Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-03-23


the District Of New Hampshire, who was
impeacbed In March 1903, is peculiar one.
The trial began March 8, and closed on the
1etb, verdict of guilty being rendered on
all the charges, and Judge Pickering was
removed from Office. Bnt it was clearly
shown on the trial that the accssed had
been for several years totally deranged.
The impeachment of Samuel Chase, an
Associate Justice of the Supreme Coufs OF
the United States, for official misconduct,
was the cause of great public excitement
and party commotion in 1S04-5. Judge
Chase was one of the signers of the Declara-
! tion of Independence, a Jealous and indus
trious patriot during the Revolutionary
War, and an able and upright judge, though
sometimes irascible and overbearing The
prosecution was instigated and managed by
John Randolph. The articles embraced
eight charges, and related chiefly to alleged
arbitrary, unjust, and tyrannical conduct on
certain political trials-those of John Fries
for treason, and of Taylor and Calender for
scditious libel. After the examination of
Mr.. Chase's witnesses, seven days were oc
cupied in arguments on both sides, and on
the 1st of March the vote was taken on each
of the charges separately. There was ma
jority in favor of the accused on Eve of the
eight charges, and q majority against him
on the others, but not the two-thirds re-
quired by the Constitution to Convict. He
was accordingly discharged, and retained
his seat on the bench until his death.
James H. Peck, Judge of the United
States District Court for the District of
Missouri, was impeached of high misdemca.
nors in Office in 1880. The ground of &C.
cusation against him was that he had i'm
prisoned and suspended from practicing in
bis court an attorney named Lawless, Tor an
alleged contempt in commenting in news
paper communication upon one of the
Judges decisions. The articles of impeach-
ment were presented by Mr.. Buchanan, May
4, 1880. The trial began on the goth of
December, and lasted until the 31st of Jan.
uary, when the accused was pronounced
acquitted, twenty-one Senators having voted
him guilty and twenty-five not guilty.
An attempt was made in 1S43 to impeach
President Tyler, and this movement derives
especial interest from the close resemblance
between the circumstances of Mr.. Tyler's
case and that of Mr.. Andrew johnson.
On the 10th Of January, John Minor Bolts
presented charges in the House of Repre-
sentatives and moved for the appointment
of committee of inquiry. The charges
accused the President of gross usurpaton oi
power anG violation Of law in ordering the
payment of rejected claims upon the Treas.
ury; of wickedly and corruptly abusing the
power of appointment and removal; of retain.
ing men in Office for months after they had
been rejected by the Senate; of abusing the
veto power, and of other high crimes and
misdemennors. The House refused by 6
vote of 1877 to S3, to appoint a committee oI
inquiry, and so the matter was allowed tc
drop.
Judge Watrous of the United States Dis
trict Court for the Western District of Texa!
was accused of official misconduct and cor
ruption, and Committee of the House o.
Representatives reported in February, 1867
in favor of his impeachment; but after ter
months discussion the affair was dismissed
the House resolving that there was no oc
casion for further proceedings.
The last case of impeachment before tht
United State Senate was that of West II
Humphreys, Judge of the District Court o
the United States in the District of Tennes
: see, for completely in the Rebellion. Th'
charges, seven in number, were presented il
April 1862, and the trial took place on tht
26th of June of the same year. lasting onl,
one day. The accused failed to appear, ant
there was of course no defense. He wa
found guilty by nearly an unanimous vote
on all the charges, and q sentence of re
moval and disqualification was passed with
out dissenting voice.
The remedy by impeachment, like tn
Habeas Corpus act and other laws, is copie,
from the British Constitution. The earlies
instance of Parliamentary impeachment wa
in 1876, when Lord Latimer, the Chamber
lain was tried and deposed from his offic
for extortion and malversation of the publi
fund. When Richard II was deposed tn
form of impeachment was adopted. Fo
sometimes the remedy by impeachment hAt
fallen into disuse, but the corruptons, du
the reign of James l, caussd its removal
The most important case, during that reign
: was that of Lord Chancellor Bacon, the grea
Philosopher, Judge and lawyer, who Wa
deposed from Office and fined f40,OOO. Hi
fine and Imprisonment were RENTED but h
, died, broken.hearted, five years after.