February 1875 Radical Republican Louisiana Legislature Attempts to Impeach Judge James E. Trimble of Union Parish Louisiana Submitted by: Shawn Martin Date of Submission: 12/2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== February 1875 Radical Republican Louisiana Legislature Attempts to Impeach Judge James E. Trimble of Union Parish Louisiana From the New Orleans "Times", issue of Friday, 19 February 1875 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== NOTE by T. D. Hudson: This article describes actions of the Radical Republican Louisiana Legislature on Thursday, 18 February 1875. The impeachment attempt of Judge Trimble of Union Parish was motivated by his arrent and conviction of United States Army officers who illegally arrested and mistreated leading citizens of northern Louisiana in an attempt to intimidate Democrats from voting. Trimble was himself a Republican, but not a "Radical Republican" as were those in control of the Louisiana state government at that time. Ultimately, the attempt to impeach Trimble failed, and the following year, the Louisiana Legislature passed a resolution expressing their confidence in Trimble. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== RADICAL LEGISLATURE. HOUSE. At half-past twelve the presence of a quorum was announced and business was proceeded with, Mr. Hahn in the chair.... Impeachment of Judge Trimble. Mr. Ray presented the annexed affidavit, which was read, and then moved the adoption of the following resolutions: I impeach Judge Trimble for issuing at Homer, on the 24th of October last, a writ unknown to the law, with the intent and purpose of forcible interference with the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States, in the Eleventh Judicial District. I impeach him for the issue at Vienna, on the 5th of November last, of an order of his Eleventh District Court, directing the arrest, for contempt, of Edgar Selye, Deputy United States marshal, and B. H. Hodgson, Lieutenant 7th U. S. Cavalry; said order including statements as of facts; known to said Trimble to be false and said Selye and Hodgson having, as said Trimble well knew, committed no contempt of said court, and this for the purpose, as I allege, of forcible interference with said Salye and Hodgson in the performance of their duties as officers of the United States, and for the protection of notorious offenders against the laws of the United States. I impeach him of charging the Grand Jury of the parish of Jackson, at the November term of 1874, to find true bills against United States Commissioner Jewett and Deputy United States Marshal Selye for the crime of “kidnapping” one L. G. Sholars, at Vernon, in said parish, on the 29th of October preceding; for allowing said Grand Jury to find such bills and for the issue of warrants for the arrest of those officers on said charge, said Trimble well knowing the removal of said Sholars from the parish of Jackson to have been a lawful arrest by said Selye, upon a warrant of said Commissioners, and this for the purpose of protecting criminals and of oppressing faithful officers of the law for the lawful discharge of their duties. (Signed) J. W. Hamson. Subscribed and sworn before me this 16th day of February A.D. 1875. P. G. Deslonde. Secretary of State Resolved, By the House of Representatives of the State of Louisiana, That James E. Trimble, Judge of the Eleventh Judicial District, be and that he is hereby impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors in office. 2. Resolved, That a committee of five members of this House be named by the Speaker to proceed to the Senate of Louisiana, and at the bar thereof, to announce that this House doth impeach James E. Trimble, Judge of the Eleventh Judicial District of the State of Louisiana, of high crimes and misdemeanors in office, and demand that the Senate take order for the trial of said Trimble, and for his appearance at the bar of the Senate to answer the impeachment of this House. 3. Resolved, That a committee of five members be named by the Speaker to prepare particular charges against James E. Trimble, Judge of the Eleventh Judicial District of the State of Louisiana, impeach by this House of high crimes and misdemeanors in office, and that such committee have power to send for persons and papers. The yeas and nays having been taken, a majority voted for the resolution, but before the result was announced Mr. Hahn changed his vote from yes to no, because when he voted for the resolution he supposed the purpose to be to appoint a committee to take evidence and ascertain if the Judge ought to be impeached, but, instead of that, without any investigation, the resolution was an impeachment itself. Upon this explanation, a large number of those who had voted in the affirmative changed their votes from yea to nay. While these changes were making, Mr. Ray remarked that Gov. Warmoth was impeached exactly in the way there solution proposed to impeach Judge Trimble. In reply to a question from a member, the Chair, Mr. Souer, stated, in substance, that it was for the senate, on the trial, to hear evidence. Thereupon several who had changed their votes returned to the original “yea,” and the resolution was adopted—yeas 34, nays 21. ############################################################# File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/union/newspapers/articles/1875impeachment.txt