Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-03-01
COnkling and Sargent.

10 nearly everybody by nominating Roscoe
Conkling 10 be associate justice of the su-
preme court in place of Judge Hunt re-
signed, and by sending to the Senate the
name of Aaron A. Sargent of California
as minister to Berlin. No correspondents
can find whether Mr.. Conkling had init
mated he would accept the position or
whether now that il is rendered him he
will take it. He refuses to say anything
and will not be heard from till the Senate
acts on the nomination which it will soon
do and without doubt favorably. Both
nominations have been favorably reported
TO the Senate.
The nomination of Mr.. Conkling has
been received with all sorts of comment
and 1t is hard to say whether the balance
is favorable or unfavorable. 1t is said
that Senator Hoar denounced the nomina-
ton as one unfit to be made and set forth
the entire want ofjudicial character which
he claims Mr.. Conkling has. This attack
by Senator Hoar is by some said 10 have
been milder than reported and is by others
attributed to remembrance of how Conk-
ling defeated the confirmation of f. r.
EIoar to the same position twelve years
ago. At any rate Senator Hoar objected
10 immediate confirmation,
Discussion as to personal fitness for the
place is no more active than speculation
as to what the nomination means as indi-
eating the political purpose of the admin
istration. And it can be determined with
much more certainty whether pent-up
Utica ought to contract the powers of its
distinguished citizen or they ought TO be
given room on the supreme bench. Mr..
Con kings law as we'll as his pride came
both by descent and cultivation. His
father was a good Judge and a man of
good size in every way; and the towering
rage that it is told he was once put in by
being introduced to an audience as 1.-THE
father of Roscoe Conkling" was pretty
much justified by his own character and
position. Roscoe Conkling before he went
TO congress had much active practice us Il
lawyer. In the Senate he was n leader
and neither the study or practice of law
has been omitted by him. lie is lifty.two
years old and so of good age to 90 on
the bench.
We do not think that the nomination
can be criticised as one unfit to be made
On the contrary Mr.. Conkling if he goes
on the bench will undoubtedly make s
judicial fame that will be more creditablo
TO him than the tale of bis stormy careei
in the Senate which he closed so ridicu
lousy 10 himself and tragically TO others
The nomination needs no further expla.
nation than this-that the president know
FIR. Conklng well, knows him to be fit
and that they have long time been friends
lis political significance is wholly matter
of conjecture. 1t does not necessarily
mean that Mr.. Conkling goes t.
Washington TO be advise, and mex
friend OF the administration. No reason
able man supposed when Mr.. Arthur he
came president that he was merely L
register the guessed-at policy of former
administration. On the other hand he was
not expected to emphasize the fact that ht
belonged 10 the "stalwart " portion of hi
party by making war on allrepublcans who
were not stalwart. The reasonable hop,
was that he would 60 along making goot
president, selecting men for their fitnes!
and not because of their adherence to
faction. At the same time there could /,
nut little doubt that in many cases hi
action would be different from that which
his predecessor would have taken, ant
that in cases of contest and where it wa
difficult to decide what man was most Fl
for n place the notions that made Mr.
Arthur stalwart would have their effec
upon his decision. To expect otherwise
would be to ignore human nature.
So long as Chester A. Arthur is presi
dent the country asks of him that he shall
be president. That was what gave Gar
field the allegiance of all except handful
of people in the contest of last spring -
they wanted the man at the head to be n
the head. II Mr.. Conkiing could hav
convinced folks that Garfield was bein.
run by Mr.. Blaine public sen!imcn
would have been entirely different S,
Mr.. Arthur will have strength with tn
people Just so long rs they see that he i
acting on his own judgment, They woul
despise him if they believed he was lh
tool of any mainland rage would mingl
with contempt they thought him the loo
Of Conklng.
People in general have come TO bcliov
that the president is strong man, with
solid and independent will and they al
pleased TO find it so. Some may see
sign Of subsection in the nomination jus
made to the bench; but as rule folks wi
say that of itself it proves nothing of tn
kind and that there are other interpret;
tons more orcdlablc and more probabl
which the future will show are also moi
correct.
The other nomination, that of Mr.. Sa,
gent as minister TO Berlin, was n surpri,
in that it had been feared that Il e ox-seni
tor from California was booked TO succeC
Mr.. Kirkwood as secretary of tho interio
Nobody, unless ii is Mr.. Sargent bimsel
appears TO object TO his going TO Berli
and there is n great deal Of pleasure On
Sargent and his immediate friends NJ
being counted) that be is not going in
The interior department,
In Mormond0m there is discomfort wi,
the Edmunds anti-polygamy bill. II
"Gcntiles' rage because they want con
mission that shall be despolic in its powe
and the bill is TO them as milk and waite
The Mormons are angry because the b
is such an unjust aud violent attack {
them. And nobody in Utah seems sail
fled, all of which is pretty good recon