New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-12-13
H. will startle Europe by making another
memorable speech.

H. will startle Europe by making another
memorable speech.
The onpointment of Mr. j. c. Bancroft Davis,
| IN he Judge of the Court of Claims, is certainly
ono of the best President Hayes has made.
| The Court of Claims is in need of new blood
| and the appointment of such men as Mr.. DAVIS
| in place of those Judges who are now retlrng
after many years of faithful service, will give
il an energy which it needs. Mr.. Davis comes
to his place with an extended and valuable eX-
pe1cnce of public life, and the Senate Will no
doubt recognize his fitness.
Both sides of the Silver question are well
sustained to-day, on another page. Professor
Summers contribution to the debate Is PLAIN,
practical, and convincing talk to the students
of Yale. not at all encumbered with technicall-
ties. and dealing with both the moral and
| commercial aspects of the case; ThuIIow
! Weeds letter reviews the controversy IN the
light of the Presidents Message and Secretary
Shcrman's report, and crticizes the conclusions
of both.
So Mr.. Hewitt is not Chairman of the Pacific
Railroads Committee, after all, but Mr.. Throck-
morton Is. and Mr.. ThrOckmort0n IS the most
conspicuous friend Of the Texas and Pacific
subsidy in Congress. 1t may be that Speaker
Randall Did not know this would happen when
he made Mr. Hewitt member of the commit
tee. and that he sincerely believed an opponent
of subsidies would be placed at its head. 1t
nav be. too that Speaker Randall and the
Texas and Pacific Road understood each other
The Speaker preserves his straddle undisturbed,
and the railroad gets just what 1t wanted.
This looks like a comfortable situation, and
suggests the wel-worn remark that Mr.. Ran
dali was not bonn yesterday.
MONT. evidently considered of Importance
| bv the counsel for the contestant in the Van
! do11,iIt will clse. WAS decided against them
Yesterday by Surrogate CALVIN. They wished
| 10 show the Commodores belief in clairvOy-
ancc. and his alleged declarations Of regret at
having made the will, as proofs Of weakness Of
mind. but the Surrogate decided that the ey-
idonce on both points was too remote from
the date of the will to affect the question OF
his capacity at that time, and cJuld not be
admitted. This may not be q serious check
for the contestant, but it is the first repulse Of
the tral, and excludes evidence which Nh.
Scott Lord made good deal OF in his OPEN
ing speech.
Both houses of Congress yesterday directed
their Committees on Presidential Elections TO
take into consideration, also, the length Of the
Presidential term. The resolution OF Mr.. Ed
munds. in the Senate was Of wider scope,
however than that Of Mr.. Hunton, IN the
House. and included the duration of the term
of the Vicc-Prcsident, and the best man
ncr OF elcctng both officers. 1t is to be
bored that the work which has been assigned
TO these committees will be dispatched as rap
illy As its nature will allow. There is not
much time to lose, if their labors are 10 be of
any value in preventing complications in
! the next Presidential contest. The last
| campaign continued so long and ended
SO recently that probably it Is not
realized by the general run of people that
in two and a half years the National Conven-
ions win be meeting again, and another PrcSi-
DENTAL campaign will be upon Us. The present
session ought not to be allowed to close with
out reaching some result in this matter.
An important decision WAS reached yester-
day in the suit of the Receiver Of the Third
! Avenue Savings Bank against one Of the
trustees, on a bond given by Che whole num-
Der for 100000. The defence was
I
| that there was no consideration for the bond,
but that it was merely a voluntary promise,
the bank giving nothing, the persons
who signed receiving nothing, though the
bond was counted, as the prosecution showed
among the assets Of the bank Judge Van
Bmnt directed verdict for the plaintiff,
chiefly on the ground that this was not an
entirely voluntary bond, and not the sort
of promise the defence claimed it was.
/ This is decision of great importance to the
| injured depositors of the Third Avenue Savings
| Bank-if the trustees are men from whom
100000 can be rccovered for it will then
put that sum Of money into the pockets of
men and women who were foully robbed and
outrageousy deceived. 1t will also induce
greater caution on the part of trustees in sign
ing harmless bonds that are only intended as
t,attar Of form and i'm swearing to the exist