New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-08

aroused 10y the scandalous seizure cases in
| New York, and it is intensified just now 10y
| the unpleasant spectacle in Boston. We hope
there will be a full attendance at the meeting
to-day, and a vigorous expression of opinion
Such a long-continued spell of warm and
rainy weather as the present rs almost unpre-
cedented. The early Winter storms invariably
cleared into mild weather. and January has
so far been wet and warm. The rain has ex-
tended over New-York, New Jersey, virginia.
and Pennsylvania, and frcshets must be ex-
pected in that region In this city, where we
have had cOpOus rainfall. the streets have
been fairly cleansed for the first time since
the Summer if we had had more snow on the
ground these floods would have left the city
in wretched plight
| There seems to be no possible remedy for
the constructive speech making which Con-
| gressmen 80 much affect. The abolition OF
| The Congressional Globe was expected to dry
up this stream of fraudulent eloquence but
| it runs on just the same as ever The Civil
Rights debate in the House has been heavy
tax on the patience of some of the members
| and not few have obtained leave to
print speeches which were never delivered
This is a great shame, and the fact that
nobody has had the moral courage to object
| to this expensive sham OratOry is discoura-
! gingly characteristic of the Wh"l" hnainess
| The debate in the Senate on the Salary bill
| proceeds with the lofty deliberation and calm
superiOrity to popular clamOr that might be ex-
e aIy
years instead of twO Still, there is a very
perceptible difference in the treatment OF the
question by different Senator's Mr.. Ferry
of Connecticut, for instance, proposes to vote
against the repeal bill and all its amendments,
and says he is tired of all this talk about
Congress being the servants of the people. Mr..
Ferry has five years to serve. Mr.. Carpenter, on
the other hand, is quite ready and anxious to
vote for the repeal, though he supported and
defended the original bill. Mr.. Carpenters
term expires next year. He is MT tired of it
at all. .
According to the reports from the Heads of
the Executive Departments. there is not much
hope of considerable reduction of national
expenses The Secretary of the Navy, while
he awaits with resignation and patience any
cutting down which Congress may insist
upon, makes protest against retrenchment In
the navy. The Postmaster General is equally
clear that the service which he has in charge
cannot be conducted for less money than he
asks. The Secretary of the Treasury seems to
resent the suggestion that any reduction can
be made in his estimates, though MIR. Mullett,
Superintendent of Treasury Buildings, shows
that Sc 900, 0OOmay be saved by suspending build
ing operations. Something like this general re-
port has been received from other branches of
the public service. The result is not cheerful.
Congress knows by this time, however where
to put the scalpe. Let us see if it will have
the courage.
Mr.. Williams at last relieves the President
and himself by requesting the withdrawal
OF his nomination for the Chief-Justiceship.
Ii is wise thing to do, and it would have
been wiser if done earlier Mr.. Williams, how
ever. certainly appears to greater advantage in
the whole transaction than the President TWAS
natural enough that, when he found himself
nominated for the highest Judicial position IN
the country, for position when 10 the
dav-dream of every ambitious lawyer, the goal
of the life struggles of the greatest men In
the profession, he should not be unwilling to
exhaust every chance of securing the coveted
prize. That the President should appoint such
a man at all-and say this solely with
reference to his standing in the profession and
intellectual rank, not at all in consequence of
the recent charges against him - dis
PLAYED an utter lack Of comprehension
of the responsibilities of the appointing power.
or of what was due either to the exalted place
or to the American people. We sincerely hope
that the President may have learned some
thing by the experience and that we need not
now be taught, on finding out who is his
second choice, to deplore the withdrawal of
his first.