IMMORTELLE 



2935 



IMPEACHMENT 



shadowy forms. Among other people it is be- 

 lieved that the mind and soul improve and 

 develop after the death of the body. With 

 most nations the belief in immortality is as 

 fixed as the belief in a God; in fact, the two 

 beliefs are closely associated in the minds of 

 most men. Joseph Addison, in Cato, says: 



It must be so, Plato, thou reasonest well ! 



Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, 



This longing after immortality? 



Or whence this secret dread and inward horror 



Of falling into naught? Why shrinks the soul 



Back on herself, and startles at destruction? 



'Tis the divinity that stirs within us ; 



'Tis Heaven itself that points out an hereafter, 



And intimates eternity to man. 



Eternity ! thou pleasing, dreadful thought ! 



IMMORTELLE, imortel', from the French 

 word immortel, meaning immortal, is the term 

 applied to various species of helichrysum, 

 which is grown extensively in France, where 

 the flowers are made into wreaths and some- 

 times dyed. Their principal use is for funeral 

 decorations, either in their natural yellow color, 

 or bleached white. The chief characteristic 

 of the immortelle is that which suggested its 

 name ; the flowers retain their natural color in- 

 definitely, and are therefore called everlasting. 



IMMU'NITY, derived from the Latin in and 

 munus, meaning not serving, is exemption from 

 duty or service. In law, immunity is an exemp- 

 tion from serving in an office or performing 

 duties required of other citizens. Immunity 

 also refers to the condition of an individual 

 who is not susceptible to certain diseases. 

 Immunity in persons and animals may be either 

 natural or acquired. Natural immunity is pos- 

 sessed by certain persons, families, races and 

 animal species. Horses, cats and dogs are nat- 

 urally immune from tuberculosis. The Arab 

 is said to be immune from typhoid fever. Ac- 

 quired immunity is a condition resulting from 

 a previous attack of a disease or from innocu- 

 lation. 



IMPEACHMENT, impeech' ment. In Eng- 

 lish and American law, a government official 

 is impeached when an authorized legislative 

 body calls him to account for conduct unworthy 

 of his office, and requires him- to defend him- 

 self against the charges. An impeachment is 

 an accusation only, presented in legal form, 

 and it does not necessarily imply that the ac- 

 cused is guilty. In England the House of 

 Commons makes the accusation, and the House 

 of Lords is the court which tries the case. The 

 most famous impeachment trial in English 

 history was that of Warren Hastings (which 



see), the proceedings in this case lasting eight 

 years. Impeachment in England is now practi- 

 cally obsolete. The British North America 

 Act, the constitution of the Dominion of 

 Canada, provides that judges of the superior 

 courts may be removed by the Crown as a 

 result of successful impeachment by the Do- 

 minion Parliament. 



In the United States, officers of the states are 

 impeached by the lower house of the state 

 legislature and are tried by the upper cham- 

 ber, the Senate. When an officer of the United 

 States government is impeached the accusation 

 must be voted by the House of Representa- 

 tives. The Senate becomes the court of trial, 

 with the Vice-President of the United States 

 as presiding officer, except when the President 

 is tried. The Constitution provides that the 

 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall pre- 

 side at the trial when a President is impeached, 

 as the Vice-President, who would succeed to 

 the office in case of conviction, might not be 

 able to preside without prejudice. The vote 

 of the Senate is taken by putting the question 

 separately to each member, a majority of two- 

 thirds of those present being required for a 

 conviction. 



An officer found guilty under impeachment 

 charges may be removed from office and dis- 

 qualified from holding any other office of honor, 

 trust or profit under the United States. Im- 

 peachment proceedings simply determine a 

 man's fitness to continue in his position of 

 trust; further punishment must be meted out 

 by a regular court of law. 



Ten times in the history of the United States 

 has the House of Representatives voted arti- 

 cles of impeachment: 



(1) William Blount, senator from Tennessee, 

 was impeached on July 7, 1797, for conspiring to 

 wage war with Spain in favor of Great Britain, 

 and for attempting to stir up the Cherokee In- 

 dians against Spain and the United States. His 

 trial lasted from December 17, 1798, to January 

 14, 1799, and resulted in his acquittal. 



(2) John Pickering of New Hampshire, judge 

 of the United States District Court, was im- 

 peached in 1803 for drunkenness and profanity on 

 the bench, and for unlawful decisions. He was 

 found guilty on all counts and removed from 

 office. 



(3) Samuel Chase, associate judge of the Su- 

 preme Court of the United States, was impeached 

 in 1804 for injudicious actions and decisions in 

 several political trials. He was acquitted in 

 March, 1805. 



(4) James Peck of Missouri, judge of the 

 United States District Court, was impeached in 

 1830 for arbitrary conduct while trying a case. 

 In January, 1831, he was acquitted. 



