Evening star., 1904-03-22
VOTED TO IMPEACH
JUDICIARY COMMITTEES ACTION
REGARDING JUDGE swAYNE.
If tie House Concurs the Matter viii
Be Sent to the Senate for Trial
The Charges.

On charges of certain high crimes ana
misdemeanors, the House committee on
the judiciary last evening voted in favor of
the Impeachment of United States Judge
Charles Swayne of the northern district of
Florida The committee was in session
from O'Clock in the afternoon until some
minutes past o'clock. Judge Swayne is a
republican and was appointed to the fed
eral bench by President Harrison in 1889.
While the committee has voted to give
out no details of the case at present, it is
known that the charges on which testimony
was taken include those of being absent
from his circuit; being nonresident of
his district imprisoning lawyer in a con-
tempt proceedings. imprisoning the son of
a litigant, also for contempt OF court, and
refusing to hear a certain witness in q
case before him, alleging that he would not
believe the witness under oath.
The vote and the details of the charges
which will form the ground Of impeach-
ment,' the committee agreed to Withhold
until the report on the case has beer. COM
pleted for presentation to the House. This
report Is to ne drawn by Representative
Palmer OF Pennsylvania, chairman of the
subcommittee which took the testimony in
the case. OF this subcommittee. Messrs
Palmer and Clayton of Alabama reported
to the full committee in favor of impeach-
ment while Representative Gillett of Coli
fornia reported against it. Mr.. Palmers S
report Will De prepared TINS week.
Method Of Procedure.
Ii the IL Juse votes to impeach Judge
Swayne two of it's members will be -ap
pointed formally to notify the Senate, be-
fore which body, sitting in a judicial ca
pacity, the case must be tried. The case
against Judge Swayne would be conducted
by six managers who would be members
of the House. elected by that body by bal
ha Wn Ind Sxxyax- a tor hG
case has been presented to the Senate by
these managers will be given an opportun-
ity to present his side of the case.
Only three federal judges have been i'm
peached. These were Judge Pickering OF
New Hampshire who was impeached for
giving up the bark Eliza to her owner
without taking proper bond, after the bark
had been seized Cor smuggling being drunk
and using profane language on the bench
Judge Chase Of Pennsylvania was i'm
peached for refusing to allow a lawyer to
address the court or the jury on a question
of law which he already had decided Judge
Peck of Missouri. who was the last judge
impeached, was charged with improperly
striking the name of a lawyer from a roll
of attorneys for contempt. James Buchan-
an was one of the managers on the part
of the House III this trial.
The proceedings against Judge Swayne,
if carried to the Senate. undoubtedly will
delay for several weeks the adjournment
of the present session of Congress. If the
penalty attached TO the decision is the loss
of his judgeship
Impeachment Cases.
The following is a list of impeachment
eases prosecuted in the Congress of the
United States:
First-William Blunt, Senator of the
United States from Tennessee. Violation
of the neutrality laws of the United States.
Second-John Pickering, district judge,
New Hampshire, 1904. Malfeasance in Of
flee by imprisoning for contempt of court
an attorney who reviewed in newspaper
a decision of the judge.
Third-Samuel Chase, associate justice OF
the Supreme Court of the United States,
lS04-J. Malfeasance in office.
Fourth-James Peck, United States dis
trict judge for Missouri 1S25-1S31.
Fifth-West W. Humphreys, United States
district judge for Missouri 1S25-1S31. Ad-
vocatng secession and giving aid and COM
fort to the confederacy.
SiXth-AndreW Johnson. President of the
United States. Fortieth Congress, 1865.
Seyenth-William w. Belknap. Secretary
of War. First session of the Forty-fourth
Congress- 1876.