Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-01-14
Tho Chlef-justiceship.

Political circles was never murc deeply acitatcd |
than since the nomination Of Caleb Gushing for
the high position of ChefJ ustice of the Supreme
Court of the United States, by President Grant
ON this appointment the great leaders Of tEr Re
publican party are arrayed against e"ch o'"'i Hhd
stand at iaggers' points
Men who bat few days since weic inhdin-
glove and thrusting kindly regards for eaol other
before the public have all st once iourd their
ideas differ as widely as the polls upon tie 1ues
ton of the political status of Mr.. Cushing.
Mr. Forney, of the Philadelphia Irr'', certain
w entitled to as much respect and influence III the
Republican party, if great service Is allowed TO
have weight as any gentleman in II, takes strong
and open ground in favor Of tha confirmation
and assures his readers that Mr.. Cushing has all
the qualifications for tho elevated position 10
which the President wishes 10 ~. ign Lin.
On the other Land, Mr.. Thullow Weed. very
Nestor in the Republican party, who has from ITS
earliest existence welded mighty influence with
its members on every great question that has
arisen, also veteran editor, has tcen visited hy
areporter of the Tribune, and has authorized his
opinion of the nomination to be made pubic.
Mr. Weed was round in unusually good health,
and appeared quite strong and hearty. lie sad
that he must confess the first information OF Mr..
Cushing's nomination struck him with regret and
mortncation. lie believed 1t was nomination
unftt TO be made Bad as was the nomulti ION OF
Attorney Cieneral Williams, and he Judged OF HAT
manly from the newspapers, having no personal
acquaintance with the Attorney General, the sec
oud nomination was much worse. II was with
the utmost reluctance and siueerest regret that he
said il, Tor it seemed reflection ON President
Grant which he was far from in,endin..
Mr.. Weed has frequently converscd with Mr
johnson on the current events OF political int4tts
aGrlng his administration, aud had meyer leit Ills
presence without being deeply impressed Will
LIS wisdom ana honesty; vet within week alter
ward some &C, was p-rpetratcd by the adiniuistra
ton entirely lnconsstcni with the Views thu Pres
ident had then expressed He always lei, snr,
on such OCCASION that ths Presider; had lest hi
temper.
1t was on q similar hypothesis alone that th'
nomination Of Caleb Gushing could be accounte,
tor. II was grave error into winch Prcsdtn
Grant had been betrayed by little heat, anu lii
Senate must remedy 1t al once. The mere nomi
nation Of such a III n to SO high iudcisl otic
had injured tnr Administration ana the count =
aud his continuation by the Seuate wou.d max
the Injury las,n 2 one. All Mr.. Cusbmg'e au
teced-nts were opposed 10 the TIuc pie9 uf th
Republican party, and his nopInatIon n.ss unit
TO the many competent rneu oi the parry whOI
the President misnL Lave selected. There ha
BEEN only two occasions on which he NJ Weed
had felt painful solcitude for the safety OF IL
zation prevailing IN influential crcles-iilst, " he
1t seemed probable that Massachusetts, which Il
regarded ss the anchor Of the L ion, night cieC
Benz imiu 7. Butler, fresh from voting for Il
"SaldTy Grab" bill, ss her Governor, and secon,
ly, When ii was seriously cor ecturcd that u
people OF the whole country would Ie.oiect al
man President tor third term.
He hoped 4 returning coolness OF mind al
sound sense on the part OF III resident Gram, W hl
should NANTES, itself by wIthdra val Of q
nom mnatl n OF Mr. Gushing, or the frln refusal
the Senate 10 contrun the nomination, ould sa
the country from third occasion of painful SC
citude equally as dlscouraging as the other two
Again we find Mr.. Sumner, who has been la
~ Que of the most determined opponents of t
President expressing his delight with the non
nation, which is said to have been made at I
suggestion Of Ben Butler. And here may
propriately quote a correspondent Of Republic
paper, as follows:
"I give the gossip of the capital for what it
worth. People breathed freely at the exodus
Williams. But the Cushing revelation was
greater shock than If one hundred landaulets h
driven straight out of the Treasury into every
reau in Washington.
Cushing, the man who went for jeff Davis
the Charleston Convention, and famed at Ba
more reiactisl9 at the prospect OF the brave DoI
las for President; Gushing, the ro-slayery d
eater, so many y.tmes disembowelled (figurativ,
tpeaking) by Wendell Phillips; Gushing to rd
around In the space once filed by Marshall,
Tauey, and by Chase
Washington was struck eumb.
The Chronicle (owned by saint like Harlan, !
wearing the Senatorial purple for Iowa., foam
at the mouth; it piled Pelion upon Ossa OF deia
alton and discomfort. Four editorials in ono
brsathed destruction to Cushing, 1t speaks th
u 10 not probable that the Senate will adv