Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-02-10
Iaa a. MISSISSIPPI.
) Bills Approved by Governor Ames-
y. "Aets" Passed in Senate
- --r and House.
The Ames Impeachment = Congressman
st g. Wiley Wells's Testimony
-. .----. The Articles.

fences, by labOr on public works; au-
tboriZing Lowndes county to sell uncur-
rent funds; the bill regulating the pay
sDd duties Of public printer; the law Of
limitation.
Senote.-A bill was rassed redue-
ing the salaries of county superintend-
ents of education sixty per cent The
bill gives the supeTintendents the right
to teach school and hold any county
office.
R0use-A bill was passed mate
rally reducing the salaries OF Stste
officials. It fixes the Ilaries of men,
bers OF ths Legislature a. three hundred
dollars.
ABleS'S Impeachment Congressman
g. Wiley Wells is here, and testified be.
.O.e the Ames imps aehmeDt committee
what he knew about Ames asserting
that the killing OF fifteen or twenty ne
groes was benz fl to the party.
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST
AMFs.
New York Tribune, 5th.
JACKSON, MISS, February 1.-The
present legislature Of mississippi is con-
sidered to represent the prOperty-Owner
and well-eGucated people of the State
better than any legislature that ever be-
fore assem- bled in jackson. The duty OF
electiCg q senator having bten per-
formed, the next most important meas
ure-that OF inquiring in'O the manner
in which Governor Amss has executed
the duties of his Office-is about being
taken up. It is p.Obable that the house
of Tepresent8tiv will present articles of
impeachment against him to the senate.
A large number OF the members Of the
legislature freely speak upon the subject
st the hotels and st their boarding
houses, and evidently desire the gov
ernOr's Impeachment. A stranger in
the city is surprised to hear the subject
discussed every wherein the stores, at
the hotels, and even in the capitol. The
articles Of impe ga a3hment have not yet
been made public, but they will proOa-
bly, bs something Of the following ma
ture:
First-That he secured his election by
improper means, and never intended to
become resident OF the State.
Second-That he refused to send the
names OF chancellors appointed by him
in January, 1874, to the senate for "ad-
vice and CONSENT" IS required by the
constitution, and that he suppressed their
names until the senate had adjourned,
and then appointed the ehancellOrs with
out the "advice and cOnsenln Of the sem
ate.
IL ird-That having so installed bis
chancellOrs, he undertook to control
them by threats Of removal, and to in
duce them TO decide questions pending
before them in his interests, and the in
terests OF his friends, thereby attempt
ing to corrupt the judiciary of the State
hn ;,,O hn
failed so to control snd corrupt them,
the chanceilors go appointed were re-
moved by him from office without trial
or impeachment, as required by the con.
stitutiop. 1t is alleged that he attempt
ed to corrupt one of the chancelloTs, 8
young MIR. Peyton, and one of two sons
of the chief justice of the State. 1t is
charged that when a case involving a
large amount OF nlonsy Vas pending ba-
fore Chancellor Peyton ir/this city, the
State being one parry and a railroad
corporation the OCher, that the govern
or threatened to remove him il the
decision should not be satisfactory.
Governor Ames, it is alleged, sent Tor
the chief justice and appealed to him to
use his influence upon his son. pais the
| chief Justice refu e1 to do. The decision
| given in the case by the chancellor be-
| ing obnoxious, he was removed, and
another sppoip ted in his place. Two
| other hancellor5-Galtney aud Dren-
nan--Were also removed; the latter be-
| cause of decision refusing bail in the
| equity of YaZ 20 to one Morgan charged
with murder. These actions of the gov
| ernor are charged as attempts to corrupt
the judiciary OF the State.
| Fifth-It is charged that the governor
| virtually attached the Office of the State
treasurer to that of public printer in this
State by placing the public printer, who
received from one hundred thousand
dollars to two hundred thousand dollars
8 year for that service, in the treasury OF
| the State, in the capacity of clerk in
| that Office, at nominal salary OF fifteen
| hundred dollars per annum. Ii is
| charged that the object of this was to
enable the public printer to obtain q
preference in the cashing Of his war.
rants received as public printer. 1t is
charged that the governor had notice o1
| this fraudulent purpose, and understood
all about it, and yet persistently kept
the public printer In the treasury two
year5, and that this was q great fraud, tt
which the governor was party.
Sixth-There is q clause in the con-
| stitution Of the State which WIS copied
from the constitution Of the United
States, aud which fOIbids any senator o.
representative, during the time fol
which he is elected, from being appoint
ed to any office which shsll have beer
created, or the emOluments of which
shall have been increased by the legis
lature of which he was member. A
large class Of offices Was created by tbs
I,kr hes r ont =,
office-Offices hitherto unknown in the
State and unknown TO the constitution
The act creating them made the emOlu
ments large, the duties very tritliDg, The
responsibility really nothing, and EN-
powered the governor to fill them by ap
pointment. To at least some Of thesi
The governor did appoint senators ant
representatives who participated in thei
creation. This was palpsbie violation
of the constitution, and also Of the gov
ernor's cath of office.
SeVenth-That he undertook by mean
Of an act passed by his connivsnce anC
approval, to have all the legal advertis
ing that was done in the State done b|
his friends. To do this 1t was necessary
to ignore not only all the Democratic
and neutral papers in the State, but ais
certain veteran Republican papers con
sidered unfriendly to the governors as
pirations-his object being reelection
to a seat in the United States senate
To effect this purpose bill was passed
through the legislature and approved b.
the governor, which authorized any per
son to receive the appointment of dis
trict printer for all the Judicial district
OF the State. Many or the persons re
ceiving the appointment had no connec
ton whatever with aDy newspaper, bu
to meet the emergency had specis
sheets printed at offices not in their dis
tricts, aud sent out uoder various name
to the different districts with the adver
tisements required by law to be pub
lished, printed In them. This, so far a
[ have heard, is universally charged as
fraud upon tie public. The project wa
simply an act to subsidze tue Republi
can newspapers Of the State to suppoi
Governor Ames fer the United State
senate.
Eighth-Thst he spends 3 large poi
ton Of his time at his home in Mass
, chusetts, leaving the State goverumer
: in the hands of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
J who nuliifie5 the decisions Of courts an
: iuries, and defeats tue provisions Of ii
r criminal laws, thereby destroying th
, / c,rOh o,ylar aud uafefv Cf oopiatv