Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-20
FLORIDA.
The Carpet bag Impeachment In-
brOgliO-Its OrIEjn-f:ich Develop
ments.

! brOgliO-Its OrIEin-f:ich DevelOI
mcnts.
I Correspondence of the Savannah News.
I TALLAHASSEE, Nov. Is, 1S6S,-Th
fight between the carpet-bag rulers an
would-be rulers of Florida, still ragei
Reed holds the Capitol, and will aImo:
certainly hold it until January, when tn
Legislature is to assemble; how muc
longer, time will tell, Then will come Of
the great battle. The preliminary skirm
ishing has resulted, thus far, in favor O
Gleason, the Lieutenant Governor. He ant
his forces are to-day in,excellent spirits, i,
consequence of two decisions given yester,
| day by the Judge of this circuit, now hold
ipg court In Tallahassee. True, these de
sisions settled nothing as to the validity O
the impeachment vote of the Florid,
House of Representatives, called here tht
Assembly" fact, were made rather on
technical points of legal practice; still, al
the Judgment in the one case was in behal
of Gleason himself, he being party to the
proceedings, and in the other in favor of q
subordinate officer, understood to be sup,
porter of his, and acting by his authority,
no wonder the Gleasonites are a little iu-
biRlt.
The cases were these: and first was that
of a mGndamus against the Clerk of Leon
Circuit Court, one Leroy d. Ball, &c. b.
originating in this wise: Under the model
carpet-bag and scalawag constitution OF
Florida, among the other innumerable big
and little things at the disposal of the
Executive, for the reward of the faith
ful, are the Offices of County Com
missioner for the different counties
charged with the general administration of
county affairs, aud especially with the ap-
poiDtment of inspectors of election and the
designation of county precincts. Reed,
before going North last summer, Ia visit
from which it was pretty well understood
he was not expected to return had not the
fall elections resulted in favor of Radi-
calism,) appointed the Board for this, the
most populOus county of the State. Dur
ing his absence, Gleason, acting, as is all
legged, without legal authority, removed
Reeds Board and appointed new one in
his interest. The Clerk of the Circuit and
County Court is also made the Clerk of the
Board of County Commissioners, and there
is now the same contest as to whom be-
longs the rightful tenure-ofoffice between
the Two Boards, and between the two
Governors. Ball recognized Gleason's APP
pointees, and is acting as their Clerk, re-
fusing to attend any sittings of che other
Board, who, l believe, are for the present
attempting to exercise no functions. They,
however, will assert their rights, and have
Fesorted to a writ of mdRddmuS to compel
the Clerk to recognize them and keep their
records. In answer to the writ he replied,
in effect, that they were no longer County
Commissioners, having been displaced by
Gleason, and others appointed in their
stead. The Attorney for the old Board
(Mr. A. J. Peeler,) demurred to this re-
turn as no. sufficient, and argued the ques-
ton; no counsel appearing for Ball The
Judge, in a written opinion, pronounced
yesterday morning, overruled the demur-
rer. Though this decision did not end the
case, not involving, it is said, its merits,
only technically of law, yet | hear the
opinion expressed by lawyers that the final
decision must be the same way, and in fact
it was not case for a m1nddmus against
the Clerk, but that the real proceedings
should have been between the two Boards
themselves.
The other trial was much more impor-
liant. Gleason and his Secretary of State,
Alden, arrested on Saturday last, (under
prosecution commenced by Reed, though it
appears in the name of the State came
before the same Judge for examination.
Your readers, however, must not suppose
that these great fuuctionaries, albeit ar
rested for crime, the penalty Of which
nay be ten years imprisonment in the
Penitentiary, were like common mortals
when charged with even the slightest mis-
iemeanor, in the actual custody Of any
body from last Saturday mp to yesterday.
Their confinement was merely a fiction Of
law. They were not under bOad5; they
we're in no Jail; they were in nobody's
keeping.
Do your readers need to be ;old the or
igin of this squabble, 50 disgracelul to the
parties, if anything could be disgrace to
Carpet-baggers-and so equally disgraceful
to the State of Florida, if its real people,
its virtue, worth, intelligence and patriot
ism had any thing to do with it. Hardly.
No one will doubt but that /, comes of the
unnatural and consummate rascality and
gluttonness greed, not 80 much of Office "a
Of gain, Of the parties concerned. Reed
is Governor with a salary Of five thousand
dollars, wrung from an impoverished peO-
pie; and all the officers Of the State tex.
cept constables) are appointed by the Gov
ernor, aud paid, all Of them, either in fees
or salary, in the same ratio (sOme much
higher as the Governor. And the amount
actual y allowed them by law Is, of course,
but small portion Of their getting5.
Somehow or Other-doubtles5 az to the
distribution of plunder-there was split
in the "ring," even before the adjourn
ment of the Legislature, and that split, as
it was the beginning Of the trouble in the
camp of carpet baggers, 50 has it culmina-
ted ia Reeds impeachment.
LIEUT.. GOV. GLEAsOS's PROCLAMATION.
TALLAHASSEE, Nov. 17.-Lieut. Gov.
Gleason issued, to-day, a proclamation,
dated yesterday, stating that in the late
special session of the Legislature, quorum
of both Houses were present and that
Gov Reed recognized them by sending
messages, and transacting business with
them. That twelve members Of the Senate
were present; that the impeachment of an
officer is in no sense legislative business,
but is exclusively judicial in its character,
and such as may be as well transacted at a
special as at a regular term that the Con-
stitution declares that any officer when i'm
peached shall be deemed uader arrest and
disqualified from performing any of the
duties of his office until acquitted by the
Senate; that Harrison Reed, in gross con-
of al Cff . ,a Sf1E a
their Assembly which impeaChed, aad
their Senate, the only tribunal under
the Constitutional which has iurisdic-
ton in cases Of impeachment, and
in violation of the Constitution of the
State, refuses to deem himself under
arrest and disqualified from performing
any duties of his Office, until acquitted by
the Senate, or to submit himself 10 the
Judgment of the Senate, but arrogates to
himself the right to pronounce impeach-
ment void, and proceeds 70 discharge the
duties of his office as if no impeachment
had been preferred; that no citizen,
charged with crime can set up his private
judgment as to the regularity Of his i'm
parchment, or the issues of warrant for his
arrest, and that the law, in this respect,
makes no difference between one that is
Governor and one who Is not, bI, requires
all tc submit to arrest, and go before a tri-
bunal appointed by the constitution, to
make their defense; and therefore pro-
claims that said Harrison Reed, Gov
ernor of Florida, is deemed by the con.
stitution under arrest, and is disqualified
from performing any of the duties of his
office until acquitted by the Senate; and
that the powers have devolved upon him,
and calls upon all citizens to aid him in
executing the powers and discharging the
duties devolved upon him by the constitu-
ton, and to put down the lawle sness and
anarchy which evidently must ensue if any
man impeached or indicted, however ex-
allied in station, refuses submission to arrest