede-
raj notions, an abusive tongue and
quick temper. The great public services
of the accused; the national eminence of
the tribunal; the excited state Of party
feeling, we'll represented by the celebra-.
ted John Randolph, of Roanoke, as accu-
ser on the part Of the House, and the con-
tinuance of the trial for nearly month
all these things combined to make most
notable and interesting case. 1t was q
State trial deserving the brilliant descrip-
tive pen of Motley or Macaulay. Judge
Chase was allowed one month to prepare
his defence, and, in consideration OF his
age and infrmities, he was seated in the
centre of the arena of the Senate cham
Der, in front of the Vice-President. That
officer was the 'black sheep" of our ear
ly politics, Aaron Burr, who, with pros
poets and reputation blasted by his South
ern filibustering and his murder of Alex
ander Hamilton, yet presided with all his
wonderful dignity, tact and grace. There
were eight articles of impeachment.