The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-01-29
rErom the New York Evening Post.1
Pr3vincialism.

The temper in W hich the nomination of
Mr.. Waite has been received by portion
of the press in the larger eastern cities is
exceedingly ludicrous. Sometimes it was
with a condescending air of acQuleScence,
sometimes with expressions of chagrin or
contempt which scarcely concealed both
ignorance and il-bred conceit. The assump-
ton of such newspapers is that there is not,
ont of Boston or New York, in the whole
country any man learned enough in the law
or exalted enough in character TO occupy the
place of Chief-Jusi Of the United States.
A stranger, on reading their comments,
would suppose that the selection Of that
officer had always been limited to the bar of
New York or New England, while the fact
is that no Chief.Justice has been taken from
this region of country for more than seventy
years, and of all who have served in that
office since the adoption of the Constitution
one only came from New York aud one from
New England. .
It is not an uncommon mistake to sup
pose that notoriety is the same thing as
fame, and nobody falls into that error quite
so often as the class of newspaper men we
refer TO. Not to be known in that compare
lively limited region with which they are
| familiar is not to be known at all and noio-
riety, or even deserved repute there, Is in
their estimation equivalent to universal
| fame. 1t is an egresious blunder, which
&ometimes places those who commit it in
very ludicrons positions, and, which is o.
| much more consequence, lie Ids TO unjust estl-
| mates of men and things. New York is un-
| doubleday the wealthiest, the most popu.
lous, and the most important city in the
Union, and Boston is not less distinguished
& 4, ter1, ph
of her people. Naturally and inevitably,
whoever achieves reputation either for good
or evil in either community becomes known
ing people, for the indefatigable metropoli-
tan correspondents Of the provincial press
are diligent in repeating every item Of intel
Iigence or of gossip that they think will
either instruct or amuse their distant
readers. Indeed, so true is this that
New Yorker who is interested to know
all that is going on at home, but has not
time to read all the city papers, had better
take one of the large and enterprising jour
nails of Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, or
some other western or southern city. He
will, to be sure, be day or two behind
hand, but he will be eminently weil-inform-
ed as TO the affairs of his neighbors. There
is no such reciprocity OF publicity in eastern
newspapers as to the men and affairs OF other
places. As case in point, every step in
TWeel's yillainies, from their first discovery
TO all the minute incidents of his fioal trans
fer to BlackWelps Island, is perfectly IA
miar to newspaper-readers all over the
country who may never see O New YORK
journal: but very few people in this city
either know or care that the treasurer of d
large western city, hitherto proyerbial for
his integrity, is now under criminal lndict.
ment for the embezzlement of several hum
dred thousand dollars Of public money. His
| name aud his crime are familiar to a few mil
lions of western people only; but had his
career belonged to New York or Boston
his notoriety would have been as national as
TWeed's.
All this may be natural enough, but il
may, and sometimes does, lead to false esti.
mates, which discriminating people should
be careful not to make. 1t by no means fol.
lows, for example, that Judge A., because
| he happens to have been the object OF large
public observation in New York, and there.
| fore of the whole country, IS altogether the
superior of Judge B., of Cincinnati or OF
Chicago, in legal knowledge and weight OF
character, because Judge b. is only known
among bis immediate neighbors. 1t Is quite
possible that JudgeA.'s reputation is merely
liactitious, Notwithstanding his great noto'
riety, while Judge BIS local fame may rest
on perfectly solid foundation; and the two
men, could they be placed in positions be.
fore the whole country, where their com
1 parative merits could be fairly tested, woul
speedily change places in national estima.
ton. We are quite sure that We could men ne
ton q dozen men whose names are familiar
here and eyery@h else, from the mere
4 accident OF metropolitan residence, but
who are yet held in no great. estimation
I. By those who know them best; ano
we are equally certain that we could
name others whom q hundred men here
outside of the bar, never heard Of, but who
nevertheless, are certainly known at home to
be lawyers of, great learning, men OF wide
| culture and of the highest character, aud who
are only not universally distinguished fol
want Of opportunity. And this, after OIL, Is
only repeating what Is known to be always
true, that success is by no means In any pro
| fession the test Of merit that those who Ill
the most exalted places are not always those
most capable Of Hiling them, Or that there
were no others quite, as capable Of hlitDe
/ them as they. To make the application, u
by no means follows that The gent enan VINO
yesterday was made Chiei-Jnstice, though
held IN the highest esteem as q lawyer aud
man where he IS known, can be neither
j great lawyer nor q man5o exalted character
I because ne In New York do not happen Il
know much about him. How. do we know
that his name and fame would not have beef
on all men's tongues Ind be happened I!
come 10 New York insIead OF going to Uhi,
forty years agot How. do we know that
ibeing now placed IN high position. he VII