Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-04-17
AiuNsoN.
The Four impeachment Trials.

TEc first case of impeachment was that
! of william Riount pronounced Biun) d
i Unittd States senator from Tennessee,
who had intrigued to transfer New Orleans
and the neighbnring districts to the British
/ by means of a .joint expedition. Britain tt
! furnish IA naval force. and BloInt agreeing
| to furnish corps Of backwondSmcn and
Indians to cooperate. A letter of his writ
ten ia 1877 to a newly appointed Indian
agent among the CherOkeeS, to induce the
agent to juin h scheme, and communica-
ted By the latter to the president; was the
evidence on which the Senate promptly eX-
PEELED Bl0Hnt from their body; and on
which the House proceeded to exhibit arti
cles of mprachmcnt against him. The tri
al was delayed from one cause and ano her
/ till December %, 1913, when the Senate
resolved itself tor the iirst time into high
court Of I'M ichment, In the meantime
Bloun. had been elected President of the
senate of Tennessee, in which state the
proceedings against him had rather incres.
ed than diminished his popularity, and he
did not consequently per oually appear to
answer the impeachment charged. His
counsel filed plea il which they denied
the jurisdiction Of the court on the grounds
first that a Senator is not civil officer OF
the United States according to the intent
of the constitution and second, that If be
were liable to impeachment under those
terms, Bl0unt expulsion from the Senate
left him 40 longer Senator. and conse-
quently no longer :civil officer of the Uni
ted States The Senate sustained this plea /;
but whether on both hands, or only
ErSt Al fpn,
tleir proceedings except that it has been
universally held since that a member of
Congress is not civil oilic"r in tile sense
of the constitution, Blount died suddcnly
just about IA year after his case was dis
missed by the Senate, and just as he was
about to he elected Governor of Tennessee
He was ii member of the Federal conven-
tl0n Of 1897, ST. gnpa the constitution in that
capacity, hnd been previously twice mem
Der of the Continental Congress, and sub
scquently governor Of the territory that
hecanc in 1896 the State Of Tennptsce
He was one OF the two first Senator's from
that State.
The second case of Impeachment was
that Of Juige j. Pickering. L. 5, district
judge OF New Ilanrshre The articles
charged him with wiliul sacrifice OF
the rights Of the United States in Ger
sam revenue case tried before him, and al
50 vita drunkenness and profanity on the
bench. The summons was not answered
by the Judge in person, but his son ar.
peared, putting in the plea that his father
Mas Insane. Atlidavits were brought far
ard, going to establish the facts of his in
anty. The reply Of the managers was
that il! insanity dit exist, it was caused by
hahit,a al drunkenness.
The Senate by II strict party vote. all
the Senators of the federal party voting
nav, sustained the articles Of impeachment.
he was convicted, removed from office, hut
not disqualified from holding office. Per
haps it was tho,gh, that his personal hab
Its would sufficiently di,qail iy him for
further office. This WAS early in 1904.
Later in the same year far moe i'm.
por.ant case occupied the attention Of the
Senate, that of judi &c Samuel Chase one
of the justices of ,hc United States snpreme
court, and resident of Maryland. Par
y spirit ran very high in those days.
Chase was fedtralist; and in his charges
to the grand jurles of his circut, used tn in
dulge in illusions to passing politics not
all TO the taste of the then dominant Re
publican party. Moreover, he was an cX-
oeednely able man, and knew how to put
his criticisms in such forceable and cling
ing way. that the administration party re
solved to get rid of him at all hazards. -
John Randolph of Roanoke was their lead
er in the House, and brought forward
motion to investigate Chase's official con-
duct. TIL e federalists, though in a minor
ity. opposed the whole matteras springins
from party spite. The majority deternlii-
ed to proceed. OF the eight articles exlih-
tied against the judge, six went back, five