The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-01-18
IMPEACHMENT CASES.
THERE HAVE BEEN SEVEN SUCH IN
THE UNITED STATES.

iS70-Tfe Memorable Attempt at the
Impeachment of President Andrew
Johnson-Two Successful Cases.
The removal of federal officers by i'm
parchment proceedings, under section 4
Of article 2 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 q civil officer
liable to impeachment, and ON the aues-
ton Of jurisdiction only he was ac-
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 a party
vote and removed from his Office.
In 1904, Samuel Chase of Maryland, a
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
Sfnfao erpxyar., -, ~ ~, tho rnttran ~ n
charge to a Maryland grand jury. The
impeachment proceedings, instigated
and managed by John Randolph of vir-
ginia, were political in their origin and
animus. Judge Chase was acquitted
through the failure of the prosecution to
obtain a 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 H.. Peck. a federal district judge
in Missouri, was impeached for Cypress
i've treatment of an attorney. The case
was of no Importance. The Judge was
acquitted.
Thirty years afterward, at the begin
ming of the war of the rebellion, Judge
West Ell. Humphreys of the federal dis
trict court of Tennessee joined the Con.
federacy and accepted judicial Office un-
der it, without taking the trouble I'd
send his resignation to Washington. He
wa ~impeached mainly in order to vacate
the Office and convicted on June 26, 1869.
One of the witnesses summoned to APP
pear against Judge Humphreys was An
drew johnson, then governor Of Tennes.
see, destined himself to be the mex sub.
Ject of impeachment proceedings be.
fore the senate. One of the four sena.
tors who voted not guilty on the article
charging Judge Humphreys with high
treason was William Pitt Fessenden
whose vote five years later saved An
drew johnson.
Andrew johnson was iInpeached or
March 4. 1868, the II articles charging
the president in various forms with VIC
lation Of the tenure Of Office act, will
violation of the constitution, with con
spiracy to prevent the execution Of tn
tenure of Office act, with conduct and ut
terancea tending Ito bring the high of
fee of president into contempt, ridicul
and disgrace" and with the public lie
clartrtion in his speeches while swingin;
around the circle that the Thirty-nintl
congress was no constitutional logisla
ture. 1t is not necessary TO recite tn
history of the memorable trial, whicl
lasted for nearly three months and il
which the hottest OF political passion
were enlisted. ThiSty-six votes wer
needed to convict. No vote was eve
taken except on the three strongest III
ticles-the second, third and eleventh
and on each of these the senate stood 3
for conviction to 10 for acqnittal, in
peachment failing by q single vote. On
: of the counsel who defended Presiden
Johnson was the Lon. William IL. Eyart
OF New York.
Tie seventh and last federal impeacf
nent was that of William w. EelknaI
Grants secretary Of war. He ascharge
III 1875 with corruption IN Office, and til
honse voted unanimously 70 impeac
him, Ie resigned hastily Il few hour
before the passage Of the ~inpeachrnet
resolution. aud his resignation WI
promptly accepted by Grant The tri,
proceeded nevertheless. Beisnap's d,
Tense Was Il denial Of jurisdiction, base
on the circumstance that when the III
feachn4ent resolution passed the hous
I he had ceased to be civil officer Of tt
s United States. The impeachment pr
r ceedincs failed by the lack Of d tsv,
thirds majority in the senate for cony3
: ton.
S 1t will be observed that in only tg
9 cases nave impeachment proceeding
h against a civil officer Of the Units
Q States been prosecuted successfully b
g fore the senate by the house of repr
r sen 1atives. One of these was for the r
! moval of q drunken and profane ludg
: whose presence upon the bench was
b public scandal. The other was a pure
formal proceeding to vacate the office
: q judge actually engaged ii open rebt
p lion against the government. but tee
d nically still an incumbent of his Off
y under the government. or the i've u
6 successful. impeachment proceedings