Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-03-03

| exhaustion from his continuous service on the COM
| mttee as the reason why he should not address
the House at any length. lie spoke Of the report
| as presenting case of great shame and disgrace
| to all American citizens. As to the question of
the impeachability of an officer who had resigned
| he was not prepared to speak worthiy except to
suggest that it could not be true that ar officer
who was being investigated and who had been
| found by evidence to be criminal, could flee
| from Justice He alluded to what he called the
unseemly acceptance of Secretary Beknaps res
ignation, and referred to the English cases Of
Warren Hastings and Lord Francis Bacon, both
of whom had been impeached after they had
ceased to hold office in which they committed
crimes and misdemeanors.
Mr.. Bass of n. Y, another members of the
committee, questioned the statement of the chair
man. as to this case having no parallel, and SAID
he would not have to leave his own borders in Or
der to find not only parallel for it, but that he
could find cases compared with which this case
was as white as the driven snow. He admitted
that mere statement of this case, as presented
by the testimony, sufficient to justify every
member to vote for the resolutions that had been
presented.
Mr.. Lamar of Miss, inquired from Mr.. Bass
his opinion as to the impeachability of resigned
officer.
Mr.. Bass replied that the English authorities
seemed to maintain the jurisdiction of impeach-
ment in such cases, but in this country it was an
unadjudicated question and one that was not free
| from doubt, but his own best judgment was in
iavor OF the right to mpeach, and to let the ques-
| ton be adjudcated by the Senate.
MIR. Hoar in reference to casual remark of
some member, as to this being political question:
| entirely disclamed and repudiated such an idea.
On the point of the impeachability of person
not in office, he referred to the case of Mr.. Whit
temore of S. c., in which the House had deter
| mined that formal remuneration of an office ter
| minated the office, and that any American citizen
could lay down an office held by him without any
acceptance of his resignation.
Judge Story had laid down he doctrine that it
could not be Done in England but there any citi-
| zen could be impeached, and therefore the Eng
lish cases of Warren Hastings and Lord Bacon
| did not apply. In America, no man could be i'm
| peached but civil officer, and when he ceased to
be a civil officer, and when he ceased to be an Off
he ceased to be within the literal description
| of the constitution in this country. The only
| judgment that could be rendered in mpeach-
| ment the removal from office and future
| disqualification from holding office, but by the
statutes person guilty of such offences could be
indicted, tried and sentenced by the criminal courts
Of the country. lie protested against hot haste il
this matter, without having the testimony printed
He thought such haste unworthy of this great
question, and if he stood Alone he would stand
here to say
Mr.. Blackburn, another member of the commit
tee expressed his satisfaction that the report read
| by his colleague, Mr.. Clymer, showed to the
world that nothing had been left by the committee
to shield and shelter from dishonor every person
except the one whom it was the duty Of the COM
mittee to investigate and report upon.