The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1876-01-04
THE QUESTION OF IMPEACH.
ING GOVERNOR AMES.


: contempt, or both, of the Constitution
when it has stood in the way OF his con
spiracies against them whether origina
{ ting in ambition or malice purely-hi
gross maladministration which no ont
: outside his clan of ofice-holders denies
it is sometimes urged that unless a case
can be made out against him which
would subject him to criminal prosecu.
ton and conviction before the Courts fol-
r some such infamous crime as felony,
arson, murder, and the like, he ought to
, be permitted to escape the punishment
COT removal from Office made and pro-
Yidedin the Constitution expressly for
such ofenses as he has VIGOROUSLY COM
mitted. Assuming his outlines of these
J ofenses, which are as palpable as that
the sun gives light by day and the moon
performs her Offices by night, we will
proceed to cite the highest Republican
authorities and apply them to his case.
WHAT BENJAMIN F. BUTLER SAID.
Manager B. F. Butler, in his argu-
ment on the impeachment of President
johnson, speaking of the remedy by
that procedure prescribed by the Con-
stitution, said:
Buta single incident only of the business
! (of impeachment) was left to construction,
and that concerns the offepses or incapaci- |
ties which are the grOundworks of i'm
! parchment. This was wisely done because |
human foresight aud human intelligence
fail in the task OF anticipating and 1rouidtno /
for by positiue enactment all the infinite |
gradatiOns of human wrong and sin by
which the liberties of people and the
SAFETY OF nation may be endangered from
the am6ec'ttty, corruption, and a,,halloeced
ambition of its rulers. Gimp. of Andrew
johnson, p. 49,
Having laid down this undeniable
proposition, Manager Butler proceeded,
as follows, to define
WHAT ARE IMPROBABLE oFFESsEs.
We define, therefore, an impeachabla
nigh crime or misdemeanor to be one In its
nature or consequences subversive of some
Jun damental or essential principle of gov
eminent, or highly prejudcial to the pub
TIC interest, and this may consist of a vio-
Iatlon OF the Constitution. of law, of an Of
hclai oath, or of duty, by an act committed. q
or omitted, or aoithOut vioIattnq a 10sitfre lam
W "e d0atSe OF discretionary z,0aCers from i'm
proper motives, or from any improper pur- +
pose' Manager Butler, same VOL & NJ &
WHAT ARE HIGH CRIMES AND M1sDrNu,N Q
ORs? a
H"+ eroat -bugbear Is maAn nf tho il
words high crimes and misdemeanors o
and 1t is thought to be monstrous that II
IN offlclal who is not charged with such p
ndlctable ofenses as highway robbery, So
'rson, murder, treason, and the like, n
should be arraigned on the accusation of ra
hlgh crimes AID misdemeanors. Now. oil
'hat are the offensos known as "bigh at
rlmes and misdemeanors' for which pc
he constitution says the Governor
SHALL" be removed from office etc VII
ortunately the researches of Manager pi
p r. Butler, have left nothing to doubt, IS
construction even, on this head. He
lys: al
IL - Out common learning that in the II
nSlsh precedents, the words high crimes Ut
III mlsdemeanOrs are universally rsad ize
I" any "alrersdtion in Office hiohky Drejud;- sea
10 % "e puo"c interest," or Sabcersiue Of some ST.
sqfetv of n neo1e ,'"e'' ~ '0N'c" the
fgt CRIME against the nation as the term is dls
ca IN parliamentary lao. !
att
Mr.. Christian, in his notes 70 the tut
concentrates of Blackstone, explains uti
collocatlon and use of the words 'sbiph att
mes ana mlsdemeanors" by saving: CHI
When the words "high crimes and nj, tior
neanors are used in prosecutions by i'm wit
ichment, the words 'high crimes" have usu
uennlte Specification, but are used mere N
70 give greater solemnity to the CHARGE
hpeachment trial. vol. l, p. SS-9) qui
And Manager Butler, for the purpose a. 81
strengthening this Interpretation and =
wing that it was designed to be placed y
the terms employed in the Constitu- -.
!, quoted the following words of James 'u, III
olson: b
b. s ture
nc Danger consists in this: That tho oroo
uent can displace from office a man
'se merits require he should be continued SCI
IA 'ne hrst place he viii be impeach b
oy the House for such an act of mol of III
iulStration, for contend that the ,oouton for /
''a1 OF merttorious officers acou1d sub;ect
20 impeachment and renora1 from his o,.r L. :
trust. 0''' was {
CRIME TO BE 1MpEAcH,R,r M by tt
AZURE TO sUBJEcr THE OFFENDER TO derin
CRIMINAL PROSECUTION ment