The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-02-26
TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
THE GALL.
Which COnkIing's Nomination
EXcttes ia the Breast of
WhiteIaW Reid.

New York. 25.-The Tribune has the
following remarkable editorial: Guiteau
has made supreme judge as well as q
president. and he ia not hing. There is
not . human being in the country so
ignorant IS to believe that Roscoe COnk-
ling would have been awarded the
highest judicial Office in the gift o: the
President, if the cold blooded assassin
had not frat murdered the Presldent,
whom the people elected. For that hor-
rible murder no man living is thought BY
the people Of the United States more
responsible than Cenkling himself. The
President gave him fve-sixths Of the i'm
portant patronage Of this state; he de-
manded it ell. On the nomination of q
single man, whom he disliked, he de-
clared war upon the Administration,
fought it in the Senate till he found the
struggle hopeless, then betrayed his
party, and threw the Senate into the
hands of the opposition by resigning,
and then asked the state of New York to
return him with letters Of msrque as a
licenced privateer, to wage war on his
own people Conkling was beaten in his
own state in the contest he invited,
overwhelmingly, hopelessiy, diigrace-
fully beaten. A legislature of his own
creatures dared not re-elect him. The
people Of the state vera a hundred
to one against him. When he returned
defeated from Albany he could not have
been elected road supervisor or justice OF
the peace in the strongest Repu blIcsn
county of The state. Then Guiteau stele
behind Garfield and fired his shot, and
now the man whom Guitesu made Pres
ident makes Roscoe Conkling 8 Judge of
the supreme court Of the United States.
These are simple historic facts known to
everybody, disputed by nobody. We
recall them now merely to set this ap-
pointmeRt In the light Of attendant facts.
II the nomination were otherwise . 6t
one, something would be psrdoned to the
personal friendship and personal graft
tude of the late Vice President, but the
nomination is on other grounds, notori
ously unfit. Conkling has no standing
st the bar to entitle him to be even
thought Of in connection with the Gu-
preme bench. He has had no considerable
practice since bis youth. He has been
retained in no cases save those which
come If the way ofpsy for political in
huence. The appearances he has made
IN court have been such as to provoke
contempt and ridicule OF real lawyers.
On this point, In spite Of the high posi-
ton and great influence he had, there
has scarcely been a divided opinion.
No doubt he might have been 9
good lawyer, but he chose to devot-
his active years to something else and he
is now too old to learn. Mr.. Conkling ia
unfit for the Supreme Bench, or for any
bench, because he is not man of judi
csl temper. Everybody, friend and foe
alike, know him as an intense. red not
pa tlsan, who never sees, or can see, more
than one side Of question. There WAS
absolute accuracy in Curtis description
OF him, as person who divided man
kind into two classes. slaves and enemiss.
Such man may do go d service some
places, but he ls no more tit for judge
than he is for bank note epgraver or 3
Sunday school superintendent. This nom
ination is grossly unfit, because it is fla
e. ant abuse Of the appointing power to
use the Supreme Bench to pension 6
broken down politician, who has made
himself 10 last degree odious the peo'
pie. II be must be provided for at the
public eIpense.it should be after the man.
ner he himself recommended. This j:
what he said about Collector Robertson
to Garfield: ''Send HIN abroad to some
second class consulship and | will go in
the lobby and hold my nose while he !!
being confirmed"