New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-15

way, he had large opportunities to mako hlm-
self useful to the President and the public.
aud do something at the same time for him.
self. lie seized them all. 1t was too large an
arm full. He appeared Cor the President
spoke for him, wrote letters for him, was his
legal adviser. privy counsellor and father con-
fess0r 1t was too much for any one man
to assume. 1t is little more than
year since the President slung him into public
life, fairly striking the country in the stomach
with HIM. lie has been acting ever since as
though he was dizzy, and the spectacle has
been very bewilderinR. This committee il ex-
pected to find out what's the matter with
him.
There was just such man as Stanley Mat
thews in early times in California-a patient,
ploddlng miner, who seemed intelligent and
active, but never had had much luck But
one day he "struck it rich" Instead Of going
to work quietly on his lead, he got excited and
laxative, and skipped round the camp telling
his fellow miners what good thing he had,
and how he was going to work it, and what
he proposed to do with his prospective for
tune. That same night be committed suicide.
When the melancholy intelligence was circu-
lated through the camp. the first thing
that occurred to the honest miners was
that under the circumstances they could
do No less than show their respect
for the usages of civilized society by holding
coroners inquest over the remains. None
of them liked to lose the time, but
all agreed that 1t was very proper
thing to do. and that the sacrifice should
be made. SO they selected a coroner
and a Jury without unnecessary delay, and
hurried inquest was held. The jury looked
at the remains, and then looked at the diggings
the poor fellow had so recklessly abandoned,
and the potentiality Of wealth they contained.
They couldn't understand why he had flung
away such magnificent opportunities, aud at
such time, before he had fairly begun to
work his lead, had committed suicide.
They had no time to make deep scru-
tiny as to his motives, and they were
not familiar with legal forms. They
applied the brief logic of the mining
camp to the situation, and for
verdict rendered this pregnant statement;
Resolved, That the deceased was Id
"foOl." And then, being in a hurry, they
seized their pickaxes and went back to their
work.
Not that we would suggest this brief but
powerful verdict as model for the Senate
Committee. By no means. Perish the thought.
What we mean to say is that Mr.. Stanley
Matthews has reminded us, by the man
ner in which he administered the great
opportunities which came to him with
the accession of his friend to the Presi-
dency, of this unfortunate miner who
couldn't bear prosperity. There is something
too. in the manner of the Senate Commit
tee which has the present services in chargej
the half-dazed way in which the members OF
the committee seem to be contemplating Mr.
Matthews on the one hand and the Administra-
ton on the other, the worry they are in to say =
something appropriate, and their hurry to
saw If and get away, that does somehow
recall the embarrassment of that early coro-
ner's Jury in the mines. But we must not De
understood as intimating in the most distant
and shadowy manner that the terms OF the YER
dict which has been cited could be used with
any propriety, even as the basis OF the COM
mittee's report. Mr. Matthews reminded US
of the miner, and the committee reminds us
of the Jury. That is all. Beyond this the
parallel shall not, with our consent, be
pursued. There are reasons why COM
mittee of the United States Senate should
not make such report. In the
first place, the language, though vigorous and
sincere, would not compOrt with the dignity OF
that body. Then there are other reasons-that
is to say, we presume there are other reasons
though they do not at the moment occur to us