The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-18
JUDGE PARDEE WRITES
 LETTER ID GROSVENOR
Defends Judge swayne From Charges Made Against Him and Says the Whole Thing Is Based on
 Partisan Feeling.

Washington, January H.-With an agreement reached to vote on the Swayne impeachment articles tomorrow at S:9O the debate today was carried on at high pressure for more than five hours. MT. Grosvenor furnished the text for a very vigorous speech by Bourke Cochran by the reading of a letter from Judge Pardee of New Orleans, declaring that politics was at the bottom of the impeachment proceedings. The fact of judge trans hitting such a letter. MT. Cochran de- clared dramatically. was "a monstrous spectacle"
 Mr. Grosvenor asserted that there was no ground presented for impeachment in the report of the committee. The other defenders of the Florida judge during the day were Messrs. Lacey of Iowa, Nevin of Ohio, Moon of Pennsylvania and Crum- packer of Indiana. MT. Lamar of Florida closed the debate for the day reviewing the sentiment of his state and the record of Judge Swayne He declared there was ample ground for impeachment.
 Grosvenor Speaks for SWayne.
 MT Grosvenor of Ohio began a speech In behalf of Judge Swayne by the state ment that he had never been so much shocked as to the status of t--s law pro- fession as he had been at some of the expressions of bad temper and bad propo- stions that had been made in the debate eGentlemen who have argued for the persecution. " he continued, have given out in advance that there was nothing to consider that was not contained in the report in the case. Yet I submit that nine-tenths of the argument has not been made on matters contained in the record. As an illustration, MT. Grosvenor read from speech that had been made, con- taning this language:
 'The track of this man has been mark e1 by bankruptcies, scandals and sui cides. believe he las not a friend on earth in the state of Florida"
 MT. Grosvenor had read a letter from Judge Don Pardee of the Fifth circuit of the United States circuit court of ap- peals, dated at New Orleans March 24, 1904, addressed to MT. Grosvenor, and marked personal and confidential"
 In 1t Judge Pardee expressed surprise that the House committee on the judic- iary voted "six democrats and two re- publcans'' to present articles of inn u achment against Judge Swayne. He reviews the circumstances of Judge swayne's appointment l. the early part of the Harrison administration, and fol- lowing an election in Florida in which + was reported generally believed that gross frauds had been perpetrated against the republican party. Judge Swayne had told him that 1t was the de- sire of the administration that those de rl1n ha ceeded against. It was then regarded as hazardous for Ju<ge Swayne to travel about the district and from that time oe Judge Swayne was persona non greta t, the democrats of Florida.
 Changed His District.
 oFollowing this unpopularity," the let ter continues Judge Swaynes district was changed, largely for the purpose of punishing him. The change of the dis trict resulted in his being, as 1t were busted out of his district"
 He says that Judge Swayne immediate 1, set about obtaining a new residence within his district w.-ich took four or five years. :, Iudpe Pardee thinks it Ian extraordi- nary hardship cn Judge Swayne to hold him to very rigid compliance with the alleged spirit of section 155 by removing bis residence when Congress saw fit. as
 
 limits of the district for which he was annointed. Being satisfied, as I am, that the original motive of the prosecution is hased on political grounds, and that his district limits were changed to his preJu- dice. I do not thing that a republican should vote impeachment against him."
 Uroes Careful Investigation.
 He next refers to an act of partisan legislature" in Florida passing resolu- tion calling for the impeachment of Judge Swayne on the ground of his absence from his district, incompetency and par tisanship. Judge Pardee says that from l,s acauaintance with Judge Swayne he considers the charge of 'incompetency'' an outrage. He then refers to the ONeal case with the comment that it too was a cause of increasing the unpopularity of Judge Swayne
 The letter concludes as follows:
 ..I have written this long letter because really feel that without the political prejudice against Judge Swayne. there would be no Impeachment, and that in justice to a southern judge. who was republican before he was appointed. and who was appointed because he was a renublican (there are not republican con- eressmen from the south), some of the northern brethren ought to look carefully into the case and be sure that an im- peachment ought to be voted before put ting a judge to the disgrace of an i'm neachment, consequent expense trial and tribulation to himself and family result ing therefrom.
 You are the only congressman that I know well enough to write this letter to. hope, under the many pressing duties and engagements which you have, you will find time to look into the real merits,