San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-03-10
CASES.
THERE HAVE BEEN SEVEN SUCH IN
THE UNITED STATES.

The First Was In 1897 and the Latest In
IsT6-Ths Memorable Attempt at the
impeachment of President Andrew
Johnson-Two Successful Cases.
The removal of federal officers by i'm
parchment proceedings, under section
of article of the constitution, has been
attempted seven times.
The Blount case was the first. Will
liam Blount, United States senator from
Tennessee, was charged in 1897 with
conspiring with British officers to steal
part Of Louisiana from Spain for Eng
lands benefit. The house prepared ar
ticles of impeachment The senate ex-
PEELED him, after putting him under
bonds for trial. Blount's defense was
that a senator was not civil officer
liable to impeachment, and on the ques-
ton of jurisdiction only he was &C.
quilted.
Judge John Pickering of the federal
district court for New Hampshire was
impeached in 1903 for drunkenness and
profanity on the bench. The defense
was insanity. On trial before the SEN
ate, Pickering was convicted by party
vote and removed from his Office.
In 1904, Samuel Chase of Maryland, q
Justice of the supreme court Of the
United States and one Of the signers Of
the Declaration of Independence. was
| charged with improper conduct on the
bench; among other things, with having
INDUCED in "highly indecent and extra
judicial reflections upon the United
States government" in the course Of a
charge to Maryland grand jury. The
impeachment proceedings, instigated
and managed by John Randolph of Vir.
I ginia, were political in their origin and
animus. Judge Chase was acquitted
through the failure of the prosecution to
obtain two-thirds vote against him in
the senate on any one of the eight arti.
cles of impeachment. He resumed his
seat on the bench and held it as long as
he lived.
About q quarter Of a century later
James 81. Peck, federal district judge
in Missouri, was impeached for Cypress
i've treatment of an attorney. The cast
was Of no importance, The judge wa!
acquitted.
Thirty years afterward, at the begin
ming of the war of the rebellion, Judg,
West II. Humphreys of the federal dis
trict court of Tennessee Joined the Con
federacy and accepted judicial office un
der it, without taking the trouble t.
send his resignation to Washington. FL
was impeached mainly in order to vacat
the Office and convicted on June 26, 1852
One of the witnesses summoned to ar
pear against Judge Humphreys was An
drew johnson, then governor of Tennes
see, destined himself to be the next sui
ject of impeachment proceedings be
fore the senate. One of the four sena
tors who voted not guilty on the articl
charging Judge Humphreys with hig
treason was William Pitt FessendeI
whose vote five years later saved Ar
drew johnson.
Andrew johnson was impeached o
the president in various forms with vic
lation of the tenure of Office act, wit
violation Of the constitution, with cor
spiracy to prevent the execution Of tn
tenure of Office act, with conduct and III
terances tending ito bring the high Of
fee of president into contempt, ridicul
and disgrace" and with the public de
claration in his speeches while swingin
around the circle that the Thirty-nint
congress was no constitutional legisla
ture. 1t is not necessary to recite tn
history Of the memorable trial, whic
lasted for nearly three months and i
which the hottest of political passion