The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-25
ImDeaChment.

The disposal of the charges made
against Judge Kicks without the i'm
peachment of that gentleman must be
very gratifying to his friends and to
himself, even though the avoidance of
impeachment involved the admins
terlng of a rebuke for certain acts of
which Judge RIcks has been guilty
since he assumed the ermine. Humil-
lating as the rebuke must have been
to the Judge, its effect upon his career
Is but trlfllng compared with the dis
! grace of impeachment proceedings.
The question of the impeachment of
public officials has always been the
subject of much discussion and there
is wide divergence of opinion re-
| garding the nature of impeach bile
| crimes. 1t is held by many authori-
ties that impeachment proceedings
may be instituted only for such acts
as are indlctable, while others contend
that any official offense, whether GRIM
lnal or not, furnishes sufficient ground
for impeachment. This point has been
the deciding issue in majority of the
impeachment cases that have come
before the United States senate.
Since the establishment of the re-
public, there have been seven in
stances in which Impeachment proceed
ings have been instituted. The first of
these was against Senator William
Blount OF Tennessee, who was charged
with consplring with English officials
TO transfer New Orleans and some adj
1lpRnt IN ~.
charges were brought July 3, 1897, and
SIX days later Blount was expelled
from the senate. In December i'm
parchment proceedings were insti-
tuted, but the point was raised that a
senator was a civil officer and could
not be impeached. This was agreed
TO by the senate and the action was
dropped.
On March 3, 1903, Judge Pickering
of the federal district court of New
Hampshire, was impeached upon
charges of drunkenness and profanity
on the bench lie was convicted. the
vote being upon strict party lines. the
federalists supporting the accused.
The impeachment of Judge samuel
Chase of Maryland, attracted very
general attention. In accordance
with prevailing custom, Judge Chase
had delivered political lectures to
grand Juries and some of them had
been very bitter. This incurred the
onmity of the democrats and Judge
Chase was charged with arbitrary and
unjust conduct as judge but his de.
tenders argued that his offense was
rather against the principles of no.
likeness than the principles of law"
Judge Chase was adjudged guilty of |
a portion of the charges, but the two !
thirds vote necessary TO lmpeach could !
not be obtained and he was acquitted. |
In 1927, Judge Peck was charged |
with arbitrary conduct and was ac- |
quilted by close vote. There was no |
other Impeachment trial until the out |
break of the civil war, when Judge /
of the United States dis. |
trlct court of Tennessee, was unani. |
mously convicted, the charge being
treason.
The most celebrated trial in the his
tory of the republic, was the impeach-
ment proceedings against President
Johnson, who was charged with three
)ifenses: violation of the tenure of /
oilice act, attempting to unlawfully
the moneys of the war depart
nent and with using in respect to con
gress "utterances, declarations. threats
and harangues highly censurable in
any and peculiarly indecent and unbe-
coming IN the chief magistrate of the
United states" When the vote was
aken. thirty-fiye senators voted for
impeachment and nineteen against.