New-York tribune., 1874-01-16
7iPTF TO HIMSELF.


ing upon it for the past week. or. in case that
is hopeless, if the Republican party acquires
any of that information In regard to the Pres
ident's characteristics OF which there IL now
snch an embarrassing richness IL IL scarcely
possible that, in the braying TO which they
have been subjected, some of that folly should
not have departed from them which they have
spoken. if not believed, during the last live
years. The simple truth Ia that ten
Grant is unable, through the very consll-
tution of his mind and character, To make
a proper use of the appointing power
so far rs important civil Offices are concerned,
while he relies upon his own unaided judg-
ment. His enormous majority in 1872. and the
unceasing adulaton of his friends and sup
porters. have succeeded in making mm rely
upon " his own strong common sense more
than ever before, and consult tho opimons OF
others even less than he was formerly III the
habit of doing. His dealing with this most
momentous business of his second term Is
marked throughout by those qualities OF inde-
pendence of judgment and scton which have
been hitherto most admired by his friends.
The insinuation that Gen. Butler or any other
man has had any influence III the ease IL
gratuitous and improbable.
In every stage of the matter the President
has acted upon his own motion. He gave the
refusal of tho place TO Senator Conkling, be-
cause. to use his own expression, Ii was the
"bcst thing in his gift, and he owed more 10
"Conkling in The late campaign than to any
"other man. He then nominated Mr. VII
liams because he was his intimate and truSty
friend When this selection failed 10 he con
frmed through the almost unanimous protest
of the country. he sent to the Senate the name
of Caleb Cushing. Of course he asked no adj
vice about it. He knew so little of the pot-
zeal history OF the country, 80 little OF the ex-
acting dignity of the Office, so little OF the
opinion of intelligent people. and 50 little oi the
wider sentiment of the masses of honest men
everywhere, that it never entered into his
head that any ono conld object to Wr. Gushing
unless it were the personal friends of other
candidates. He seemed to be amazed at the
obstinate opposition tne nomination excited
II seemed to him little less than the result Of
dabolcal instigation. Mr.. Williams and Mr.
Cushing were good enough for hin-it seemed
the extreme Of insOent cOntumacy for any
body else to ask something better. AS long as
there was any hope Of confirming them he
stood by his choice IN spite OF every Objection
Mr.. Williams was withdrawn 1T his own re-
quest In the case of MIR. Cushing trivial
letter to Jefferson Davis decided his fate in
the Senate and i'll the Executive Mansion. So
trifng fact as this, which was treated with
injudicious contempt both by the President
and by Senator COnkling when first brought
a.. l.: in, If Mr.
Cushing impossible, and was used by Gen.
Grant as prctext for Withdrawing IT. A fact
like that was one which the President could
appreciate. Mr.. Gushing had written letter
TO Jefferson Davis, which was of no conse-
auence whatever except rs showing a state OF
mind and conscience better shown in thou
sand different ways, and this trivial piece
of paper weighed more III the Senate and
finally with the President. than the whole life
and notorious character of Mr.. Cushing. Gen.
Grant was blind to the facts known to all
men of ordinary information; that MIR. Cnsh-
ing was not II man of settled convictions; that
he had been consistent in nothing but incoD-
sistency; that he was the leading man IN the
North up to the war; III support OF the viO-
lent and illegal pretensOns of the South !;
that he had AS Attorney General used all his
ability and adroitness to give the sanction Of
law TO the rihDg of the mails and the
profauation of free soil by slavery that
when the war broke ont he was not trusted
enough for his own State to use his prOflered
services that he did not. and never could,
possess the confidence of the country as man
of pure mind, strong conscience and inilexibe
moral integrity This Gen. Grant did not
know, did not care TO know, and could not be
taught. But he could see that letter TO
Jefferson DAVIS would prevent his cOntrma-
ton. and so withdrew the nomination.
JJp to this time he has been steadily consist
ent so far as we may Judge from the mt
nations which reach us from Washington, he
is likely to continue to- he true to himself.
The natural antipathy which he cherishes to men
of elevated character, high culture and self
respecting manners, has been enyenOmed by
recent events to such a point that of all his
surrounding no one now dares to mention to
him the names of any of the great jurists of the
country who alone are fit for the place of Chief
Justice. They have done nothing to deserve his
resentment Most Of them are his friends and
the supporters of his Administration. But
they are not of his personal following, and his
whole nature revolts against the praises with
which their names have been repeated to him
during the last month. "The country has had
"enough of these men," he said the other day,
with naive indignation. He probably proposes
to give the country some name less hackneyed
by repetition. 1t cannot be denied that We
await his next nomination with some anxiety,
but there is no further room for surprise.
THE CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SCRVEY.
The Legislature of California now in session
has duty before it, in the proper perform