The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-12-19
George II. U3Jtius1as.


his chronic blunders in the selection of his
successor. Their worst fears have been
realized by the appointment OF the man
whose name stands at the head of this a.
ticIe. Grant bad glorious opportunity
to meet the popular demand, and he de-
clared on several occasions during the sum
rner that he would do so, and now the
nomination OF George II. WIliiainS, VINO
has no capacity as statesman ana ont
little reputation as a lawyer, is the humli-
iating result. Tho people asked for bread
and our Second Washington has given
them stone. He has distinguished him
self in this appointment quite rs much as
he did in the selection of his first Cabinet,
an executive feat that startled the whole
country If he could not be persuaded by
his true friends to confer the high honor
on either Benjamin r. Curtis, of Boston,
or VIM. NJ. Evarts, of New York, either
Cf whom would have been emiuently ac-
ceptable to the country, he ought not to
have insulted it by the selection of such
man as Williams. 4 President, however,
who could appoint A. T. Ackerman Attor-
ney General was fully capable of making
a Chief Justice out of the most objection
able material. At this writing we have no
news that the Senate has acted on the
nomination, but the presumption is strong
that it will be confirmed.
The subjoined article from the Utica
O5Scrrer Will show our readers ont of what
kind Of material Grant can manufacture
successor to John Marshal, Roger B. Taney,
and Salmon z. Chase:
George H. Williams, of New York, Iowa,
Oregon, Washington, and elsewhere, is
Grants appuintee for the office of Chief j US
tice of the Supreme Court of the United
States. Ifauv theOrist or doctrinaire among
all our readers is inclined to take issue with
the people of our State who lately, by an
overwhelming majority, decided 10 preserve
the elective judiciary, let him look at Will
liams and hold his pesce. For this is the
ripe fruit of the appointive system under
the Oue-nan power and the evil influences
of gross partisanship. 1t will stand as
monumental warning to the Empire State
henceforth and forever.
The new Chief Justice links to the legal
requirements of rural attorney the judi
cial attributes of an average justice Of the
peace, and the blind but chaugeable preju-
dices of a crossroads politician. Circum-
stances have conspired heretofore to give
him places beyond his deserts, and to lift
him above the level OF the class TO which he
belongs. But at each successive stage of
his progress he has betrayed the httleness
of his nature and the narrowness of his in
tellect. While he was the creature of an
hour, liable at any moment to sink into the
iEsignificauce which he graces, his character
called for neither analysis nor criticism
but now that he is clothed with the highest
judicial honors of the republic, we must
needs look at the man before we bow our
heads in shame ar the reproach which this
appointment brings upon the land.
George H. Williams was born in Column
bia county on the 23u Of March. 1898. He
received = common school education, stud
led law, and removed TO iowa, where he
commenced practice. He made an iinmedi-
ate strike for Office, and Joined his fortunes
to the party which happened to be in power
in the State at that time-the Democracy.
IN 1S+T he was elected Judge OF the First
Judicial District The entire voting pOpu-
lation OF Iowa then about equalled that of
Oneida county now, and Williams judicial
District numbered fewer citizens than our
Second y ssembly District. Ia 1852 he lost
his office and cast about for another place.
He served as one of the Presidential electors
who cast the vote of the State for Franklin
Pierce, and Immediately after the Inaugural
ton Of that President he hastened to Wash
ington TO claim his reward. After much i'm
portunity he succeeded in getting himself
appointed Territorial Judg &c of Oregon. He
held the office five years, and then resigned
TO enter more actively into politics. On the
election OF Mr.. Lincoln, Williams of course
became a Republican. Political adventu-
rerS of his class invariably float their ''prin-
Ciplos'' in the current of patronage. In 1865,
in the general scramble for Office which fol-
lowed LincoIn'6 second election, Mr.. Will
liams secured the United States Senator
ship from Oregon. His term expired in
. 1871. and he put forth desperate effort for
/ a reelection, but the feeling against him was
so strong that his party was swept from
+ power and a Democrat was elected to sue
I Ceed him. To heal his wounds the President
! named him as the successor of Judge HOar
. in the Office of Attorney General. There he
disgraced himself by his infamous conncc-
tiOn with the Louisiana outrage. He did
not lack the audacity to acknowledge that
. what he called his construction of law
was made for the benefit or the Republican
/ party but every respectable Republican
! lawyer in the Senate declared last winter
! that this CONSTRUCTION" was not only afro
| cious but absurd. Let us review very brief
/ lv that Louisiana business. On the 4th of
! December 1872, E. H. Durel, a Federal
Judge, issued an order commanding the
/ Federal Marshal to take possession of the
/ State House at New Orleans and garrison
I the same with Federal troops. He then is
/ sued another order, setting forth by name
/ the persons who by his pleasure should
constitute the Legislature. Every white
man in the list was a Federal othce-holder,
and several OF them had not been candidates
before the people. These men took their
seats under the guard of Federal hayonets,
and proceeded to impeach Gov. WarmOth
and to install z. +. S. Pinchback a State
Senator whose term had expired, in the EX-
ecutive chair. The next day, Dec. 6, Geo
II. Williams felegraphed from Washington
that the Government approved this action
and recognized none but the uSurpers. Viii
liamS then proceeded to prepare an ''Opin-
ion, - III which his ignorance of law was
poorly concealed by a food of passionate in
veCtive and partisan claptrap.
And this George II. Williams is the man
( who is to wear the robes OF Marshal, Taucy
and Chase In the language of n Western
contemporary, ''it fatigues the Indignation,
and VIC have nothing more to say.
THE proposal to increase the national