Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-01-23
IMPEACHMENT CASES.
THERE NAVE BEEN SEVEN SUCH IN
THE UNITED STATES.

II
~ Pint We In 1877 Esd The tAssss q
isss-rAs nssseshis Aise.pt 81 ths
Inpsssk.sss % rvesidsss Asassv
Jsassss-rvs ssssessssl Csss&
The removal Of federal officers by Inn
psachment proceedings. under section 4
Of article Q OF the constitution. has been
attempted seven times
The Blount case Was the hrst. vii.
Yam Biount. Unit~i States senator frosn
tennessee. was charged In i'y7 with
eonspiripg with British officers 20 steal
part Of Louisiana from Spain Tor Eng.
lands benefit. The house prepared ar.
ticlcs Of Impeachment. The senate eI.
pelied him. after putting him under
bonds for trial. Blount's defense was
that Q senator was not . civil officer
liable TO impeachment. and on the ques-
ton Of Jurisdiction only he Was &C.
quilted.
Judge John Pickering Of tbs federal
district court for New Hampshire was
imeachei In 1903 for drunkenness and
profanity ON the bench. The defeuss
was insanity. On trial before the sen-
ate. Pickering was convicted by party
vote and removed FROM his ofiioe.
In 1904. Samuel Chas. of Maryland. Q
Justice % the supreme court Of the
unit@i States and one Of the signers of
the Declaration % Independence. Was
charged with improper conduct on ths
bench; among other things. with having
indulg-i In highly indecent and Extra
judicial reflections upon the United
states government" In the courr- of q
charge 10 . Maryland grand jury. The
Impeachment proceedings. instigaissi
and managed by John RAn iolph % vir.
ginia. were political In their origin and
snimus Judge Chase was acquitted
through the failure 81 the prosecution 10
obtain q two-thir,is vote against him In
the senate on any one u the eight Arti.
cl.s % imI~achment. lie resumed his
scat on the bench aud held 70 ~ long -
he lived.
About . quarter Of . century later.
James II. Peek. . federal district judgs
In Missouri. was imr-acb~i for oppr-ss-
i've treatment % an attorney. The case
was u no importance. The Judge was
acquitted.
Thirty years Afterward. at the begin.
ming Of the war % the rebellion. Judge
West II. Humphreys Of the federal dis
trict court % Tenn---~- joine.i the Con.
feieracy and accepted judicial Office I'M
der u. without taking the trouble 10
-end his resignation Ia Washington. lie
was imy-achcd mainly In order 20 vacats
the Office and convicted on June ~. isd2.
One of the witnesses summoned 90 ap-
pear against Judge Humphreys was An.
drew johnson. then governor % Tenncs-
see. destined himself to H. the nett sub
iect % impeachment proceedings 10
fore the senate. One % the four senA-
tors who voted not guilty on the article
charging Judge Humphreys with high
treason Was William Pitt fe--endsn.
whose vote Ave years later saved An.
ir-w johnson.
Andrew johnson was imp-aehed on
March 4. isss, the IL articles charging
ih. prr.id.n, In various forms with vio-
laiion % the tenure u ofiic. act. with
violation % the constitution. with con.
,pirAcy 90 prevent the execution % the
tenure % ofiice act. with oonduct and ut.
tsrance. tending "to bring tho high Of.
Gee u president into contempt. ridicule
and Disgrace" and with the public de-
clarA,ion IN his speeches while swinging
around the circle that the Thirty.ninth
cong r-ss WAS no constitutional legisls-
history % the msmorabl. trial, which
lasted for nearly thru. months and In
which the hottest 81 political passions
wsre enlisted. Thirty-.ix vote. WERE
needed % convict. No vote Wa ever
taken except on the three strongest ar.
ticlc.-,hs second. third and eleventh.
and ON each u these the senate stood u
for conviction 20 10 for acquittAl. I'M
parchment failing by single vot.. One
10 the counsel who defended President
johnson was the Hon. William NJ. EvArts
VI New York.
The seventh and last federal impesch.
ment was that u william W. B-lknAp.
Grants secretary Of war. Hewase charged
In 1919 with corruption In otiice. and the
house voted unanimously 10 impeach
him. lie resigned hastily few hours
before the passage 81 the Impeachment
resolution. and his resignation was
promptly accepted by Grant. The trial
proceeded nevertheless. Belknap's de-
fen.e was denial % Jurisdiction. bAs~d
On the circumstAnc. that when Oh. i'm.
parchment resolution pass~i the house
be had ceased to L. q civil officer VI the
United States. The Impeachment pro
c-edings failed by the lack 81 two
thirds majority In the senate for convic-
ton.
II will 10 observed that In only two
cases have impeachment procesiings
against o civil officer ~ the United
States been prosecuted successfully b.
lore the .enate by the house Of repre-
INITIATIVES. One Of thess was for the rc-
noval Of drunken and profane Judge.
whose presence upon the bench was =
public &C indal. The other was . purely
formal proceeding to vacate the Office Of
. Judge actually engaged In or-n rebel.
lion against the government. but tech.
nicaily still an incumbent u his offics
under the government. OF the i've un.
successful Impeachment proceedings on
record. two failed for want o. juris-
diction. OF the whole seven cas-s. four
concerned Judicial officers. Only once
has there l~cn an attempt 10 punish by
Impeachment . cabinet officer. Only
.nce has there hem an attempt to pun.
ish and remove by Impeachment pr-si.
dent Of the United staies.-New York
Sun.
Thsssht They We're worth IL