judges, in certain cases, upon address of the Legislature to the Governor, for causes not sufficient for impeachment, but it was an endless undertaking to attempt to get rid of an officer in that way, as a dispute always arose on the question, whether the charges were sufficient for impeachment. And, if impeachment were resorted to, it was almost a matter of impossibility to get a sufficient number of the Senate to agree, upon any one charge, to remove an officer. Two-thirds, or three-fourths, or the whole Senate, may vote for his conviction, yet, if they do not all agree on the same point, the judge retains his place. There have been cases in this Commonwealth where more than two thirds of the Senate have voted to convict a judge, and yet he escaped removal. Nay, there have been cases where nearly the whole Senate have voted to convict a judge; yet he escaped ;-and all this because they did not all vote together on any one article of an impeachment consisting of several articles. Now then, he thought it must be evident to every one who had been an observer of what had taken place in this State, that impeachments were wholly useless. He should vote in favor of two thirds, however, because he was unwilling that any public officer should be subjected to condemnation on a charge involving infamy, by a majority of a body which always had been, and always would be influenced, more or less, by political feelings. Mr. BIDDLE would take occasion briefly to answer some arguments from the other side of the House in relation to what was called by gentlemen so emphatically, the people. From what had been said about the people one would suppose them to be some particular portion of the community disconnected from the rest. He would enquire if this was the case? Were the rich to be excluded? Were the aristocratics, as they were called by some, to be excluded? Were the females to be excluded? Mr. B. knew of no such distinctions; all ought to be embraced in the same family, the rich, the poor, males and females. These insidious distinctions were calculated to throw a firebrand into the community and to do great evil. He would yield to no man in the support of the true interests of the people. But he believed the independence of the people depended, in a great measure, on the uprightness and independence of the judiciary. Shall we, instead of having judges looking with an eye single to what was right, just and proper, have them looking to the relative popularity of a particular measure they were about to decide upon? Would you have them looking to the effect the decision of any particular measure was to have upon their popularity before they would decide it? It was because he desired to have the minds of our judges unbiassed and uninfluenced in any manner that he would remove from them all temptation, and put them in a situation not to be operated upon by any under influence, so that they might do simple and exact justice to all. As he did not longer desire to detain the committee, he would conclude by quoting a remark of Chief Justice MARSHALL, which should be refered to and reverenced by every freeman, which quotation was "that the greatest scourge which an angry heaven could inflict upon a sinning people was an incompetent, a corrupt, or a dependent judiciary". Then let us guard our community against this scourge, so, that although the storm may rage without, although the executive may threaten, and the Legislature de nounce, still we may be left in the enjoyment of our firesides, and in the full possession of our rights, civil, religious, and political. The committee then rose, reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again to-morrow. The Convention adjourned. FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1837. The PRESIDENT laid before the Convention the following communication from the Secretary of State and the Auditor General of the Commonwealth, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed. SECRETARY'S OFFICE, Harrisburg, May 18, 1837. SIR: In compliance with a resolution of the Convention over which you preside, we have the honor to transmit the enclosed tabular statement, showing the names, official stations, time of appointment, annual salary, and amount of per diem pay and mileage received within the last year, of each Judge in the Commonwealth. The information relative to the justices of the peace, aldermen, and other judicial officers, requested by the same resolution, will be submitted as soon as the steps which have been taken to obtain it, shall enable us to do so. We are, sir, with great respect, Your obedient servants, Hon. JOHN Sergeant, President of Convention, &c. THOMAS H. BURROWES, |