The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-14
JUDGE ARCHIBALD
IS FOUND GUILTY
IN IMPEACHMENT
Removed and Barred Forever
From Holding Any FEEDER
al Office
UNANIMOUS VOTE
ON HIS REMOVAL
Division on Disbarment Is
Forty-two to Twenty
He Is Third to Be
Found Guilty

guilty by the senate on five Of The
thirteen articles IF impeachment,
Robert w. Archibald, a Judge of the
United states Commerce court, today
was removed from Office and forever
deprived of holding any office OF hon
or, trust or profit under the federal
government.
The first article OF impeachment.
which accused Judge Archibald of
having tried to force the Erie rail-
road to sell him culm dump after
he had been appointed a Commerce
court judge resulting in an overwhelm-
ing vote OF guilty.
On the final count there was 81 d.
Nersity Of sentiment. caused by the
reluctance Of some senators TO in
clude misdemeanors OF the jurist,
committed while he was q District
court Judge. In the final verdict
against him as Commerce court
Jurtst. @f
Guilty on Five Counts.
Judge Archibald was convicted on
the first, third, fourth, fifth and thir-
teenth articies The vote on the first
article was sixty eight for conviction
and five for acauittal. The third ar
ticie, which charged Judge Archibald
with seeking the acquisition OF a coal
packer containing AZ. 200 tons Of coal
AFpHi tskS t<Sikfkn Nd4ASI railroad.
which was iitigant before the Com
nerce court, resulted In a vote OF
sixty for conviction and eleven for
acduittai
The fourth count, charging Judge
Archibald with conducting private cor
respondence concerning the merits Of
a case before the Commerce court
with a railroad attorney interested
IN *. resulted in a vote OF flfty~two for
conviction and twenty for acouittai
The fifth article was the only one
upon which Judge Archibald was con-
vfrt~d for natsdemeaaors occurring
nrter 10 his appointment TO the Gem
msree court,
In this article he was accused.
while a district court Judge. 81 So
ltciting the Reading railroad in an
effort 10 get IL 10 reseind it's action
FORGETTING a eulm dump lease held by
Frederick Wernke He was found
guilty BY vote OF TtSty-stx to six
The nnai count summarized all Of the
others. and Judge Archibald was found
guilty by a vote OF forty-two 10 TWEEN
~,
Acquitted on Eight.
The eight articles upon which Judge
Archibald secured acauittai were prin-
cipaIiy for offences committed while
q District court Judge. Two Of them
related to q trip TO Europe which was
financed by a railroad magnate and
contributed 20 by the attorneys be-
fore his court.
Senators Catron, Oliver. Paynter
and penrose represented the element
favorinR acauittal These four voted
for Judge Archibald ON every count.
The convicted turist Was not present
IN the court during the vote He re-
fused TO comment upon his conviction
and seemed to take the senate's ac-
ton I'm a. philosophical way.
Removed and Disqualified.
After the senate had voted on the
thirteen articles an executive session
was held and at its conclusion Sena-
ter O'Gorman. of New York. intro
duced an order providing that the
respondent, Robert ". Archibald, for
merry a Judge OF the Third judicial
circuit and later designated for the
Commerce court, be removed from
office and be disqualified forever
from holding and enjoying any Office
OF honor, trust or profit under the
United States"
Senator Oliver. OF Pennsylvania. de-
manded that this order be divided.
The portion removing Judge Archibald
from Office was passed unanimously,
The second section, forever disauali-
Tying him to hold q federal Office,
was passed on yea and nay vote
OF 80 to S5.
Only Two Others Found entity.
. rudEe Ronsfy ", archibald. Of tfse.
Commerce court. was the ninth fed
eral offciar to be inlpeached by the
United States senate since the adop-
ton OF the federal constitution, or
the other eight only two were found
guilty These were John Pickering,
United States district Judge $685. and
West H. Humphrey. also 81 federal
Judge, whom the senate removed from
once In 1869.
The Irregularities of Judge Arch
bald were frst brought TO the atten-
ton OF the government by William
r. Boland, president OF Marion Coal
company, of Scranton. Penn.
Mr.. Boland laid his grievance
against Archibald before President
Taft himself, and he mad little difii-
Guilty In convincing the chief execu-
tive that his charges against the Com
merce court judge should be invesu-
gated.
Attorney General Widkersham was
directed by the president TO make a
thorough investigation into the ac-
tons of Archibald while on the bench,
The former appointed one of his assis-
tants, Wrisley Brown, to make the
Investigation and to conduct the hear
ing for the government before the
house judicial COMMITTEES.
House Votes impeachment.
ON May, 1919. the investigation
was begun. Tho hearings were pub
lie, and on July 3. 1912. Chairman
Clayton. of the house judicial COM
mittee, presented a unanimous report,
demanding that Judge Archibald be
'impeached for misbehavior and for
high crimes and nisdemeanors.
The house voted the Impeachment
OF Archibald and on July j. by a
wote Of 1z3 to / and on July Is. 1919.
the house submitted It's impeachment
charges TO tbs senate The senate
was sworn In on the following day as
H. Ia Y..A