The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-09

raper article by Luke Edward LaWiess' counsel for the petitioners. Judge Peck haled Lawless before him, sentenced him to serve 24 hours in jail and be disbarred for IS months as punishment for contempt. He was upheld in this by the Senate.
 Judge Humphreys Found Guilty
 For deserting his office as a district judge of the United States in Tennessee, and becoming judge of the confeder- ate states of America, West H. Hum- phreys was found guilty on impeachment charges in June. 1862. He was accused of having made seditious speeches in Nash vile in December. 1S60. and of having "conspired with Jefferson Davis, J. C. Ramsey and others in organized armed rebellion against the United States
 President Johnson's Case
 The first and only impeachment trial of President of the United States was held in 1868, when President Andrew Johnson was called upon to explain charges refiecting upon the Senate. There was bitter feeling between the President and Congress during the early stages of reconstruction, and the executive assailed Congress in scathing terms in many pub lie addresses.
 Notice of the impeachment charges was itttiNEQ III Iht Ctfldlt O. lS6S. A vote was reached three months later, on May 26. and by the narrow margin of one vote the impeachment charges failed. On articles ? and 3 the vote was B to 19 for conviction, a change of one vote would have meant Mr. John- sons removal from office.
 Salmon F. Chase, chief justice Of the supreme court, presided during the trial as provided by the constitution, and i'll lat fe4. to fha fa nn method procedure, he said: All good citizens will ferven;ly pray that no occasion may ever arise when the grave proceedings now in progress will be cited as a precedent, but it is not impossible that such an oc- casion may come.'
 Up to this time the fervently expressed hope of the chief justice has prevailed.
 Removal of Stanton
 The actual charges against President Johnson grew out of his removal or Ed ward M Stanton as Secretary of War on February 2l. 1S6s. He had previously removed Mr. stanton in August, 1867, and his suspension was reported to the sen ate when that body met in December. They refused to confirm this act of the executive, and in the February following President Johnson wrote to Secretary Stanton terminating his duty and direct ing him to transfer the effects of his or flee to Brevet Maj. Gen. Lorenzo Thomas. Adjutant General who was that day ap- pointed Secretary of War.
 This appointment was held to violate the constitution, and an act regulating the transfer of certain civil officers and Of making an adinterim appointment when no vacancy existed. What particularly affronted Congress however, were the speeches which President Johnson made in various parts of the country. These utteranees were said to be intemperate, inflammatory and scandalous harangues,' designed to set aside the authority of Congress and to bring Congress into dis grace, ridicule, hatred, contempt and re- proach.
 One of the speeches complained of was delivered to d committee of citizens who called at the executive mansion in Wash ington. The impeachment articles said the President spoke in a loud voice and ut tered bitter threats and menaces against Congress. At Cleveland, O., on September 8. 1s66 he charged that Congress Is try ing to break up the government" and in a speech in St. Louis on September laid the blame for the New Orleans riot al the door of Congress. The trial created the most intense interest throughout the country, and opinion was sharply divided, and during the course of the trial it was the main topic of conversation north and south.
 Belknap Protected His Wife
 Nine years later, William w. Belknap, Secretary of War, was charged with hav- ing used his high office illegally for his personal financial profit. He appointed one Caleb P. Marsh in charge of the trad ing establishment at the Ft Sill Indian reservation. This office was later farmed out to John $. Evans, who made a con- tract with Marsh to pay him sl2,0o0Sper year for the post, and the evidence was that Secretary Belknap received one-half of this amount
 A pathetic incident of the trial was that the wife of the Secretary of War had en- gineered the deal, and there was some doubt as to his guilty participation. To protect his wife he resigned his office and