New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-07

The announcement that If judge Williams ~
finally abandoned by the President Senator Will
offer a bill to abolish the office of ChefJustioe as
Presidential appointment to spare Gen. Grant " the
notification of sending in second name. Illus
trates the depth Of flunkeysm which per-
yades certain cliques. in Washington. IL
the President should appoint George Francis
Train a Regent of the Smithsonian Institute
or his son General of tho Army-nothing would
astonish the people now--and the Senate should
refuse to confirm, no doubt some obliging Senator
would move to abolish the Smithsonian. or to dis
band the army, in order to spare Gen. Grant the
"mortiication &C., &c, II Gen. Grant has made
mistake, and that to put it mildly, is the general
impression, We sec no good reason why he shouId
not confess it. Washington himself suffered
reversal Of his Judgment in this very
matter OF Chief-J Justice. and President
Grant surely would not claim an infallibility not
awarded to our first Executive. And, then, there
are two sides to the business of modification" IL
the President had been anxious to spare the peo
ple the modification" they have endured. as his
faithful Senatorial guard is to render him like
service the nomination would never have found its
way to the Capitol
There ia no talk more tiresome than that which
has to do with the salon in America. There is no
salon here; every house containing clever. we'll
bred. hospitable family has the sdlos- But
for the French salon proper. the result Of
centuries of cultivation, w.t. ease, idleness. CASTE
habit of society, and money - that 10 another
thing 1t is out of all character with the age and
conditions of the countryit does not suit with the
American mind Practical, disposed to religious and
political clques. fond Of wealth, our countrymen
and women are far enough from the establishment
of salons. As for our literary people, there is too
much hard work and too little equality OF riches
among them to permit them to organize society
anew. The salon is rather system than an instance
and il is beyond the power Of the comparatively few
who have all the good gifts of social and inteuec-
tual pishments, leisure. and money. to set up
system. While it is getting ready to como two or
three hundred years from now, it may be just 40
well to stop talking about it. and to rest contented
whenever we can have it with what long ago was
the chief delight of wise old Michael de Montagne
The conversation OF sincere and ingenious men.
and Of beautiful and well-brcd women"
II the bill of Mr.. Stevenson is passed, providing
that busts of the late Chief-Justlces fancy and
Chase shall be placed in the United States Supreme
Courtroom in the Capitol We would like to believe
that measures will be taken to order them from
capable artists. II would be humiliation 10 the
Court and the Bar to throw this matter into the
active competition of the Washington lobby
sculptors In the case OF ChefJust Chase there
would be no excuse for such action. Mr.. Thomas ID.
Jones several years ago modelled bust of Mr. Chase
which was afterward put in marble under the care
of Mr. Hiram Powers aud which has been accepted
nv his family the most satisfactory portrait OF bm
ia TX istenco IL would bo wautOn outrage % put
s"s '"iar"r work ia tho Suoroas Court ROOM.