Wilmington journal., 1874-01-09

General Siclllas has resigned his place
as Minister to Spain, aud that Mr.. Caleb
Gushing, Attorney General Of the
United States under President Pierce's
Administration, has been appointed to
take his place.
There are many things worthy of
note in the change made by The Amer
lean Government in the person Of its
representative at Madrid. In the first
place, Sickies IS q man whose private
character makes him a disgrace to the
country that has so long maintained
him in high official position. Nor is
he q man ofany attainments. save those
OF the demagogue Of the lowest and
most corrupt order It is needless to
go into the details of the infamies of
Daniel +. Sickles, for the whole coun-
try knows them. This is the man who
with his Whole history known, has
| been permitted hy President Grant to
represent the Government of the
United States for years in Spain.
| Who is lis successor? He is q man
who, in point Of ability at least, and
who, from his experience and familiar
lty with the duties of the position, has
probably few equals in the country,
and one, too. whose private character
during 4 long life has been stained by
no act Of personal dishonesty. \ more
striking contrast than that which ex-
lists between III. Gushing and his pre-
decassor, cannot well be imagined.
And VII 3oas the change portentl?
| Pre- i,!e:ft g.. -i,t Las l,y 10 means been
acrris;2.n, i - ;'@,jnt men Of ability
and experience AMI un*rllI;cd private
character 70 cGior What does it mean?
Ia5 The Hrcs;laut ana his incompe-
| tent Htl,itet gotten the country into
''deep wafer in the complications
with Spain, growing out Of the Vir-
ginius capture and massacre? Docs
the ominently inefficient Secretary OF
State confess that he has gotten be
yoni his depth There must have
been some strong and strange innu-
who had only Il few weeks ago nuili-
mated Attorney General Williams TO be
Chief Justice OF the Supreme Court of
the United States, t. induce him to
appoint Caleb Cushing to I,a Minister
to SPAN. It was q strong AM strange
influence that was brought to bear on
the man who appointed s5icllles 10 he
Minister to Spain, that induced him to
appoint Cushing to be his Successor
But whatever may have been Sici,les'
crimes or his blunders, it must be al
mittel that he is in 10 way Responsible
for the b!underS OF the Federal Gov
ernment III the matter Ct the NirGiniu5
capture ana massacre. Whatever OF dis
grace Of whatever OF credit may attach
thereto belong; not to s5icIlles, hut 10
Mr.. Secretary Fish. Ii there be any
credit Il 10 10 The prevention cf the
egreaa % 4 foreign w::r vessel. by the
aec:I,antal' sinking Of 4 coal harE5r
at the month Of a dry dock, il 4
friendly port into which it had gone
for needed repairs IN time Of peace, IS
iii the ease OF the Spanish vessel now
in New York llarhD", the credit IS due
not to s3;cs!es. \ moro thoroughly
YANKEE" trick was never prrpa!ratrd.
Nor IS 1t h. b. supposed that the sinl-
ing Of the EirGiuiui on Frying Pan
Shoals, Just whom the Spanish Gov
ernment having caught Mr. Fish in itS
trap, demands the return nf that vessel,
is any of Siclles' work.
Eat this last is no now trick. HIr.
Fish may have learned The dodge
from his iiIustrou5 prnleees,or. Mr..
| Seward, un;lar whose admins istrat;on
| the Confederate cruiser, the Florida,
was sunk in oriav +, avoid complying
with the demand Of tie rraui!iaH Gov
| ernmeHt for its surrender. Verify, it
| would indeed seem that the time had
come when I" the greatest govern -nent
the world ever saw, should resort to
! something else than tiisgraceful Yankee
| tricks to settle or to avoid the settle
ment of matters in dispute between it
and other governments.
But even with the admitted ability
and the admitted experiences, and the
admitted personal integrity of Mr..
Gushing, it may Wei be doubted
whether lie is the right man to extri-
cate the country from its present dis
graceful position. Mr.. Gushing lacks
stability OF character, or rather has for
years sunk his own individuality in
that of any client who might employ
him. \ familiar instance of this wi |
occur to our readers as they recall the
fact that he gave an opinion that Gen
eral Abbott was entitled to the seat in
the United States Senate, now Occll-
pied by General Ransom. Mr.. Cush-
ing works emphaticalIy for his client
and as vet we know not whether i'll the
matter in which he is now engaged he
considers the country his cliet, or
whether he considers himself respon-
sible to President Grant and Mr.. Sec
retary Fish. If he considers Grant his
employer, Mr.. Gushing will work for
Grant and according to orders. If he
considers the country his employer he
will work for the honor Of the country.
We shall see what we shall see.
CAROLINA CENTIsA.. RAILWAY.
We learn from President Roberts
and Nicc-President Martin, who
have Just returned from New York,
that the President and Directors
of the Carolina Central Railway have
been successful in their financial negO-