The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-27

States at the court of Germany. But the
crowning surprise comes. after one setaof
ewsmongers has been predicting that Ed
munds would be nominated to I'll the va
cancy on the supreme court bench, and
another set has insisted that Folger would
be the ceming man, in the nomination for
that place of Roscoe Conkling. We do
not regard it as probable, however, that
Mr. Conkling will accept the place, unless
his health is so poor as to compel him to
retire from active service at the bar. he
can ce rtainly make five times more money
in year by the practice of law than he
would receive as Judge of the supreme
court. His acceptance of aplace on the
bench would, of course, involve entire re-
tirement from political activity, which
would doubtless prove attractive to man
who has committed political suicide so
thoroughly as Mr.. Conkling has.
The Philadelphia Times in debating the
probability of Conklings acceptance is of
Conkling viii accept the position rendered
him by the president he created at Chicago
out of devoted but clouded friend. The
assumption that he may decline because
he declined the chief justiceship under
Grant is not well founded. 1t is true that
Grant rendered the chief justiceship to
Conkling, but it is equally true that he was
then ineligible, as the salary of the .chief
justice had been increased by the senate,
of which Cenkling was member. 1t
must be remembered, also, that at that
time Conkling was confidently expected to
be the successor of Grant, and there was,
therefore, not only the reason of ineligi-
bility, but considerations of expediencey
AZ well, to forbid his retirement from pol
itics.t the supreme court. If Mr.. Conk-
ling shall accept the supreme judgsship,
he will bring to the highest court of the
nation professed legal acumen and unsul-
lied integrity, and there is no reason for
the country to be gratified with the selec-
ton. His acceptance of the judgeship now
cal strife, and no man in the republic
would make an ADLER or better judge than
Roscoe Conkling if he shall devote the re
mainder of his days to judicial duties.
The Cincinnati Gazette, which is good
republican authority, thinks that the pres
ident yesterday surprised the country by
nominating Roscoe Conkling associate JUS
tice of the supreme court in place of
Justice Hunt, retired. The first impression
of the public mind, probably, will be that
this nomination is President Arthur's recog-
milton of public man to whom he has
stood in the relation of next friend in pol
itics, and who stands in the relation Of
chief advocate of Gen. Grant for more
terms. But the more deliberate reflection
will be that this is Mr.. Cenkling's with
drawal from political conflict and his Civ
ing up of his contest to recover the su-
premacy in New York, and recognition
that his attempt to regain his standing by
the voice of the republican party is hope
less. 1t might be thought that this is a
wise movement by the president to unite
the party in New York by retiring Mr..
Con king in this manner. In general, the
conjsctured reasons for this appointment
will be other t han that Mr. Conkling is
eminent for law learning or of q judicial
temper; that he has the physical or mental
condition to stand the work which is now
thrown upon the justices. He has not
earned the reputation of a great lawyer |
oy practice at the bar, and has not been |
prominent in the discussion of law oues. |
ions in the Senate. His appointment will
generally be looked upon as a political
and personal gift, and as
not for the highest good of the supreme
bench. /
Take it all in all, the appointment is
queer one. 1t is doubtful whether Conk-
ing will accept, as he has once declined
he Chief Justiceship, and he can make
many times the money out of his law bust
less. 1t certainly looks very much as if
Arthur, recognizing the fact that he owes
to Conkling and Guiteau, had
determined to make the appointment as an
ct of political gratitude, and had tried to
'ut Conkling in an office that was highly
but which put him out of the
Vay.