The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1894-01-19
IMPEACHMENT CASES.
THERE HAVE BEEN SEVEN SUCH ~
THE UNITED STATES.


amRsashment Or rrssiaent Auarew
Johnaan- Two saeesnsral easeA
The removal Of federal officers by i'm.
peachment proceedings, under section
Of article 2 of the eonstitution, has been
attempted seven times.
Tho Blount case was the first. Will
liam Blount United States senator from
Tennessee, was charged in lla1 with
eonspiring with British officers u steal
part Of Louisiana from Spain fer Eng-
lands benefit The house prepared ar
ticles Of impeachment. The senate OK
PEELED him, after putting him under
bonds Tor trial Hlount's defense was
that senator was not civil officer
liable 70 impeachment, and on the ques-
ton Of jurisdiction only he was ao-
quilted.
Judge John Pickering Of tho federal
district court for New Hampshire was
impeaehed In 1908 for drunkenness and
profanity ON the bench. The defense
was insanity, On trial before tho sem
ate, Pickering was convicted By a party
vote and removed from bis Office
In 1904, Samuel Chase Of Maryland, a
justice Of the supreme court Of tho
United States and ono of tho signeTs 81
the Declaration Of Independence, was
charged with improper conduct On tho
benchi among other things, with having
indulged In highly indecent and extra
judicial reflections upon tho United
States government" IN tho course of
charge to o Maryland grand jury, The
impeachment proceedings, hlstigafod
and managed by John Randolph Of Vir-
ginia, were political In their origin and
anirnus Judge Chase was acquitted
through the failure Of the prosecution 70
obtain q two-thirds vote against him IN
the senate on any one Of the eight arti-
cies of impeachment. He resumed bis
seat on the bench and held II aa long az
10 lived.
About quarter Of a century later,
James Fl Peck, federal district judge
In Missouri, was impeached for oppress-
i've treatment Of an attorney, Tho case
was Of no Importance, The Judge was
acquitted.
Thirty years afterward, at the begi1i-
ming of the war OF the rebellion, Judge
West II. Humphreys OF the federal dis
triot court Of Tennessee joined the Con
fedeTaey and accepted judicial Office IN
der it, without taking the trouble TO
send hts resignation to Washington. He
was impeaohed mainly Ia order 10 vaeate
the oftico and convicted on June2G, 1862
One Of tho Witnesses summoned to APP
pear against Judge Humphreys was Ans
drew johnson, then governor Of pennGs-
sec, destined himself To be the next sub
ject Of impeachment proceedings be-
foro the senate, Ono of tho four sena-
tors who voted not guilty on the article
charging judge Humphreys with high
treason was William Pitt Fessenden,
whose vote iiye yeara later saved AM
drew johnson.
Andrew Johnson was impeaehed on
March 4, 1868, the II articles charging
tho president In various forms with vio-
lation of the tenure Of otiica act, with
violation Of the constitution, with con-
spiracy to prevent The execution Of tho
tenure of Office act, with conduct and ut
teranees tending so bring the high Of
fee Of president into contempt, ridioule
and disgrace and with tho public de-
claration in his speeches while swinging
around the circle that the Thirty.ninth
congress was no constitutional legisla-
ture. II is not necessary 70 racit9 tho
history Of tho memorable trial, which
lasted for nearly three months and In
which the hottest of political passions
were enlisted. Thirty-six votes were
needed TO convict No vote was ever
taken except on the three strongest ar
ticlosthe second, third and eleventh.
and on each Of these the senate stood 85
for conviction to 10 for acquittal, inn
parchment failing by single vote. Ono
of the counsel who defended President
johnson was tho Hon, William Al Eyarts
Of New York.
Tho seventh and last federal impeach-
ment was that of William nv, Belknap,
Grantsseeretary Of war. Hewascharged
In 1870 with corruption III Office, and tho
house voted unanimously to impeach
him Ha resigned hastily few hours
before the passage Of the impeachment
resolution, and his resignation was
promptly accepted by Grant. The trial
proceeded nevertheless, Bellnap's de-
Tense was a dpnial Of jurisdiction, based
on the circumstance that when tile inn
parchment resolution passed the house
ha had ceased to bo civil officer Of tho
DATED States. Tho impeachment pro
ceedings failed BY the lack og q two
thirds majority n the senate fox congic,
ton,
1t win be observed that Ia only two
cases have Impeachment proceedings
ngaiust a ciYil oiieaf of the United
statea been prosecuted successfully be
fore tho senate by the house Of rnpre-
sentatiYes. ONO Of these was for the 70.
moYal 81 d dFupken and profane judge,
| whose presence upon tha bench was q
public scandal, Tho oihor was q purely
iormRl proceeding ~ Yaeats she ailiea 81
4 judge actually engaged 70 open rebel
| Hon against tho government, but tech.
nicallg still ap incumbent oE hia ptiics
under the government or tho i've m
| successful impeachment proceedings on
record two failed tor wnnt ~ inTis
diction, OF the whole seven eases, fpul
concerned iudiciai officers Only 0ncl
| tas thefo heen on attempt to punish hl
impeachment cabinet officer lail
i cuea has tAere been aa attaapl " nup
ish and remove hY ilppeachmeni pfas
dent ai she Jniiea atates. NeW kaFl
sun
sfssnisng sRpeF4titiqa
a* ti4n 4{es fS fIe.sss, ltsW.H f3ta