The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-21

OF representatives decided to impeaCh
him. AS soon as the purpose Of the
house was known to the senate, the
latter body put him under $4,000
bonds to appear for trial. A few days
later. July 9. the senate expelled him;
then his surities surrendered him to
the senate. but he was almost immedi-
ately released on decreased bail.
This all transpired before a bill of
Impeachment had been prepared by
the house. In the next session which
began November - and continued un-
parchment were drawn and passed by
the house. On December "a the ease
was called for trial before the senate.
These proceedings against Blount
served only to increase his popularity
in Tennessee, where soon after his eX-
pulsion from the United States senate
he was sent to the senate Of his state.
He did not appear at the trial. but
was represented by counsel who set
States senator he was not q civil Of
f1cer." and therefore not subject to
Impeachment; (2) that since the sem
ate had expelled him from that body,
he was no longer q senator and there
fore not liable to trial by that body.
The senate sustained the first plea,
holding that a United States senator
10 UOt d CIVIL O1llSCT anu acquitted
Blount for want of jurisdiction.
First Real Trial.
The first real trial. hat is the first
where the senate had jurisdiction, was
that OF Judge John Pickering Of New
Hampshire. Judge Pickering was Il
Harvard college graduate and before
his appointment as judge of the Unit
: ed States district court for New Hamp-
I shire had served as chief justice on
1 thu 0lSrPnnnn horoh ~ thot ototo nm
March 3. 1903. after President Jeffer-
son had sent a special message to the
house of Representatives concerning
the shortcomings Of Judge Pickering.
that body prepared and passed four
articles of impeachment against him.
BY a strict party vote. the federalists
voting in the negative and the demo-
March IL found him guilty and remov-
ed him from Office; but the further
disqualification to hold Office was not
inflicted.
In January Of the next year occur.
red, excepting that Of President An
drew Johnson. the most notable i'm
parchment trial of u history. This
was the trial of Samuel Chase. Justice
Of the United States supreme court.
Chase was q native of Maryland. a
signer of the declaration of independ-
ence. and before his appointment by
President Washington associate justice
Of the supreme court. he had served as
chief Justice Of the general court OF
Maryland. He a a man of high
character. able and learned in the law
and an intimate friend Of Washing
ton.
The articles Of impeachment were
presented to the senate December 2
and on January : the trial began.
There eight articles. These
charged Chase with unjust conduct in
the trial of John Fries In April. 1900.
and ]. T. Calender in a trial for sedi-
ton in May Of the same year. Of UNI
just and arbitrary conduct in urging
an unwilling Delaware grand Jury to
law: and Of highly indecent and ex-
tra-judicial" reflections upon the gov
eminent of the United States before d
Maryland grand jury. This las charge
covered Chase's real offense. The first
seven articles which related to the
Fries and Calender trials were the
fruits of a Jealous committees. work
to cover his past official life.
The trial was most dramatic. John
Quincy Adams in his Memoirs" has
given u most interesting picture of. 1t.
1t is not enough to say that Chase was
Represented by most able counsel, who
proved more than equal to the erratic
Randolph. and when the vote was taxi
en- Chase was pronounced guilty by on
~ q small majority on the third.
fourth and eighth articles. On the
other articles a majority found him
not guilty. As Il two-thirds majority
was not given for m article. Chase
| was cleared on all charges March 1,
1895.
Other impeachments made were
those Of Judge West H. Humphreys. in
1850, when he MAS convicted by a un-
luminous vote; Andrew johnson in
1&67-6S. when he was acquitted: Will
liam w. Belknap in 1876. when he was
acquitted. and Judge Charles Syawne.
In 1909. Swayne ~ acquitted.