The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-20
SULzER IS EIGHTH
Seven Governors Have Been
Impeached in This Country.
In Only Two Cases Were the
Charges Sustained.
CASE OF GOVERNOR ROBINSON
He Was Tried for Perpetrating
a Fraud.
Secretary of State and the
CASE OF GOVERNOR ROBINSON
Secretary of State and the
Auditor Were Convicted.

! Washington, D. c., Aug. 2O.-Of the
seven governors who have been i'm
peached since the thirteen states be-
. came the United States of America,
two were convicted, one resigned, in
consideration of which act the inn
parchment was withdrawn; the term
of office of one expired and the pro-
ceedings were dropped; one was ac
quilted and the charges against the
seventh dropped.
In 1862 Charles Robinson was gov
ernor of Kansas. The state needed
money for current expenses, and con-
sequently a bond isue of $4,000 was
made. Money was scarce at that
time, the civil war having just started,
and the only purchaser that could be
found was the United States govern
ment. The governor, the secretary of
state, and the state auditor had been
authorized by the legislature to ne
gotiate the sale of the bonds, which
they proceeded to do. The United
States had money in trust for several
Indian tribes, which the federal gov
eminent was authorized to invest
properly.
Robert Stevens, a politician. was
called in by the three state officials
and he agreed to put the deal
Caleb B. Smith, secretary of the de-
partment of the interior. Somehow,
Stevens failed to induce Smith to pur-
chase the bonds, and he then went to
connected by marriage with Caleb
Smith.
Corwin arranged the purchase of
the bonds with the Indian funds. All
of the Kansas representatives in con-
gress approved the deal in writing,
with the exception of Senator Jim
Lane, who objected on the ground
that he feared stevens would use his
commission to buy votes to elect him
self to Lanes seat in the senate. AS
Lanes
his approval, $1,000 was paid his sec
rotary, who procured the senator's
signature by fraud. The legislature !
of Kansas irnpeached the secretary of :
state. the state auditor, and Governor :,
Robinson. The former We're convict |
ed, but Robinson was acquitted. !
Reed of Florida.
a formidab BILE list of charges was
presented against Governor Harrison |
Reed of Florida in 1868 He was
accused of falsehood and lying in Of |
fetal matters, incompetency, un1aw-
fully declaring legislative seats vacant, |
embezzlement from the state treas |
ury, and corruption and bribery in ap-
legislature become that when the
charges of the house of representa- !
tives We're presented to the senate |
only eight senator's were on hand to |
hear the impeachment proceedings.
. The Impeachment automatically |
suspended Reed from office, and Lieu
tenant Governor Gleason was put in
his place. Following the deposition of
the governor. the assembly adjourned
for two months. The senate refused to |
adjourn. and Acting Governor Gleason
adjourned it himself. Gov. Reed,
however, declined to leave his office,
and took the matter to court. The |
court removed Gleason as governor
and reinstated Reed.
The supreme court of the United
States reversed the lower court. and
~
EN-. Two months later the new leg
stature, with all seats filled, dropped
he matter, and Reed resumed his
office.
The impeachment of Governor Will
lam H. Holden of North Carolina. in
December. 1870, was particularly in
eresting. inasnuch as it involved the
LONGS of the famous Ku-Klux Khan.
which had been committing murders
md Whippings in Alamance and Cas-
veil counties. The county authorities
eemed unable to cope with the SIT
lation, or reluctant to cope with it, | ,
md the governor was appealed to.
Governor Holden immediately pro- ]
claimed the two counties in a state of {
and sent troops into the {
district. Col. George Kirk, in charge
# the soldiers, made many arrests.
Nrits of habeas corpus were served {
lpon him. but he maintained that the :
light of ha beas corpus had been suS- {
'ended, and declined to recognize {
hem.
Defied the Court.
In this attitude Governor Holden
him. Even the chief justice
f the supreme court of North Caro-
ina was defied. Finally the adherents
f the Ku-K1ux Khan and opponents
f the governor obtained an injunction l
estraining the state treasurer and the
tate paymaster from paying out
Moneys for the expenses of the troops.
Governor Holden got around this. to
iS tiC<o nfin a Loo CT hx- n is
Missing the paymaSter upon whom the s
1junction had been served, appointing s
mother and having the new paymaster a
ay the soldiers. S
The Ku-Klux Khan was extremely n
owerful. particularly in North Caro- il
ma, during the days of reconstruction. d
orth Carolina probably was the foun- II
ain head of the dreaded K. K. X. f
that it controlled the mem bers of K
lie state legislature. Many of the a
ate senators and assem- blymen were
lemberS of the society, and others T
AIRED not to defy it, knowing only too
ell that many of their constituents
ere members of it. tC
Consequently, Governor Holden was III
npeached and tried. He was acauit- Ill
he counties in a state of instruction, ii
ut was convicted of making unlawful II
rests and of bringing in troops from II
mother state and of violating the writ III
ON office and disqualified from II
gain holding office in North Carolina, II
Powell Clayton was governor of III
rkansaS in 1871. He was impeached III
= the legislature, charged with hav- IL
g, among other things, conspired to III
eprive the lieutenant governor of his III
flee, illegally removing judges from III
flee and illegally filling their places, II
king part in election frauds, and III
it'll having unlawfully issued state III
,nds for the benefit of certain rail- II
ads. lis
Clayton Locked Up. III
In order that the governor might II